♪♪
Jersey jon: (on phone): Hey, what's up?
Mike: Hey, did you get that photo?
Jersey jon: (on phone): What photo?
Mike: The photo I sent.
I sent you a photo of a chassis.
Early indian chassis.
Jersey jon: (on phone): Yeah, hold on.
I ain't glued to my phone.
Mike: Come on, jersey! Jersey jon: (on phone): Ya ya...
Mike: [laughs] some guy dug it out of the woods, dude.
Mike & robbie: [laughs]
Mike: How often do you find an '09 chassis?
Mike: [laughs]
Mike: $1,000.
Robbie: Jersey, if you had it,
It'd be worth 2,000- 3,000- 4,000.
Mike: No, if jersey- if jersey had it, it'd be 10 grand!
Robbie: Yeah, come on.
Mike: Tell us how you really feel.
Robbie: Yeah, come on, jersey.
Mike: [laughs]
Robbie: Now you're- now you want to buy it?
Robbie: Jersey, you just said it was a piece of junk.
Mike: [laughs]
♪♪
[phone ringing]
Mike: Dani d, what's up?
Dani: Hey guys!
Mike: So, what's going on?
What do you got for us?
Dani: Okay, so I've been working with this lady named linda,
And she works with this guy who has this massive toy collection,
And he is finally ready to sell.
Mike: So, what kind of stuff?
Like, what kind of toys?
Dani: He's got a lot of car stuff,
Motorcycle stuff, toy cars, toy engines.
I mean, honestly, he's got a little bit of everything.
Mike: Really?
Dani: So, according to linda, now's the time to hit him
Up because this is when he wants to sell.
Mike: Killer! Alright, send us the address.
Robbie: Yeah.
Dani: Okay, hey, hey! Listen real quick.
The place I'm sending you to has a gate,
So there will be a gate code you're going
To have to punch in.
Mike: If the guy's got a gate, it sounds expensive.
Dani: He's in the junk business.
I mean like, he owns junkyards.
Mike: Oh, cool! Robbie: Oh yeah.
Dani: Okay, I'll send you the address.
Robbie: Alright.
Mike: Alright, text us the gate code.
Dani: Okay. I'll text it to you.
Mike: Bye!
♪♪
Mike: Alright here, we're coming up on this place it says.
Robbie: Yeah, it's up here on the right.
I think it's right here. Is it this?
Mike: You got to get out.
Robbie: Oh. Alright.
Mike: You got to get out and punch it in.
Robbie: Alright. Hold on here.
[punching in code beeping]
Mike: This guy's a serious junker, man.
Wow, look at- look at all these truck beds.
Robbie: They're all brand new.
Mike: Everything is organized.
Look at that.
This is all late model stuff.
Mike: Which way do we go?
Robbie: I think it's up here.
Here, just freaking honk the horn.
Mike: I'm just going to honk the horn,
See if anybody comes out.
Robbie: Yeah.
[honks horn]
Mike: Alright.
Robbie: Hey hey!
Rodney: How can I help you?
Mike: Hey man, is linda around?
Rodney: Oh, yeah, yeah.
Mike: Yeah, hey I'm mike.
Rodney: Mike.
Mike: My brother, robbie.
Rodney: Robbie.
Robbie: How are you doing? Nice to see you.
Mike: Yeah.
Rodney: Is she expecting you?
Mike: Yeah, yeah. She called us.
Rodney: Yeah?
Mike: We're actually here to,
To look at some old toys or antiques.
Robbie: Yeah, yeah.
Rodney: Okay.
Robbie: You got any of those things around here?
Rodney: Yeah, but ron doesn't sell anything.
I've been here 20 years and he doesn't sell stuff.
Mike: Well, she- she called. Linda called us.
Robbie: Yeah, linda called us.
Rodney: Well, then I'll get you with linda.
Mike: Alright. Very cool.
Mike: Hi.
Linda: Hey. Rodney: Hey.
Linda: Hey okay. How are you, rodney?
Rodney: I'm good.
Do you know anything about these guys?
Mike: You talked to danielle?
Linda: Yes! You are the guys. Hi.
Mike: Yeah, I'm mike. Nice to meet you.
Linda: Linda, nice to meet you.
Mike: My brother, robbie.
Robbie: Nice to meet you.
Linda: Nice to meet you.
Mike: Who's this?
Linda: And this is lance.
Mike: Thanks, buddy!
Linda: This is my guard dog. Thanks, rodney!
Mike: Aww.
Linda: How are you guys doing?
Mike: We're doing good.
Linda: So danielle gave you the message.
Mike: Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Linda: So, what-
Mike: 20 years, he's been collecting, hasn't sold much.
Linda: No. This man, he loves his toys.
Mike: After walking in and meeting linda,
I think my brother and I are fighting above our weight here.
Linda: Let's go meet ron.
Mike: Alright.
Mike: Oh, these are nice. Look at this, robbie.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: He's got a lot more stuff than this, huh?
Linda: Hey ron, this is linda. Can I come in?
[lock disengaging sound]
Linda: Guess so.
Robbie: It's like fort knox around here.
Mike: Yeah.
Linda: Hey ron.
I want you to meet these guys.
This is mike.
And this is his brother, robbie.
Mike: [chuckles] hello, my friend.
Ron: Okay.
Robbie: How are you doing?
Mike: Hey. Nice to meet you.
Robbie: Good to see you.
Linda: So... Remember when you told me you
Wanted to get rid of some toys?
Well, I took you up on it and I found-
Mike: Yeah, here's a flyer.
Linda: -These guys.
And they are pretty smart about antiques
And got some toy expertise.
Mike: Well, I mean we- yeah, we buy toys,
I mean, but that's not the only thing we buy. I mean...
Ron: Yeah.
Mike: ...Just walking in here I saw the cabinet on the right,
I'm like... You're- you're pretty serious.
Ron: Well, have they met rodney or talked to rodney or...?
Linda: Well, they talked to rodney for a minute, yeah.
Robbie: Well...
Rodney said you don't sell anything.
Mike: Yeah we actually...
Yeah, it's not easy to get in here.
We went to rodney, and then rodney introduced us to her,
And now she's introducing us to you, so.
Ron: Well, that's good.
Mike: You got it going on, my friend. Yeah.
Ron: Yeah. I guess, I guess it's all good.
Robbie: Yeah.
Ron: Well, there's a lot of stuff here.
Mike: Yeah.
Ron: Everybody calls it the repository of cool stuff.
Mike: I can see why.
Ron: I collect because it's the only hobby I have.
Well, I was in the junkyard business and of course,
I loved cars. I was always a car nut.
I always wanted to own cars and understand cars.
I think the toys helped me accomplish that goal.
Ron: And I could afford the toys whereas
I couldn't afford a whole lot of big cars.
Mike: So, where'd you find something like that at?
Ron: Well, that's a- that's a like a tether car except a boat.
Mike: Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I mean, just the craftsmanship on it's incredible.
Ron: Yeah, I'm sure I bought it at an auction.
