Checking Out the Hartung Auction in Chicago
Well, if you have been looking to score a Ford Model A of nearly any configuration, the Lee Roy Hartung auction held in Chicago last week would have been a good place to start. There were 79 automobiles here, none in running order, most complete and restorable. Some had been submerged under water up to two feet deep for extended periods of time, with rust lines showing the damage that could have been prevented with a little care.
As you exited the main tent and walked by tables and piles of parts, these were the first cars outside that you saw. They had all been sitting out in the rain for the last couple of months, so sadly the interior on most had gotten a good chance to sprout some mold.
After seeing these cars, you turned to the right and looked down a long line of more cars. As you can see, there were some good-looking projects, but oh, so much cost to freight them home to Alaska! The row of items in front of the cars was just the beginning of some of the parts available at the auction. They continued down to the fence at the far end, and then turned right. There were a lot of hit-and-miss engines, and everything else that you could imagine. I will post some more pictures later that will cover some of the more interesting parts and such. Wind and rain made for few people outside looking that day, but bids were high on a lot of the stuff. But, if you wanted NOS (new old stock) Model A or T fenders, they were cheap--groups of a dozen or so sold in the $250 range. Auction results are posted here.