I found the "original owner" of my car.

[wiggilez]

My car came with some paper work which listed the OO as a tractor supply store. After a few years of ownership I finally decided to spend a bit of time and see if they were still around. Turns out they are, the name of the store has changed, but the building/location from the 60's is still around. I called them up the other day to see if they had any pictures of the car from back in the day, guy on the phone said it could take a couple days but he would look into it.

I'm hoping it happens, cause it would be kind of neat to see some pics of it back in its fleet car days.

 

[Imperialist67]

FInding the original owner/photos is always good, but definitely so when it was used as a "fleet" car.........

 

[Top Cat]

In 2014 I bought a 1958 Ford Custom 300 from the son of the first owner, Louis Galtieri. All the original paperwork came with the car. Apparently it was registered as a company car for the owner's business, the BeauCraft Accident-Proof Stair Tread Co. (LOL) of Garfield, NJ. The car is a 4-door sedan with a six, Fordomatic, and power steering, which would have made it an ideal car for an outside salesman with a city route. Why the Galtieri family would hold on to such a car for so long remains a mystery. 99.9% of similar cars would have been used up and crushed decades ago.

I still have the car and it drives very well--smooth, with light and easy handling. So I'm very glad that you found a similar fleet car with paperwork and that you're enjoying and preserving it. (You didn't say what kind of car you have).

 

[75LandYacht]

Exciting news. I found the Son of the original owner of my 77 New Yorker. Spoke to him on the phone a couple years back, it was neat to hear the cars history up to its departure of his ownership. Hope everything works out for you.

 

[wiggilez]

FInding the original owner/photos is always good, but definitely so when it was used as a "fleet" car.........

"fleet" is probably a better way to put it, who knows how many company cars they had, it could have also just been a tax thing where it was somehow cheaper to have it as a business item then a personal.

In 2014 I bought a 1958 Ford Custom 300 from the son of the first owner, Louis Galtieri. All the original paperwork came with the car. Apparently it was registered as a company car for the owner's business, the BeauCraft Accident-Proof Stair Tread Co. (LOL) of Garfield, NJ. The car is a 4-door sedan with a six, Fordomatic, and power steering, which would have made it an ideal car for an outside salesman with a city route. Why the Galtieri family would hold on to such a car for so long remains a mystery. 99.9% of similar cars would have been used up and crushed decades ago.

I still have the car and it drives very well--smooth, with light and easy handling. So I'm very glad that you found a similar fleet car with paperwork and that you're enjoying and preserving it. (You didn't say what kind of car you have).

It's my 66 Polara, the paper work I got shows services by dodge from 1966 to 1969, while owned by the tractor supply store.

 

[CBODY67]

In 2014 I bought a 1958 Ford Custom 300 from the son of the first owner, Louis Galtieri. All the original paperwork came with the car. Apparently it was registered as a company car for the owner's business, the BeauCraft Accident-Proof Stair Tread Co. (LOL) of Garfield, NJ. The car is a 4-door sedan with a six, Fordomatic, and power steering, which would have made it an ideal car for an outside salesman with a city route. Why the Galtieri family would hold on to such a car for so long remains a mystery. 99.9% of similar cars would have been used up and crushed decades ago.

I still have the car and it drives very well--smooth, with light and easy handling. So I'm very glad that you found a similar fleet car with paperwork and that you're enjoying and preserving it. (You didn't say what kind of car you have).

View attachment 677207View attachment 677208

Interesting way to make a base model look more like a "500" with the two-tone paint and side trim, plus whitewalls and wheel covers. I find the search tune radio interesting, though. I've got a '58 Fairlane 4dr Town Sedan in the barn. Black with hubcaps and whitewalls. Looks like something that Ronald Reagan would have ridden in in one of his cop movies. 292 and no power steering makes it take some effort to drive, with the single-range Ford-O-Matic and hang-down a/c. Feels like a dang battleship!

Great find for you!
CBODY67

 

[jmustian]

In 2014 I bought a 1958 Ford Custom 300 from the son of the first owner, Louis Galtieri. All the original paperwork came with the car. Apparently it was registered as a company car for the owner's business, the BeauCraft Accident-Proof Stair Tread Co. (LOL) of Garfield, NJ. The car is a 4-door sedan with a six, Fordomatic, and power steering, which would have made it an ideal car for an outside salesman with a city route. Why the Galtieri family would hold on to such a car for so long remains a mystery. 99.9% of similar cars would have been used up and crushed decades ago.

I still have the car and it drives very well--smooth, with light and easy handling. So I'm very glad that you found a similar fleet car with paperwork and that you're enjoying and preserving it. (You didn't say what kind of car you have).

View attachment 677207View attachment 677208

Gorgeous

 

[edbods]

Always cool to see the original/previous owner's reaction to the car years later. I had an 89 cressida that I bought off a guy who was selling it since his dad could no longer drive. Unfortunately the dad passed before I got a chance to show him my manual conversion. But the guy was glad to see it still around, and he got a kick out of the manual swap I did, these came manual in Japan but he had no idea. Was a blast to drive as both a daily and a weekend car.

 

[Top Cat]

Another story: I had a black 1958 Cadillac from 1995 to 2018. In 2017 I found an old credit card receipt in the trunk with a name on it. Google searched the name, found he lived in a local town. Called him--turned out the Cadillac belonged to his grandfather! He remembered the car, but hadn't seen it in decades; thought he'd never see it again. I drove to his house, and he got to see the black Cadillac again for the last time.

Photo: I'm on the left; original owner's grandson (now in his 70s) on the right.

 

[azblackhemi]

The son of the original owner of my 79 300 contacted me which was great because he confirmed the 51000 miles were original and correct.