Mike: Look at the size of the engine on that, robbie.
Robbie: I know, it's huge. All wood?
Ron: Probably 15 or 20 years ago.
Yeah, it's a really big engine for such a
Little bitty boat, isn't it?
Mike: Yeah, it's nuts, man.
I've never seen anything like it.
Mike: As soon as we walk into this office,
You can tell that ron is a high-test collector.
I mean, high -end stuff.
Linda: I'm going to get out of here, okay?
Ron: Okay. Thanks.
Linda: Have fun.
Mike: Nice to meet you. Linda: Nice to meet you guys.
Robbie: Thank you. Linda: Thank you so much.
Mike: But what I like about the guy right away
Is the way he takes the time to display everything.
Mike: So, if you got the cutaways,
Have you ever found any cutaways that are motorcycle-related?
Ron: I've got this - the book, about von dutch
And some of his motorcycles.
Mike: Really?
Ron: I bought this recently - a few years ago,
At the peterson museum auction.
They sold a bunch of the von dutch stuff.
Mike: Oh my gosh.
Robbie: I remember that, when that went down.
Ron: That's his, you know, cover. He made that.
Mike: Oh, he made- he made that?
Robbie: He made that, yeah.
Ron: Yeah that was his.
Mike: Oh, wow.
Mike: If you collect transportation,
Then you know the founding fathers of
The custom culture movement.
Guys like george barris, ed roth,
And von dutch.
They were the innovators that carved out and
Created what we all worship today.
Mike: Look at that, man. So cool.
Ron: There's a lot of cool stuff in there.
Mike: Old master of freak-out art.
He kept all these articles on himself.
Ron: Yes. I believe that's the case.
Mike: I wonder if this was like a family piece or something.
Ron: Everything in here is von dutch.
Mike: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mike: Von dutch wasn't just a pinstriper.
The guy was a car mechanic, he was a motorcycle mechanic,
He was a clock maker, he was a gun maker,
He was a knife maker, he was a sign painter.
The guy could do anything and what he did was brilliant.
Everything that he touched got dutch'd.
Mike: Above all, he was an artist.
He was authentic.
He was passionate.
And he was true to his trade.
Mike: I'm not seeing any photos of - original photos - of him.
Yeah, there's one right there.
Ron: Uh-huh.
Mike: This is amazing!
Mike: A lot of the original photos have handwritten
Notations describing what you're looking at.
Whether it's him when he was 17 years old on his
First motorcycle, his first indian motorcycle.
And then there's a lot of different photos of him on
Different motorcycles that he owned over
The years as a young man.
Photographs of him with a jaguar that he customized.
There's photographs of him with his wolf dog.
Just a lot of really personal intimate moments.
Ron: You know, it's funny.
Some guys like motorcycles.
Some guys like cars. Some guys like clocks...
Mike: Yeah, yeah... I...!
I have this bike! I have this bike!
Ron: Oh my gosh! Mike: Yeah.
Ron: You have it now?
Mike: Yeah, I have this bike!
Ron: What kind of bike is it?
Mike: Well, it's an xavw so basically it's a harley xa frame
That was shaft-driven that was built for world war ii
To fight in the desert, to fight rommel.
So, what he did was he took a volkswagen engine
Because it had an opposed harley engine.
Ron: Um-hm.
Mike: He pulled that out and stuck a volkswagen engine in it.
Mike: The xavw is a custom motorcycle that
Von dutch built that no one had seen in years.
The couple that owned that bike had a
Chopper shop in long beach, california.
Mike: Oh my god, frankie.
Look it right here.
He engraved his name in the motor. Von dutch.
Frank: Yep.
Mike: The motorcycle was on display in the window.
When they closed that shop and moved to
Tennessee, they stuck it in a barn.
No one even knew that that bike existed until
I found it outside of paris, tennessee.
Frank: Very nice to meet ya.
Mike: This is a rolling piece of custom culture history.
Mike: Part of it is off a moto guzzi falcone.
It's got a honda 450 tank on it, it's got an indian headlight.
Ron: Wow, a little bit of everything for everybody.
Mike: Yeah.
Robbie: Everything, yeah.
Mike: Yeah, yeah, this is a conglomeration of stuff.
Robbie: There it is.
Mike: Okay see, that's the way it is now.
Robbie: Yeah. Ron: Yes.
Mike: See, like see how the tank is different.
I wonder why he changed the tank?
Ron: Uh-huh, I wonder if that was the tank before or after?
Mike: I don't know.
But then look at that right there.
Ron: Probably before because if you have it
Now and it doesn't look like that...
Mike: It looks- this is how it looks right now.
I got it in a barn in tennessee.
Mike: This book is not just showing the bike,
It's showing me the evolution of the bike.
The bike initially started out with a
Completely different gas tank.
Mike: I didn't know it had a tank that- that he drilled
Holes and there's crumb panels on the side.
Then why did he change it?
Robbie: Yeah.
Ron: And given time, you'd spend 30 minutes
Reading all those pages.
Mike: Oh my god.
Robbie: Oh yeah, this is like...
Mike: Oh my gosh.
Robbie: That's a lifetime right here.
Mike: Okay, I got to ask.
Ron: Um-hm?
Mike: Would you sell this?
Ron: The whole book?
Mike: Yeah! I mean, I own the bike!
Ron: Yeah... I...
I'm not inclined to, I don't think, really.
Mike: Alright. Okay. Well, let's- let's look around.
Robbie: Let's look around.
Mike: He's getting- you already blew my mind
And we haven't even walked out of the office yet.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Ron is a collector just like me.
And he understands my passion because he has the same passion.
So, I'm hoping that he will - I don't know, man
- Find it in his heart to allow me to own this book.
♪♪
Mike: What kind of mercedes benz is that?
Ron: I think it's a 196 racecar, it's a german toy.
Mike: Yeah.
What's the value of something like this?
Ron: I would guess it's at least 500 bucks.
Robbie: Yeah. Mike: Okay.
Mike: Ron's idea, his passion, his focus,
Him staying in his lane and being very specific
On what he collects, is pretty unbelievable.
Robbie: Whoa. Mint condition on that.
Ron: The blue...
Robbie: Look at the condish.
Mike: I mean, it doesn't deviate too far from
Pressed tin wind- up clockwork toys.
Ron: It seems like every time I started a car
It costs me 1,000 bucks.
Mike: [chuckles]
Robbie: But the toys kept going up in value.
Robbie: Going- yeah, yeah.
Ron: They don't need anything.
Mike: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mike: Look at that, robbie.
I've never even seen one of those before.
I mean, half the stuff in this case right
Here I've never seen before.
Mike: And when you focus, that's when you're looking for
The quality, that's when you're looking for the high-test stuff.
You know, it's not about quantity for him.
I mean, yes, there's quantity here,
But it's really, really about quality.
That's the most unbelievable thing about this collection.
Mike: What's this car you got in this bubble here?
Ron: Oh, that's a bugatti veyron. 1,000 horsepower.
Mike: 1,000 horsepower!
