Frenchtown, New Jersey Farm

10/22/22

Sam: On my return to campus, my parents and I stopped in at our friends' house in NJ. I went to go help with some combining, and that's when I came across these relics. All of these cars were on the property next to the field getting harvested. Of course, I had to go over and check them out.

Above: 1958 Packard Hawk

This is what first caught my eye when we pulled in. I initially thought it was a Studebaker from the rear end, but after finding no Studebakers resembling it, I remembered that Studebaker had acquired Packard in the years before its demise. And bingo, there it was! A 1958 Packard Hawk. This poor car is too far gone (and gave off plenty of Christine vibes given the time of year and its condition), but it was still a cool find. From the license plate, it was last on the road in '69, and I think it was the rot that finally killed it. There's still some good parts for anyone restoring their own.

Willys Jeep Station Wagon

There were three rows of garage bays on the property, and this was behind the first one. What we have here is a post-war Kaiser Era Jeep wagon. This one was a little rusty in the rear, likely from many Winters spent hard at work plowing, but I think it could still be saved.

Above: 1965 Mustang Convertible (Pic 1), 1946-48 Chevy Panel Van (Pic 2)

These two cars were behind the first building, and I don't know if they were current or abandoned project. The Mustang had the floors cut out of it, but someone had welded new quarter panels on the rear. It was complete with a drivetrain, and I saw a few spare doors lying around near it, so someone had been working on it. The panel van had all the missing grille pieces (and many more parts) stored inside of it. It actually looked to be in good shape. Inside the building, I could see the back of a C2 corvette in the middle of a restoration. The three buildings on the property are rented out to various businesses. One of the garage bays had about six or seven fox-body Mustangs in it, while the others were empty or had new cars in them. One of them is owned by someone who rebuilds salvage cars, as there were a bunch of late-model cars with collision damage on the property as well.

1953 Studebaker Commander Shell

Someone here has a Studebaker obsession. This car was solid and probablywouldn't be a bad candidate for restoration if it wasn't in pieces. I'm starting to wonder if it is in the middle of a slow resto, as I found a fair amount of parts around it that looked like they belonged to the car. Unline conventional cars, Studebaker used bolt-on quarter panels on these cars, which makes their replacement that much easier. The quarters on this car appear to have been removed. I hope this one gets saved.

1962 Studebaker Hawk Gran Turismo

Yet another Studebaker! Three Stude-built cars on the same property means someone's definitely a fan. With styling like this, can you really blame them? This was the nicest Stude on the property, although its paint was starting to crack and flake. It had a recent NJ historic plate on it, indicating that it was on the road fairly recently. The carpet had been removed, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a completely intact original floor when I peaked inside. I think the keys were in it, too.

1978-79 Ford F-150

In stark contrast to the Studebaker, we have this well-used F-150, literally in the weeds. It's very work out and has likely hauled its last load. However, since it's a truck and cosmetics aren't necessarily key to its use, it could still be put back to use as a farm truck if the frame is still solid.

1954 Chevy Pickup

This truck was the only vehicle (aside from the 'Vette) that showed any evidence of being worked on. I don't know if it was getting brake work or some new tires, but the owner had it up on jack stands. The truck looks to be in solid shape overall, so it shouldn't take too much to get it back on the road. It was parked in the same area as the Packard on the front of the property.

Above: 1972 Ford L-800 Grain Truck

Here's a couple shots of what I originally came out to help with. I couldn't resist getting a couple shots of the sky with the old grain truck in the background. I think I've photographed this truck a few times before (or a couple different L-800s that our friends own. This one is in good running shape, although it did give a pretty violent backfire once as I was following it back to our friends' house that night.

'90s Dodge Van

This was on an adjacent property to the one with the cars. While it's not as old, I couldn't leave it out of the album. I think the rust on the roof makes it fit right in with the fall foliage around it.

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