Hooniverse Asks- What Car Related Crap Do You Collect?

Robert Emslie

/comment

Comments

Car Carp

So if you were to walk out my back door, head through the gate and out into the driveway, walk past the tree that shades said driveway and into the garage, there on the right, behind a fender and a pair of ribcase transmissions, you will find my car magazine collection. I started it when I was eleven and it encompasses most of Car and Driver and Motor Trend from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, as well a smattering of Sports Car Graphic, several years worth of Skinned Knuckles, CAR until LJK’s death, and – my most prized of automotive possessions – an almost complete collection of Road & Track. The shelves groan under the collective burden.

Being an automotive enthusiast provides the opportunity to collect much more than just a major fire hazard, there are specific parts, signage, mascots, models. . . I mean, you name it. And I’m sure that many of you have your own cross to bear when it comes to such a collection affliction. It just comes with the territory.

If that’s the case, what’s your poison. . .  er, the object of your addition? Do you go for factory repair manuals? I also have a sizable number of those. Or, do you go the model route, choosing the more affordable and space efficient method to creating a car collection? If you do collect such car crap, what is it, and just how much do you currently have?

Image source: LehighValleyLive

About

Robert Emslie

Robert Emslie

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

50 responses to “Hooniverse Asks- What Car Related Crap Do You Collect?”

  1. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar
    Rust-MyEnemy

    I collect car brochures.
    Not sure I ever mentioned it.

    Reply
    1. danleym Avatar
      danleym

      Really? I took you more as the motorized scooter brochure collecting type.

      Reply
    2. Devin Avatar
      Devin

      I used to, but for some reason the huge racks at local dealers went and got more difficult to find, and salesman started to think I was actually interested in buying things.
      Actually, here's a question, would you want any if I found some quality ones when I go to my parents' again? A lot of the older ones are marked up with crap or cut up because I was a little kid – oh yes, the only 10 year old to have a Buick LeSabre on his bedroom wall – but I think there's some decent ones still in the mix, I'll have to sort through them. I think they'd be mostly mid to late 90s, no idea what shipping would cost.

      Reply
      1. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar
        Rust-MyEnemy

        Bafflingly, my 90s GM stock is pretty good. That said, if you had a standalone brochure for Riviera, Reatta or Caddy Allante an overseas aid package would be most welcome!

        Reply
        1. Devin Avatar
          Devin

          You may be in luck, I know I had a '95 Riviera brochure at some point, and I don't think I wrecked it. I should have some Ford and Chrysler stuff as well – more Ford than Chrysler, since the way the dealers were set up made it harder to get to Chrysler.
          Of course, I won't know for certain until June when I'm at my parents' place again.

          Reply
          1. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar
            Rust-MyEnemy

            Hit me up in June! I'll get saving for shipping charges.

          2. Maymar Avatar
            Maymar

            Rusty takes precedence, but count me as potentially interested as well.

  2. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    I've given most of my toy cars away. The only thing I really actively collect now are favorite vintage car and motorcycle magazines — and by that I mean finding specific issues with articles that I recall reading as a kid.
    Oh, and digital photos of bikes. I have an entire external hard drive devoted to motorcycle images, all organized in folders by marque.

    Reply
  3. lilpoindexter Avatar
    lilpoindexter

    I used to buy wheels for cars I was going to buy in the future. The women in my life sat me down, and had a little chat, and I decided to get rid of the wheels…I thought the patio looked cool with stacks of wheels chest high everywhere…but I guess I was the only one that thought it was cool.

    Reply
    1. CABEZAGRANDE Avatar
      CABEZAGRANDE

      Lol, sounds like my life. Only I'm keeping them dammit! It's my shed, I can fill it with whatever I damn well please!
      All joking aside, I realized just how many sets of wheels and tires I had, and recently started selling some of them off. Some will never leave me though. I'm keeping my BBS RKs, my Nismo LMGT4s, and my Forgelines forever!

      Reply
    2. Scandinavian Flick ★ Avatar
      Scandinavian Flick ★

      Ha, I'm kinda the opposite. I hang on to wheels for cars I no longer own…
      Also related, an ex of mine once sat me down to explain to me that she thought I spend too much time with cars.
      Note; I said "ex".