Ron: 1,000 horsepower.
It's hard to drive. It's brutal.
Robbie: Wow.
Mike: So, like, why is it in a bubble?
What's that doing for it?
Ron: Well, I guess that keeps everybody from
Touching it or look- or trying to get in it.
Mike: [laughs] robbie: Yeah.
Ron: People come in here...
Mike: How- how many times have you driven that?
Ron: Oh, I've probably driven it a dozen or two times.
You know, this car comes with two keys - one key you drive it
With, and when you want to go faster than a hundred,
And I think it's 126 miles an hour,
You put it in the second key.
The car lowers, it sucks all the flats up underneath.
Mike: Yeah?
Ron: And it gets ready to go really fast.
Mike: [laughs] robbie: Wow.
Mike: That's crazy!
Ron: I think when you get one of these,
It's kind of the epitome of car collecting.
From bugs to bugattis.
Mike: Okay.
Ron: Because I started with bugs.
Ron: My dad died when I was a senior in high school.
I was a bag boy at the grocery store and he left me
No place to live and no money and a '65 volkswagen.
Mike: Wow.
Ron: And I opened a volkswagen repair shop.
Mike: No kidding.
So how did you know how to work on volkswagens?
Ron: Didn't. Learned how.
Mike: No way. Robbie: That's nuts.
Mike: So then how did you get from the
Volkswagen business into the junkyard business?
Ron: I had accumulated about 35 old junk cars.
We'd go to the salvage auction, you can buy
A wrecked car for 50 bucks.
Mike: Yeah.
Ron: Then I can charge you $200 for the engine.
Robbie: Right.
Ron: And somebody from the city came by and said,
"son, you can't keep these 35 cars here.
You're going to have to do something else."
Ron: So, I came down the street a few miles
With those 35 cars and one employee.
Ron: 500 a month or something rent and- and opened a junkyard.
Mike: You just needed an empty lot.
Ron: I needed an empty lot, and I bought a portable building.
Ron: Over the next 20 or so years,
I grew the business to about 150 employees
And $15 million in sales.
Ron: We eventually grew to be nationwide.
Mike: Nationwide?!
Ron: In 1999, ford motor company came along and
Wanted to buy my business, and I sold it to them.
Mike: So then what happened with that?
Ron: Well, they lost a quarter billion
Dollars in the business...
Robbie: Yeah.
Ron: ...And sold it back to me with 35 locations in 18 states.
Robbie: Wow.
Mike: So what, they thought, hey junk business,
This must be easy.
Robbie: Yeah. I know.
Ron: It just wasn't a good fit for motor-
For ford motor company.
Robbie: Yeah. Mike: Really?
Robbie: Yeah.
Ron: And I turned it around and sold it
To a public company, a big public company.
Robbie: Huh.
Robbie: Ron's one of those guys that I can relate to.
He was a self -made man.
He got out, he made his own living.
Same thing my brother and I do.
Ron: 10 billion in sales last year.
Mike: Dang, man!
That's a- hey, I'm in the junk business too, and...
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: ...We're not doing 10 billion in sales.
Robbie: In america, you can do anything.
Doesn't matter where you start from,
It matters where you finish at.
He crossed that finish line.
Mike: I've got two of those bicycles from this trade
Stimulator, but I don't have the trade stimulator.
Ron: And the label is supposed to be a pretty big deal.
Mike & robbie: Yeah.
Ron: They don't have the label usually.
Robbie: Yeah.
Ron: Or, it's off.
Robbie: Yep. Mike: Oh yeah.
I mean, I haven't seen one of these in a while.
Ron: The trade stimulator is just an early form of gaming but
Designed to get people interested
In staying in your store.
People would come into the store,
They'd put a penny in it, the wheels would spin and
The little tag on it would tell you whether you won
Anything or not and how much you won.
Mike: Can I open the glass case and see this car?
Ron: Sure!
You can open any of the cases, and...
We unlocked them all.
Mike: Alright. 'cause this car - robbie, you see this thing, man?
Robbie: Oh, it's huge.
Mike: This thing... Robbie: Atomic jet.
Ron: Usually the tires are flat.
Robbie: Yeah.
Ron: Or they're missing two hubcaps.
Mike: Look at the bottom of it.
I mean, that doesn't even have a scratch on it.
Ron: Uh-huh.
Mike: Do you have the box to this?
Ron: No, I don't.
Mike: I was going to say, 'cause it looks like it
Came out of the box, it's like...
Ron: That car would be priceless with the box.
Mike: Listen to this thing, robbie.
[toy car whirrs]
Ron: Pretty cool. It's so big.
Mike: Oh my god... Look at that thing.
Robbie: Anything to do with space-age, too...
Mike: It looks like something that would
Be raced on bonneville or something, you know?
Ron: It has a lot of eye appeal.
Mike: Is this something that you would even consider selling?
Ron: Not inclined to, but I wouldn't say no, I guess.
Mike: Okay.
Well, do you have any idea what you'd want for it?
Ron: Oh, wow.
What's the number on the bottom of that?
Robbie: Right here.
Ron: I think I decided somewhere along the line that this was
Going to get to be a pretty big collection and I needed
To know what I had and what I had paid.
We started inventorying the stuff and
Putting numbers on the bottoms of them.
Mike: 1663.
Ron: Yeah, we're up to about 3000 now.
So, I've had it 10 years or so.
Mike: Okay, that's how you got it.
Ron: But I can go look in the book and
See what I- what I paid for it.
Kind of get an idea what I'd take for it.
Mike: And the trade stimulator.
Ron: Yeah.
Mike: You know. So, do you mind if we take some
Pictures of these things?
These two pieces?
Ron: Nah, that's way cool.
I'll just go get the book.
Mike: Okay.
Ron: I routinely use the book to see what I have in something,
Or sometimes I use it when buying things to
Determine what I might have paid for the last one,
Or what something similar to it might cost.
Robbie: I mean, in the photo it just looks massive.
Mike: It is massive. Are you kidding me?
It's got to be one of the biggest toys.
Send this to dave.
Robbie: Dave is the king when it comes to toys.
Mike: Get a good read on the nickel on it.
Know what I mean, as far as how good the nickel is?
Robbie: Actually condition-wise.
Oh yeah.
Mike: And then also, how good the numbers are on the wheels.
Robbie: Those are always flaked off.
Robbie: He taught me so much about toys in general.
Dave's the guy I have to send these photos to.
Mike: Alright, dude, you ready for this?
He's got 3 versions of the santa car, dude.
Robbie: Dave will know.
Mike: I know he'll know.
Here, let me get a picture of you with it.
Robbie: Send it to dave, yeah?
"I just bought this for 1,000 bucks!"
Mike: [chuckles] I know, he's going to freak.
[phone ringing]
Robbie: What up, dave boy? Mike: Dave!
Dave (on phone): So where are you guys at,
The smithsonian?
Mike: [laughs]
Robbie: Ummm... It's actually a guy's private collection.
