Lump's Dumpster-Dive for tools, car parts, cool stuff

[Lump]

Several weeks ago I saw a listing on a Facebook page about Hupmobile cars & parts for sale. It featured an estate sale with the correct 4 cylinder engine and related parts for my 1923 Model R Hupmobile. I contacted the seller, and he offered very good prices. Luckily it was located north of Pittsburg…only about 4 hours from my home. I asked the always-adventurous wife if she felt like a road trip, and smiled and grabbed her coat. And (FOR ONCE) instead of a wild goose chase, it resulted in some really cool stuff at really great prices.

I found some hard-to-find parts for my exact Model R Hupmobile, a few hand tools, a nice bench vise, a great anvil, and lots of cool stuff. But the most amazing part of the sale was the dumpster which was sitting in the driveway...absolutely FILLED with cool stuff. The seller offered the contents to me for free!

The first 7 photos are almost entirely of stuff which was in the dumpster...except the anvil and the vise.

 

[Lump]

More photos of the free stuff from the dumpster in this incredible find:

 

[Lump]

That green tool box in the original post was loaded with total junk...but also held several chrome-plated sockets, including a few Snap On units. I brought it home, removed the better pieces and gave the rest away.

 

[Lump]

The primary thing that drew me to this out-of-state estate sale was the listed 1920's Hupmobile Model R 4-cylinder engine and related parts. These cars usually used Westinghouse ignition systems, and USED distributor caps can bring a couple hundred dollars, and new units cost $500 or more...if you can find them. Also, the exhaust manifold for these engines was subject to cracking (the one on my own car is cracked, has been repaired, and cracked again). And there was a transmission listed, plus a short block (stuck). The ****** turned out to be something strange...not for my car. And there was NO way to load that heavy engine into my truck. No ditch nearby to back into and lower the tailgate. No strong lumber nearby for a ramp. No one to help. Believe it or not, I finally gave up and left it there. But I got the most important engine parts, plus a couple of rough used doors and handles (see photos):

 

[Lump]

The seller was actually a very young man who had been given charge of liquidating this estate. Nice guy. I spotted several things that I really wanted, but he kept several things for himself. There was a massive vise, and a really big anvil, plus some antique sheet metal toys from the 1920's or 30's. No amount of talking/offering would get him to let go of them. But then he showed me another good sized anvil and a rusty vise. His price? $15 each, since they were so rusty, and since I was buying the car parts too. The vise is rusted stuck, but I plan to free it, after deer season. The anvil weighs about 80 lbs, if I recall correctly. All in all, I felt it was a productive trip.

 

[Graysgarage]

Looks good there

The seller was actually a very young man who had been given charge of liquidating this estate. Nice guy. I spotted several things that I really wanted, but he kept several things for himself. There was a massive vise, and a really big vise, plus some antique sheet metal toys from the 1920's or 30's. No amount of talking/offering would get him to let go of them. But then he showed me another good sized vise and a rusty vise. His price? $15 each, since they were so rusty, and since I was buying the car parts too. The vise is rusted stuck, but I plan to free it, after deer season. The vise weighs about 80 lbs, if I recall correctly. All in all, I felt it was a productive trip.

looks like you came up!! Looks like you may have some projects on your hands!!

 

[southalabama]

There comes a time in many estate sales where the seller or liquidator or family member is mentally done. Starts throwing away good stuff.

I witnessed dad and my uncles go through that stage with my grandmothers estate. They’d just had enough. I then hung out near the garbage.

 

[Roberts210]

Lump, you done good!

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Would love to see a thread bringing that vise back to life!

 

[Provincial]

It looks like I'll be the first one to say: "You ****" on that haul. Nice picking!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice score, Lump! If I just came with the anvil and the metal toy car I would've been excited.

 

[Garcky]

Wow! Quite a find! That's the kind of estate sale I used to dream about.

 

[lilredex]

Looks like that exhaust manifold is pre "split" for duals........would love to hear that one going down the road at full throttle.

 

[Lump]

Looks like that exhaust manifold is pre "split" for duals........would love to hear that one going down the road at full throttle.

Actually, that is a factory original manifold PAIR. The smaller pipes at the bottom are the intake, which is attached to the larger exhaust manifold above it.

 

[Johnny Generic]

Hey Lump, wheres about Pittsburgh was that sale? Just wondering how I missed it. How was it listed?

 

[Lump]

Hey Lump, wheres about Pittsburgh was that sale? Just wondering how I missed it. How was it listed?

Johnny,
It was listed on the Hupmobile page on Facebook, if I recall correctly.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

What a haul!

 

[thehorse13]

Hauls like this just don't come around like they once did. What a great pile of stuff!

 

[mikedodge]

Cool find!
It was house contents but when my neighbor next doors house sold after her living there 50+ years they sold nothing and took 2 dumpster loads of stuff out. Most was in trash bags so It wasn't till the second dumpster that I climbed in to get stuff. Mainly because some things I wanted and we had borrowed in the past were up top. Got an old wood stackable lawyers filing cabinet and a few other things out of there. Would have grabbed more if we had the space. It's crazy what some people toss.

 

[leg17]

....... And there was NO way to load that heavy engine into my truck. No ditch nearby to back into and lower the tailgate. No strong lumber nearby for a ramp. No one to help. Believe it or not, I finally gave up and left it there. ......

Could you hire a tow truck to plop it into your truck?