      Reply
  4. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    I have about 20 years worth of car magazines and brochures, and have been finding older issues where I can (I've found several issues of a defunct Canadian publication called Track & Traffic, worth it just for their April Fools prank one year where they supposedly staged a race in the park across the road from me). I've also never stopped buying 1:64 scale cars, along with the odd 1:24/1:18.

    Reply
    1. oldcarjunkie Avatar
      oldcarjunkie

      Those Track & Traffics are cool for Canadian market cars since very little information exists on them. Where did you find yours? I've been looking but only come across one in the last couple years.

      Reply
      1. Maymar Avatar
        Maymar

        Mine were all from the same vendor at an antiques market south of Barrie, ON. I think I have about half a dozen, I can upload some scans tonight, but if there's anything in particular you're looking for, lemme know.
        I also find them interesting to see where all these dealers used to be, at least within Toronto.

        Reply
        1. oldcarjunkie Avatar
          oldcarjunkie

          I'd love anything to do with the Vauxhall Viva or Envoy Epic. I have a '65 Epic myself and there is very little info on it. Thanks!

          Reply
          1. Maymar Avatar
            Maymar

            I found a road test of the Vauxhall Victor, and the Saab 850 GT (9-2?).
            I'll have to browse through for other worthwhile stuff and get it scanned in (offhand, I know I've got road tests for the MGB, Jag Mark X and /6 Valiant, and a chronicle of Volvo's entry to production in Halifax).

  5. oldcarjunkie Avatar
    oldcarjunkie

    I have a handful of old license plates to decorate the garage. I've got some older car gauges since I like the look of them.
    Old magazines and a few brochures as well.

    Reply
  6. Vavon Avatar
    Vavon

    I used to collect Peugeot 205 brochures and other 205-related-stuff, but I've stopped collecting stuff.
    <img src="http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/2951/007640x480p.jpg"&gt;

    Reply
  7. $kaycog Avatar
    $kaycog

    I collect Ford GT items, but they're not crap. I have a factory brochure, dealership poster, thermometer, clock, desk pad, Hot Wheels. Yeah, I guess I do collect crap.

    Reply
  8. JayP2112 Avatar
    JayP2112

    I used to collect larger scale models until I ran out of space. Movie cars (TwoLane, Vanishing Point, Bullitt) were the last 1:18s I'd bought.
    Now it's pretty much HotWheels… getting 10 or 20 at a time isn't uncommon if the shop put up the new stuff. My dining room table is covered with 2013s I need to sort.
    Edit: I forgot- locally we have a chain of book resellers and every few months I'll check out the automotive section. (Porsche books from the early 80's were talking about a diesel 924.) But if a book has one thing wrong, I'm sour to it. Unless it's cheap and had pretty pics. So several shelves of old books loom over my living room.

    Reply
  9. P161911 Avatar
    P161911

    Well, I have several boxes full of Hot Wheels. I have at least 20 years worth of various car magazines (Nothing like being able to find the original road test on a 15 year old car you are buying.). I have a few 1/18th scale die casts. I have a few boxes full of new car brochures. I have posters from 25 years of going to auto shows and races. I do have factory manuals, but that is only because I owned the cars and needed them or inherited them from my grandfather (need a 1957 Ford factory manual?). In addition to all that stuff, I have probably 9-12 feet of bookshelf space that is nothing but car books, not including the repair manuals.
    I have been slowly trying to cut back and slim down the collection. Now when a vehicle goes the manual either goes with the car or goes on ebay. I really need to put some posters and manuals on ebay.

    Reply
  10. racer139 Avatar
    racer139

    I used to collect road & track and hot rod magazine and ven inherited my grandfather and uncles collection of both. All where stored in magazine holder by ywar and volume and tucked in a milk crate for easy access. Six winters ago my roof sprang a leak and guess where the water decided to make its mark, almost exclusivly in the corner of the attic where the library was stored. They where a total loss except for tge milk crates. Ive stopped reading R&T when they fired almost everyone and I only buy the odd hot rod. I guess the sogging of my collection soured me I guess.

    Reply
  11. ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq Avatar
    ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq

    I have random junk from cars I used to own, like oil filters and radiator hoses I never used before before selling the cars. Every now and then I stumble across something and go, "Huh, what was that for anyway?"