Mike: It might as well be, brother.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Get this, guess how he made his money.
Dave (on phone): How?
Mike: Junkyard. Yep.
Dave (on phone): Atta-boy!
Mike: He's just, he's just like you, dave.
Self-made man.
Robbie: There you go.
Dave (on phone): Heh. That's right.
Mike: What'd you think of that santa car?
Dave (on phone): That santa car's insane, you know I mean,
Somebody paid over 20,000 for one of those ones.
Robbie: What!
Mike: Really!
Mike: This is like taking the christmas story leg lamp,
To the next level.
Mike: What did you think of the car, dude?
Dave (on phone): The atom car.
Mike & robbie: Yeah.
Dave (on phone): I melted right in my socks,
What are you talking about.
Mike & robbie: [snorts & laughs]
Mike: I know.
Dave (on phone): You know I love the space stuff...
Mike: Have you seen that car before?
Dave (on phone): I have seen it before.
They're very, very desirable.
It's not mint per se, but...
Mike: Close.
Dave (on phone): ...Yeah it's a 9-plus.
Between 5 and 7,000 in there.
Robbie: Okay. What about the trade stimulator?
Dave (on phone): That was a really nice example,
It's missing a little celluloid tag,
I think it said, sun company.
Mike: It's- it's in the side...
Robbie: It's in there.
Mike: Did you see the celluloid toy tag in the corner?
There's like a tag in the corner.
Robbie: It's there.
Dave (on phone): Oh it's on the inside.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: I think it is, yeah. It's on the inside, yeah.
Robbie: Yeah, it's in there.
Dave (on phone): Oh okay.
Well, I- I'd put that at 7- 8,000. I mean, 8,000.
Robbie: Yeah.
Dave (on phone): To me, 8,000's all of it.
Mike: I love what I do, because one way or another,
Every day is an education.
Robbie: Hey...
Mike: If we find anything else that's really interesting...
Robbie: ..We'll hit you up.
Mike: ...We'll hit you up. Robbie: Alright. Bye.
Dave (on phone): Yeah, please do. Bye.
Mike: Appreciate you, buddy.
Mike: The guys that have high-test,
High-quality stuff like this.
Mike: He said we could touch anything we wanted.
Mike: They're not digging it out of like,
Chicken coops and pig sheds and basements.
Ron: I went and got the inventory book.
Mike: Okay. Robbie: Yeah.
Ron: Thought we would look up some of that stuff.
Mike: They're either going to auctions or
They got guys like me, that are bringing it to them.
This is great for us, because even if we're not buying
A lot of stuff today, we're getting that relationship going.
Ron: I found the stimulator.
The reason I remember the stimulator is 'cause the auction
House that sold it to me called and tried to take it back,
'cause it was supposed to have brought a lot more money.
But I paid $5,500 for the stimulator.
I think they said it was supposed to be worth 8 or 9,000.
Mike: Yeah.
Our guy that we called, that's what he thought.
Ron: Yeah. 1603: Atom jet. We found this...
Really good condition, I paid $5,500 for it. I think...
Mike: So... What are you-
Where are you at with that thing?
If you'd even consider selling it...
Ron: Oh I don't think I'm...
I don't think I'm inclined to sell it
'cause I've waited 10 years to find it.
Ron: I was kind of stuck because I know how many
Years it took me to find one in that condition.
I know I'll probably never be able to replace it.
Mike: The only thing I see some maybe light at
The end of the tunnel, is the trade stimulator piece,
You paid 55 for, and we have all agreed that that's,
You know, like an $8,000 piece. So...
Is that something that you would sell?
Ron: Yeah.
Mike: Well what would you have to have for that though?
Ron: I think the 8 would satisfy me,
'cause it's not what I do.
Mike: I- I... Agree with you 100%,
And we're all in agreement there.
But I- I can't pay the 8, because I got to
Have a little bit of room.
It's like you buying the volkswagen for
25 bucks, you know.
Ron: Um-hm.
Mike: And selling it for the engine, for 200.
I know you didn't get where you're at
Without having some kind of margin.
Ron: Has anybody got a coin?
Robbie: I got a coin.
Ron: What do you want to pay?
Mike: Alright I see what- I see where this is going.
I see where...
Robbie: What do we...
Ron: What do you want to pay?
Mike: What do I want to pay?
Ron: Yeah what do you want to pay?
Robbie: 5,750.
Ron: Oh that's bull-[beep]. Mike: 6-
Mike & robbie: [laughs]
Ron: Can't say that, can I.
Mike: 6 grand.
Ron: Okay.
Mike: Because here's the deal, I'm going to put 8 on
It and somebody's going to go,
"you know, would you take 7?"
And then I'm going to go no...
Robbie: No.
Mike: ...And you know how it goes.
Ron: Okay. So we're going to up or down...
Mike: Yeah.
Ron: From 6. Mike: Okay.
Ron: And we can go as far up and as far down as you want to go.
So we can go 2 up to 8, and 2 down to 4.
Mike: Oh lord! Oh my god...
[nervous chuckle]
Robbie: Man, that's a big,
That'd be like the biggest split in the world.
Ron: Well I said I'd take any amount up or any amount down.
We can go 500 up.
Mike: I'm one of those guys that's always driven by
The casino, and said, "that place wasn't built on winners."
Ron: And- and...
Mike: I'm fighting, I'm fighting above my weight here.
Ron: Okay.
So you want to give 6, we'll do 65 or 55.
Mike: Every time I've flipped in the past,
I've always lost.
So when he starts talking numbers go 2 up,
2 down, all this stuff, it's like...
You know, I got 6 grand I want to spend,
That's the way my mind works.
All this other stuff, you know, him and robbie,
You know, he's getting robbie all excited,
He's- he's... Practicing with his thumbs.
I'm just like, I- I don't want anything to do with this.
I want to buy it, but I want to buy it on my terms,
Not like... Fantasy terms.
Robbie: Alright... You're never going to hear the end of this...
Gotta think...
Ron: [laughs] we got to have some fun!
Robbie: Okay... I am, I'm there.
Ron: Go for it.
Robbie: Heads.
Ron: Okay.
What have we got?
Robbie: Ahh...
Tails.
Ron: Tails. [laughs]
Mike: Argghh! God-dang-it!
Robbie: Shoot! Dang!
Ron: Oh I hate it when that happens.
Mike: Urgh!
Ron: [laughs] a man of your word.
Robbie: I usually never lose the flip!
I never lose.
Mike: I could have- I could have done that!
Ron: [laughs] robbie: God, yeah.
Mike: What's in the cage?
Ron: Oh that's, that's where our rodney and our inventory
Person works and fixes things and changes them out.
Robbie: One thing about this building,
You got to know it's got a scratch-and-dent area.
Mike: Game on. Robbie: Oh wow.
Mike: This air boat. Ron: Yep.
Mike: Yeah man, this is like the ultimate g. I. Joe toy.
Ron: Um-hm.
Robbie: So what are you doing with this piece?
This... Is this something you're going to put in there?
It says "loan association."
Ron: That toy, or model, would have been used to
Interest somebody in opening a savings account or whatever.
Robbie: These signs go up and down,
This goes up and down...
Ron: Um-hm.
Robbie: ...It's got a little motor in the back.
Got a little chain-drive engine on there,
It's kind of... Needs to be rewired, but...
Robbie: Early advertising was about catching your eye.
Anything that had a motion in it,
Made you stop and look.
Next thing you knew, you were walking in the bank door,
Saying hey, I need a new loan for a new car.
Ron: So the motor's making all those go up and down.
Robbie: Yeah. Well, just these two.
That's the... That's the motion.
Ron: 1,800. Robbie: 1,800?
Ron: Yeah.
Ron: I bought it for the president of one of
The banks that I do business with.
And it was supposed to be a gift,
And I never gave it to him.
Robbie: 1,400.
Ron: 15.
Robbie: 1,450.
Ron: You want to flip up again?
Robbie: No, I just want to get it for 1,450.
Ron: 1,450.
Robbie: [chuckles] thanks.
Ron: You're soured on the flipping.
Robbie: I am!
I'm not, hey listen, you don't have to ride with
My brother in the van, all the way home, okay?
Mike: Whatever!
Ron: [laughs] robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Robbie, did you see this thing?
Robbie: Oh wow.
Ron: Yeah, this is a vvr driving school model.
Ron: Before cars became ubiquitous,
Everywhere and everybody owned one.
Ron: In the '30s, in the '40s, in the '50s,
Special companies built models that they used in the
Courses to teach people how to change a tire,
Where the headlights switch was, how to check the oil...
Robbie: Yeah.
Ron: You know, all the controls.
Robbie: And how to do it.
Mike: You had to know how to work the car
And maintain the car before you got your license.
Ron: Right.
Robbie: Oh yeah.
This is earlier?
Ron: This is pre-war.
Robbie: Pre-war.
Ron: I wouldn't sell it, it's the only one I have,
The only one I've ever seen.
Think I paid...
Mike: What do you want for this one?
Ron: I'd take a grand for that one.
Robbie: Is that...
Mike: That's getting on it.
Ron: I've never seen one sell for less than 1,000.
I've seen them bring as much as 3,000 at auctions.
Mike: The money shot is the, is the front end.
So one of the lenses is busted out.
Ron: Um-hm.
Mike: And the bumper's half gone.
Ron: Um-hm. Story of my life.
[group laughing]
Mike: Hey, you're in the junk business.
Robbie: Yeah, yeah.
Ron: I think it was probably like that when I bought it.
Mike & robbie: Yeah.
Mike: I'm sure.
Ron: And I'm sure the one that I saw bring 1,000 were probably...
Robbie: Right.
Ron: ...Less than perfect condition.
And the ones that were 3 were all cleaned up
And spiffy looking.
Robbie: Make me feel like I'm getting a good deal, ron.
Ron: I'm not sure that's possible.
Mike: [laughs] robbie: Yeah, it is. Yeah.
Ron: $900.
Robbie: Ron didn't get to wear he is today,
Without negotiating.
He's probably one of the best negotiators
I've ever had to come up against.
Robbie: I'll do 900.
Ron: Okay.
Mike: He's doing it!
Robbie: I'm doing it.
Robbie: But I think we did pretty good.
♪♪
Mike: What year is this?
Ron: It's a 2020 mclaren 720 spider.
It's a convertible.
Mike: This is a mclaren, a ferrari, a lamborghini.
Ron: Yes.
Mike: Which one's the fastest?
Ron: The mclaren's the fastest.
Mike: I mean, you said that quick.
Ron: And it, and it has the gull-wing doors too.
Mike: Oh yeah, there you go.
Mike: When you walk into a collection like this,
Stored in a building like this, it's easy to make assumptions.
But the reality is, everybody has a story,
If you're willing to listen.
And I had no idea how many parallels there
Were between ron and I.
Ron: Yeah and you can see the seats in all the cars are
Covered with plastic and people think it's 'cause they're new,
But it's because my dogs go everywhere with me.
Mike: That's cool.
My dog goes everywhere with me too.
Ron: Yeah. That's cool.
Mike: Yeah, that's the way to do it, man.
Ron: Love dogs.
Mike: You know, we've both been in the junk business basically
Our whole lives, we both started out dealing in old volkswagens.
He's self-employed, I'm self-employed;
He's a self-made guy, so am I.
Robbie: That's the...
Ron: I think this is a one-off knucklehead engine.
And it actually runs, I think.
Mike: Imagine that running, man!
Mike: By no means, [laughing] I have any of the- the money that
This guy has, but you know, if you- if you're willing to
Listen, you know, and walk in someone else's shoes,
And not judge them by the car they drive,
The clothes they have, the building
That you're standing in.
I don't know, I really feel like a kindred spirit with him.
Mike: The junk business has been good to you, my friend.
Ron: It has, it has.
Mike: Hey, god bless ya.
Mike: I love the stuff that he collects,
I love his eye, I love his passion.
I'm glad that he shared all that with us,
Because you know, it's- it's nice to know
Who you're doing business with.
Mike: Does this book have um...
The von dutch photo album in it?
Ron: Uh-huh.
I bought it from a museum auction: $7,200.
Mike: Hmm.
Ron: And I can guarantee I spent 500 to get it here,
'cause they make you pay.
Mike: 500 to ship that?
Ron: Well they make you use- robbie: Well you got to remember
They're going to box it, then they're going to-
Ron: Crate it.
Robbie: -Yeah, they crate it, and then they ship it
And it's, that's how they get ya.
Ron: And they treat it like it's a picasso.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Can we go look at it?
Ron: Sure you can look at it.
Mike: Let's- let's... Come on, let's look at it again.
I mean, come on.
Robbie: This was von dutch's life and his history.
Ron: A lot of cool pictures in there.
Robbie: Everything he accomplished is sitting
Right there and it's von dutch's writing,
With articles, and every photograph
That you could imagine.
Mike: So here's an indian that he restored.
And there he is right there in a car,
The winton, that he restored.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: He restored a lot of heavy-hitter
Stuff for mcqueen, you know.
And he also restored stuff for harrah,
And bud ekin, look at that '32 ford roadster.
Robbie: I know, look at that roadster.
Mike: So I'm peeling through the pages,
And I see another motorcycle that von dutch customized -
A 1939 indian 4-cylinder.
This bike was given the name "the impostor."
Mike: Okay, see that tank, robbie? See that?
Robbie: Oh I know...
Look at the, look at the scallops,
I know that...
Mike: I have- I have that tank.
Robbie: I know, I've seen it.
Mike: Have you seen that tank?
That's the only part of this bike that's been found.
Mike: I have that tank, I got the xavw, and...
I'm a huge fan of von dutch's.
Who isn't?
Mike: Can I make you an offer on it?
I mean, obviously I'm like physically
Connected to this in so many ways.
Ron: Sure.
Mike: I'd pay 8 grand for it, you know,
And most of it is- is- is newspaper clippings.