    Reply
    1. danleym Avatar
      danleym

      I was cleaning the garage the other day, and stumbled across a few parts in boxes that I wasn't sure what they were for. After spending a little time to figure it out, I proceeded to label any part I had that wasn't glaringly obvious what is was for.
      I still have an oil filter I mistakenly purchased a few years ago. I bought the wrong part, but the guy at the parts counter also keyed in the wrong part when he sold it to me, and I threw away the receipt, so there is no record of my having purchased this oil filter. There is also a record of me having purchased an oil filter I never received. So rather than deal with the hassle of returning a $3 part, I just held onto it. Problem is, I have no idea what it fits on.

      Reply
    2. Irishzombieman☆ Avatar
      Irishzombieman☆

      I've got a heater core I've hauled from place to place for 15 years. I think it was for my 1974 Ford pickup, but I'm not sure.
      I keep it because it's sorta pretty. The brass has taken on a nice patina.

      Reply
    3. Alff Avatar
      Alff

      That's the only kind of car stuff I collect. I've got spare brake lines for a Legacy, a headlight for a Dakota, cable chains for a Legend, a front hub for an f-150, various uncatalogued stuff and about half an Alfa Spider (including spare engine, tranny and rear end). Every once in a while I'll find someone with a car I used to own and give them a little gift.

      Reply
    4. mdharrell Avatar
      mdharrell

      The last time I moved, a friend staggered past while struggling with a small but unexpectedly heavy box that contained a used starter, alternator, exhaust manifold, and some other greasy, rusty, high-density components.
      "What's all this fit, anyway?"
      'Triumph.'
      "But you don't own a Triumph."
      'No, I've never owned a Triumph.'
      "But I'm carrying a box of Triumph parts out to the moving van for you."
      'Yes, thanks!'
      "Do you plan on getting a Triumph?"
      'No, not particularly.'
      "Oh."

      Reply
      1. ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq Avatar
        ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq

        Some people are just a bit peculiar.

        Reply
        1. mdharrell Avatar
          mdharrell

          No, I thought they were reasonable questions. I didn't take offense.

          Reply
  12. LTDScott Avatar
    LTDScott

    As a kid I collected (well, played with) a bunch of Hot Wheels/Matchbox scale cars. They now reside in a cabin trunk at my parents' house.
    As a teenager and young adult, I collected 1/18 scale models, which I still have and thankfully my wife allows me to display in our living room.
    As an adult with five cars in my fleet, two of which are over 25 years old, all I have time and money to collect is parts for said cars and tools to fix them!

    Reply
    1. ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq Avatar
      ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq

      <img src="http://images.mocpages.com/user_images/50607/1346567941m_SPLASH.jpg"&gt; Woohoo, congrats on the century Scott!

      Reply
  13. dukeisduke Avatar
    dukeisduke

    I have some license plates, mainly '60s and '70s, and my old 1/24 and 1/25 car models. I used to have an extensive car magazine collection, but it's pared down to the oldest stuff now. I also have some Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Majorette cars from the late '60s and early '70s. Oh, and some car brochures, mainly '60s American cars, like the '63 Plymouths.

    Reply
  14. danleym Avatar
    danleym

    I collect factory literature for cars that I own, as well as other assorted memorabila. I've got the brochure for my Spirit, the factory service manual, the supplement to the factory service manual, the warranty booklet, owner's manual (actually have two of those), and an illustrated maintenance manual (which was a bonus that was stuck in the pages of the supplement to the factory service manual when I bought it). I also have a sign that was hanging in a dealership- nothing special, just clear plastic with the word Spirit painted on it and a couple stripes, but it makes for a really cool garage decoration.
    I don't go out in search of the stuff, though. Just when I happen upon cool stuff I tend to buy it if I can.
    I'm also bad about buying things that I would like to use for my cars, even when I have no idea when I might actually use them. I've got a factory gauge cluster for my Spirit, that if I'm being completely honest, it will be a few years at least until I get around to installing it. But I bought it because it was for sale for a good price and I knew I would eventually like to install one in the car. That isn't the only part like that I own.

    Reply
  15. Garland137 Avatar
    Garland137

    Magazines and model cars, mostly.