Ron: Yeah, but that just gets me,
Probably what I paid for it.
Mike: What are you talking about?
Ron: A couple hundred more?
Mike: I mean, yeah, but I'm the guy that's
Got the stuff, man!
Ron: [chuckles]
Mike: You know what I mean? Seriously I do.
I have, this is like... So important to me.
Ron: Man, I don't know.
Mike: I pulled the bike out of a barn. I've got it.
Ron: Um-hm.
Mike: I've cleaned it. It's like it's- it's... It's really...
Ron: The bike is more important to you than the book is to me.
Mike: Yes sir. I would give you, I-
Ron: That's why you should pay more.
Mike: More than 8,000? Ron: 9 grand.
Mike: I can't do it, man. I mean, it's like... 8,500.
Ron: Okay.
Mike: Really? Argh! Thank you!
Ahh!
Mike: I always say, if you send 10 different pickers into
A building, they're all going to come out with different things,
Things that connect with them.
The last thing I thought I was going to find today
Was something that I was so connected to.
To have this photo album, his personal photo album,
To own this bike that he created,
To own the gas tank that he created,
To have all of that together, that's crossing the t's,
Dotting the I's, thanking ron, and thanking god.
Mike: Alright guys, thank you so much for calling us!
Linda: You're... Thank you.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Thank you so much for selling me this album!
Ron: It was cool.
Ron: Until just the last few years,
I don't think I ever really felt
Like I was wealthy, okay.
I felt like I was successful.
Mike: Thank you guys, seriously, you come to nashville,
We'll hang out.
Ron: It was great.
Linda: I will, thank you.
Mike: We'll honky-tonk!
Ron: Okay.
Ron: But I think I had a very meager life for a really long
Time, and I worked really hard to get here,
And I don't let people hold it against me,
Because I'm here.
[honks horn]
Mike: See you guys! Awoo!
Ron: Okay. Those guys are fun.
Linda: Ready to go? Ron: Yeah.
Linda: [laughs] it's cold.
Robbie: You know what I was thinking about the other day?
Mike: What?
Robbie: That time we were on the south side of chicago,
When we worked up at that t&j, you know.
And I hooked up that freakin' battery wrong.
I'm at my valiant, you know? Yeah.
Mike: Yeah, I know, right?
And then the battery exploded in your face.
Robbie: Yeah, yeah. And I freakin' was like, ahhhh!
Mike: Then I see you wandering around the
Middle of the expressway, I run out of the, get out of the car.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: You're like, warhhhh-ahhh-ahhh!
Robbie: Well, I had freakin' battery acid all over my face!
Mike: I mean- no- no I know!
[phone rings]
I'm just saying you were about ready to
Get run over by a car then.
Robbie: Geez! Robbie: Yeah...
Mike: Dani d, what's up?
Danielle: Hey, what's up boys?
How's the road treating ya?
Mike: Robbie's just telling me some of his death wish stories.
Danielle: Oh please both of you have a death wish.
That's an inherent wolfe trait.
Mike: What's going on, what you got?
Danielle: I'm going to send you guys to jonathan.
And jonathan's dad was obsessed with vws.
Mike: Nice!
Danielle: Sadly, a few years ago,
Jonathan's dad did pass away, but still there's so much there.
Jonathan's been just whittling away at the collection.
He's got a '65 convertible beetle.
He's got a '53 split window.
Mike: Really! Robbie: Okay.
Mike: Alright. You got me excited, girl.
Robbie: Send the coordinates.
Danielle: You got it, will do. Later boys.
Mike: Bye.
♪♪
Robbie: What's this guy's name?
Mike: Jonathan.
[honks horn]
Mike: Hey- hey! Jonathan?
Jonathan: Hey. Yeah.
Mike: Nice to meet you.
Jonathan: How're you doing?
Mike: I'm mike.
Jonathan: Mike. Nice to meet you, I'm jonathan.
Mike: This is my brother, robbie.
Robbie: How're you doing?
Jonathan: Robbie, nice to meet you.
Mike: How's it going, man?
Here, hit him with the flyer.
Look it, right at the top there...
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: ...Volkswagens.
Robbie: Yeah.
Jonathan: I think we have some of those.
Mike: Yeah.
Jonathan: We grew up with vans and bugs.
Mike: No kidding, vans?
Robbie: Vans and bugs.
Mike: Like how early vans?
Jonathan: Last one I remember was a '58.
Robbie: Wow. Mike: Really!
Jonathan: My grandfather had a car lot,
And we grew up working on cars our whole lives.
Did a lot of different things...
Mike: How old were you when you pulled an engine
Out of a volkswagen for the first time?
Jonathan: Uh, I can show you some pictures, really little.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Like 5 or something?
Jonathan: Probably younger than that.
Mike: [laughs] no kidding.
Robbie: Really?
Jonathan: My dad was a collector of volkswagens.
A lot of my best memories are working out on
The driveway with him.
As little kids, we were pulling cars apart,
And we learned a lot.
Jonathan: We've got a '53 split window.
Mike: Nice.
Jonathan: And the back of that is '65 sedan
We've had since I was about 6 months old.
Mike: Okay.
Jonathan: And if we scoot back here,
We've got a mid-'70s that's been chopped.
Mike: Really! It's been chopped?
Who chopped it?
Robbie: What it is, was it- was it a drag race one?
Jonathan: No, it wasn't.
It was a friend of ours.
Telephone pole fell on it, so he went and
Cut the roof another car to put it on.
Mike: Whoever did it did a good job.
Jonathan: I- fantastic job.
Mike: So what's the deal with this,
When are you going to get back on this?
Jonathan: So we're in process now, we're downsizing.
Unfortunately my dad passed about 2-and-a-half years ago.
Mike: Okay.
What year... Did your dad start on the- on the split?
Jonathan: We got the split window,
'94-'95 time frame.
Mike: Where did that come out of?
Jonathan: That came out of warren, ohio.
We had friends in the volkswagen community.
Mike: Uh-huh.
Jonathan: And just start finding stuff.
Mike: Yeah, yeah.
Jonathan: And um...
There's another one some place just north of here that...
Mike: Just some place.
Robbie: Just some place? You don't want to tell us?
Jonathan: Yeah...
Mike & robbie: [laughs]
Jonathan: I have to carry on what my dad was doing.
Robbie: Yeah. Mike: Yeah. Absolutely.
Robbie: You're still knocking on that door.
Jonathan: Well, we- we still are, yeah.
Mike: A lot of times you can tell the longevity of
A project based on how much stuff is piled up around it.
Mike: Yeah.
Jonathan: Getting rid of everything we
Know we don't want.
Mike: And then you'll have room in your shop to work on a car.
Jonathan: Yes. Robbie: Yeah.
Jonathan: Yeah. Mike: [laughs]
Mike: When jonathan's father put this car in here,
He could probably walk around it and this is
Where he was going to restore this car.
It would be impossible to finish a restoration
The way everything is right now.
Jonathan: Unfortunately, the engine for that
Split window is in switzerland.
Mike: Really. Robbie: Yeah.
Jonathan: Yeah. My dad never wanted to sell anything.
But he had someone who wanted the motor,
And he sold it.
Robbie: Oh my god.
Jonathan: I go, "dad you just- you just killed
The value of the car."
And he goes, "no I want the car for what I want it for."
Mike: Yeah.
Jonathan: He didn't care about the value of it.
Mike: He wanted to make it his own.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mike: To every volkswagen guy,
The split window is the holy grail.
It's that sexy back end with that split window,
The steering wheel, the dash, the seating, everything.
When you're sitting in one of these cars,
And you're looking in that rearview mirror,
There's nothing like it.
They were simple, well thought out machines,
That were designed brilliantly to the point
Where they became iconic.
Mike: So it looks like you obviously done some work here.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Robbie: Front and back.
Jonathan: The split window I remember getting that car.
I remember going out and finding that and bringing it back.
My father had like a sixth sense.
He could tell, hey there's a car back there in this barn.
And that became a game for us where
Who could spot something first.
Mike: If this is a '53, that's the last year of the split.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mike: It's got that real early wheel on it.
Jonathan: That's the one that was one when we got it.
Mike: That's great, I love that.
That's really cool that it's got the earlier wheel on it.
Jonathan: 'cause this is a zwitter.
Mike: Yeah, I had a zwitter one time.
Actually, my first split was a zwitter.
Mike: The first several months of 1953,
Volkswagen made what they called the "zwitter".
It still had the older clip, the split window,
But it had the new oval style window dash.
They're rare cars, especially in the us.
Mike: What are you thinking in regards to the value of it now?
Jonathan: I haven't really thought about a number on it.
We're still kicking around, do we want to finish it,
Do we not, and...
Mike: Yeah.
Jonathan: You know I'll see what
Goes into the other cars before I...
Mike: I mean, this is a commitment,
You know, I mean it really is.
If you do it right.
Jonathan: And- and that's where the challenge is.
We have all the doors, hoods and everything for it, fenders.
Mike: So this isn't jonathan's first time at the rodeo.
He understands what a commitment this project is.
You know, the zwitter, I think, is- is up front
And foremost the car that he wants to do.
But he's like everybody else, man,
He's in love with everything.
Robbie: You said your dad was into gas pumps.
Look at this.
Robbie: You know, sometimes as pickers,
We have to adjust and adapt to what's going on in front of us.
I think my brother's got blinders on looking at this vw,
And I can understand his passion.
But you know what, we're here to do a job.
Robbie: You know what that is?
Jonathan: Uh it's...
Isn't it the top for a wayne pump?
Robbie: Yeah, it could go on a wayne.
It's like a, they call it a tri-lighter.
It's missing the top shade on it. But...
That would go into the top where the gas globe was.
They plugged it in through the light right on the bottom.
It had a light that went over, a rivera light.
Robbie: The coolness of this is,
I've got a gas pump this goes on.
Robbie: This would have been the top of the pump,
This would have been the beacon at the island.
Is it for sale?
Jonathan: Let- let me think about it.
Robbie: Alright, I'm going to put this next to the car then.
Jonathan: Okay.
Mike: Robbie! Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Look at this, dude.
Robbie: Wow. That is a bruiser.
Mike: You know what this would be great for?
We have a lot of motorcycles, chassis,
That aren't rolling.
Mike: Have you ever tried to move a motorcycle that
Has flat tires, the brakes are locked up and it's 900 pounds?
It's near impossible.
This is the solution that I've been looking for.
Robbie: Man, that thing's a bruiser.
Mike: Jonathan, would you sell this?
Jonathan: We could sell it.
Mike: This would fit in the van, wouldn't it?
Robbie: Yeah, it'll fit in the van.
How heavy's this thing?
Oh it's light.
Mike: What are you thinking?
Jonathan: 150 bucks?
Mike: Alright. Doing it, man. Thank you. I love it. Uh.
♪♪
Robbie: You could mount a sign on here.
Mike: You got it upside down.
Jonathan: Yeah, I think it's upside down.
Robbie: No.
Mike: Yeah, you do.
Robbie: What?
Mike: It's totally upside down.
Robbie: Are you saying... This way?
Mike: Yeah, this was ornamental.
The shades over here, I'll get it for ya.
Mike: We came to look at a volkswagen split window, and...
[laughs]
All of a sudden this thing has turned into
Like an industrial salvage pick.
Robbie: I got a gas pump that has a knob that sits
Right there, sits on top.
So just no base to it.
Mike: Oh, just to display a globe.
Robbie: No.
The whole freak- the top, you understand.
Jonathan: No the- to hold the gas yeah.
Mike: No, I know that, but what are you displaying though?
You're just displaying the glass cylinder on the top?
Robbie: Yes, 'cause a lot of guys don't have the room,
Mike, to put the whole dang pump.
This thing's sitting on the wall like that.
Mike: Okay.
I mean, I- I'm riding your bus if you have
The globe on the top.
Robbie: Well the globe would go on the top.
Robbie: I always look at things differently than my brother.
This is a repurposed piece for a project that I have
Going back at my shop.
It's going to look cool.
Jonathan: 75.
Robbie: Hold this. Jonathan: Yep.
Robbie: Stay right there.
Mike: He's scheming on something here.
Robbie: Yeah. The 2 pieces.
You're at 75 on that.
400 on this.
Jonathan: No. I said no on that.
Robbie: Wait a second, you said you'd think about it.
Jonathan: Well, think about it is no.
You have kids, don't ya? [group laughing]
Robbie: What do kids got to do with anything?
Are you kidding me?
Jonathan: ...I'll think about that.
Robbie: Okay.
Mike: He's got 5 kids. Robbie: I got 5 kids.
Jonathan: So he knows exactly what I mean!
Robbie: There's no such thing as no.
Mike: Yeah, I'll think about it means no, yeah.
Robbie: Yeah.
Jonathan: 50 bucks on this. I want to keep that.
Robbie: 500.
Jonathan: 50 bucks for this.
Robbie: So 550 for the pair. Okay.
Jonathan: I'll do this for 40 bucks.
The beacon of hope, I got to keep it.
Jonathan: Not wanting to sell that,
Probably was my dad coming through.
Jonathan: I'd like to keep that.
Robbie: Alright. I appreciate it.
So we're at 40 on this?
Jonathan: Yeah.
Robbie: [laughs] mike: Wow.
Jonathan: 40 on that.
I'll go less on that just because
I don't want to sell that. And...
Robbie: You're alright, it's okay.
Mike: I think you did alright on this.
Robbie: Yeah. Mike: I think you did.
Mike: If you're a collector, then you're a dreamer.
And you always have one foot in the past
And the other in the future.
You're somewhere else in your mind because you're
Focused on what you're going to find next.
Mike: This is the convertible you were talking about.
Jonathan: That's right, a '65 convertible here.
Mike: Jonathan's dad was one of those guys.