    Reply
  16. Number_Six Avatar
    Number_Six

    I collect old British police driving manuals. I have no idea why – it just started one day in a used bookshop in Northern Ireland a couple of decades ago.
    <img src="http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/classic-car-images/roadcraft.jpg&quot; />

    Reply
  17. wisc47 Avatar
    wisc47

    I have boxes upon boxes of Hotwheels, and quite a few 1:18 models. Currently they're all at my parent's house because there is no way I could fit them in my apartment. Also, it probably wouldn't be very impressive for when (who am I kidding, if) I bring a lady friend home. "Hey baby, want to see a scaled down example of Pininfarina styling?" There is a joke in there somewhere.

    Reply
  18. Marlow Avatar
    Marlow

    I collect old factory shop manuals for most the cars that I own. I have a few for cars I hope to get someday.

    Reply
  19. mdharrell Avatar
    mdharrell

    I collect vehicles that are arguably "car related."

    Reply
  20. CABEZAGRANDE Avatar
    CABEZAGRANDE

    I am a collector of lots of things automotive related. Hot Wheels, badges, valve covers, wheels, magazines (I have all but three issues of SportCompactCar ever published), other things. I've slowed down a lot in the last couple of years, but still, it's a lot of stuff. Think it might be time for a cull.

    Reply
  21. Scandinavian Flick ★ Avatar
    Scandinavian Flick ★

    I think it must be obligatory for every old Volvo owner to collect enough random parts to completely build another car from scratch…
    As a result, I don't have room for any other automotive related crap. I guess I could see that as a blessing…

    Reply
  22. desolit Avatar
    desolit

    Emblems. Marks or models. It started with finding a Pinto badge when i was a kid. i liked the weight and preciseness of the pot-metal. I m always on the look out for something fun but i dont actively go looking for stuff.

    Reply
  23. RobbyDeGraff Avatar
    RobbyDeGraff

    I'm a big fan of tin signs for streets/highways or automotive brands

    Reply
  24. BlackIce_GTS Avatar
    BlackIce_GTS

    A few junk yard badges, the steering wheel emblem and (I think?) keys of every car I've ever owned, 724 mostly Hot-Wheels model cars, and the valve covers (and spare wheel) off my Supra:
    <img src="http://www.celica-supra-team.ch/public/images/5m-ge.jpg"&gt;
    Also two very ugly American Racing wheels for the same car, which I'm borrowing from some guy I haven't heard from in 5 years.

    Reply
  25. nutzforautos Avatar
    nutzforautos

    I'll have you know Robert, it is NOT crap…
    – Hot Rod, Car Craft, Automobile, Rod & Custom, AutoWeek magazines
    – license plates (including from every car i've owned)
    – center caps (from factory "rallye" wheels – 269 and counting)
    – mechanical fuel pumps (I have no idea why)
    – single barrel carburetors that fit 2nd gen Corvairs (47)

    Reply
    1. nutzforautos Avatar
      nutzforautos

      and I stopped the Danbury Mint model cars…my better half reminded me how much they are. That automatic billing to your credit card is great…and terrible, at the same time.

      Reply
  26. topdeadcentre Avatar
    topdeadcentre

    Keys, badges and emblems from the roughly 14 cars I've owned in my lifetime.

    Reply
  27. vroomsocko Avatar
    vroomsocko

    I had a subscription to this as a youth right before they folded, and have picked up a bunch of back issues over the years. I loved the George Trosely, Shawn Kerri and Steve Austin strips the best. I wish they would re-release the whole run.
    <img src="http://www.georgetrosley.com/80/Feb80.JPG&quot; width="300">

    Reply
  28. brembo13 Avatar
    brembo13

    license plates. I have a few more, but I haven't taken pictures yet. I have also expanded much more beyond Quebec plates
    http://imgur.com/a/zB16v#0

    Reply
  29. where to buy wartrol Avatar
    where to buy wartrol

    Hi, its fastidious post concerning media print, we
    all understand media is a great source of data.

    Reply
  30. Adonis golden ratio measurements Avatar
    Adonis golden ratio measurements

    I used to be suggested this blog by means of my cousin.
    I am no longer certain whether or not this submit is written via him as nobody else recognize such specified about my trouble.
    You are incredible! Thanks!

    Reply