He was passionate about his collection,
He was passionate about his family.
When I'm talking to jonathan about these projects,
Somehow I feel like I'm talking to his dad.
Jonathan: This car was stripped bare metal
And paying up restoration on it.
And that just sat back here.
Mike: Okay.
Jonathan: Like a lot of items.
Mike: So the metal's legit underneath.
Jonathan: Yes it is.
Jonathan: My father was never, I would say never was a hippie.
He liked the cars, I think he liked the design,
I think he liked the simplicity in it.
Maybe one of the things he liked about volkswagens
Is when people see them, it puts a smile on people's face.
Kids love them.
Jonathan: My father worked at general motors for 35 years.
Mike: Yeah.
Jonathan: I drove my jetta out there,
I got yelled at one day.
How could I drive that car?
Um, but for me, volkswagens weren't foreign.
Mike: Yeah.
Jonathan: I think I- the...
Mike: Yeah, they're a huge part of our culture.
Robbie: Yeah.
Jonathan: Yeah and the moment I made my dad most proud that,
That he was speechless.
Mike: Yeah.
Jonathan: So we went through the tour of the plant
And the plant manager said to me, he goes, "son," he goes,
"do you want to build cars like your dad?"
I said, "yeah, I want to build cars just like my dad,
But I want to build volkswagens."
Mike & robbie: [laughs]
Jonathan: And uh... My- my dad, I was told,
He turned several shades of red and couldn't speak.
Mike: There's a lot of guys that claim to be
Chevy guys, ford guys, volkswagen guys.
But at the end of the day, they're all car guys.
Mike: I'll tell you what we used to do in his convertible bug.
For one, we were driving around with the top down...
Robbie: Yep.
Mike: ...In the snowstorm.
And then we're bumper skiing on the back, all night long.
Robbie: Yeah. Mike: Uggrrhh...
Robbie: Oh you could, you could go for
Miles up and down central...
Mike: Oh the cops would see us,
They'd just let us go by, dude.
Robbie: They wouldn't even. Yeah.
Mike: They couldn't, they're like,
I'm not even going to think about chasing those dudes.
Mike: So far what we've looked at is a split window project,
An oval window project, a chopped project,
And now we're looking at a '65 convertible project.
These are the cars that are special to him.
Jonathan: So really looking at it,
It's between the split or this car,
I'd probably sell.
Mike: In order for us to even make a deal on the split window,
Jonathan has to decide what he's going to keep and what he's not.
Robbie: Jonathan. Eco air meter, man.
It's missing the crank, that's about 250 to rebuild it.
Jonathan: Uh-huh.
Robbie: New seals. It's a wall mount,
Would have been on the outside of the building. 500.
Jonathan: 550.
Robbie: 500.
250 to rebuild it.
Jonathan: 540.
Robbie: 540. Alright.
Mike: There's a lot of emotion wrapped up in
A lot of this stuff.
Robbie: How long has this thing been hanging here?
Jonathan: Probably 15 years.
Robbie: Is this something your dad made,
'cause it's got a wooden case on it?
Jonathan: Yeah.
Robbie: 200 bucks.
Jonathan: Yep.
Robbie: Appreciate it.
Jonathan: No problem.
Mike: When you look at an oil can or you're looking at an old
Sign or you're looking at a fender or whatever it is,
You know, people look at that as junk,
And they're like, get that outta here!
Whereas somebody that has lived with it their whole lives and
Understands its purpose, it has a completely different meaning.
Mike: These are from general motors?
Jonathan: Yeah, they gutted the plant in '93 and they
Got rid of everything in the plant.
Mike: 150 bucks.
Alright, man. Thanks.
Mike: We understand what this stuff means to him,
You know, we're just going with the flow.
Because we've been here before.
Mike: Alright.
Here we are in the split window manger.
I know what a commitment it is to do a car like this,
Especially when you have a family and you're like,
You only got so much time and your priorities shift a little
Bit, 'cause that's what happened with me
When I had my, my little girl.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mike: You know, my priority shifted a
Little bit on projects.
You know, I also understand that...
This is a car that's not around every corner.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mike: You guys have history with it.
Jonathan: Yeah, I think part of the thing for me is,
It is a big project.
Mike: So are you- I mean, are you still on the fence
Though whether or not you're going to keep this or the,
Or the convertible?
Jonathan: I'd say I'm on the fence.
I want to get more of this stuff cleaned up
And then reevaluate from there.
Mike: Figure out exactly...
Robbie: Right.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mike: ...What you have for this.
Jonathan: Yes.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Like I mean...
It's easy to see the big sheet metal pieces.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mike: But all the little, little gingerbread stuff.
Jonathan: The door handles and the yeah...
Mike: That's where you're kind of digging for that.
Robbie: Oh... Yeah...
Jonathan: The- the other concern that I have is...
While it sat here, if I sold it, and if I'd ever see it again,
It's kind of like, it was a dream that
Was never fulfilled. And...
Mike: Yeah.
Robbie: And you want to try and do that for your dad.
Jonathan: I'd like to.
Robbie: Yeah.
Jonathan: Mike, if I did sell it, I'd have to have every part,
You can go through the garage,
See what we have, put it all together and really see
What we have there as a complete package.
Mike: Yeah, I mean, I get that.
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: Because you don't want to...
You know, get into it with somebody for less money,
When you know, you haven't even accumulated what you have.
Robbie: Right.
Mike: Yeah, you know. I- I understand that.
To walk away from any split bug is,
Is a difficult thing, you know. Yeah.
Jonathan: If I didn't give it a shot,
It just wouldn't feel like I was...
Robbie: Right. Yeah.
Jonathan: ...Honoring what he wanted.
Mike: Yeah. I get that. I understand that, totally.
It's a solid car, plus the thing is too,
I mean, when you look at this body work here.
You know, your dad did it.
Jonathan: Yeah.
Mike: You know.
Jonathan: The relationship and the memories is what
Makes it hard to just sell some of the stuff.
I've been asked, well if you sell all this,
You can get another volkswagen that's already done.
Yeah, but that's not one that my dad worked on,
That's not the one that he had.
Mike: Robbie, you thinking, you thinking any more on this?
Jonathan: Call me back in a year.
[group laughing]
Jonathan: The time that he spent,
To take away from his passion, to spend the time with us to
Develop our work ethic and to teach us.
Mike: Hand me that sign, robbie.
Jonathan: I feel like it's important for me to
Kind of take on that torch and carry it.
Jonathan: Hey, thank you guys for coming out.
Mike: Dude. You kidding me?
Robbie: Really appreciated the stories of your dad, seriously.
Jonathan: Thank you.
Mike: Today wasn't a bust.
It was something that needed to happen.
Mike: Thanks for entertaining the idea...
Robbie: Yeah.
Mike: ...On the split.
Jonathan: I'll keep you posted.
Mike: Alright, man.
Mike: I feel like our interest in the cars,
Just threw gas on jonathan's fire.
[honks horn]
Mike: Fahrvergnügen! [laughs]