Some guys have all the luck. Mike, for example, didn’t pay a penny for his awesome Charger. There are some pretty hilarious pics on his ride page of him winching this sweet find out of the woods, along with some nice shots of what he hopes it’ll look like when he’s done with it. Best of luck to you, man!

How about the rest of you—ever gotten a car for free?

Hey, I’m always in favor of unredeemable hulks being rescued from the crusher and lovingly restored to better than new. But I have to admit that some rides are a bit of a stretch, even for me. Like this Muntz Jet, whose auction ended recently on eBay. I realize it’s one of only 49 known to exist, and that’s a really neat flathead under all that rust, but seriously: nine THOUSAND dollars? Look at it: it’s a sad, rotted mess. There’s rust-through everywhere, and the driver’s side panels don’t even fit together anymore. Sure, there’s some gnarly crash damage in the rear quarter on that side, but I’m more concerned by the subtly ominous body sag that suggests that the frame has rusted in two. The seller assures that it’s "PRIMED TO BE RESTORED AS A MUSEUM SHOW PIECE." Really? I wonder how long it took them to get it "primed" for that. It looks more like it’s primed to be resotred as a boat anchor.

I guess if it was one of the remaining Tuckers, I’d almost understand, but I still wouldn’t bid. And I am in favor of this Muntz being saved—I just can’t believe the amount of money people are competing against each other to pay for it. How about you? Is there any car for which you’d shell out this kind of coin, in this condition?

Looking at this amazing CRX, it’s hard to believe it was bought out of a junkyard. Saved from the very jaws of the crusher—now that’s what I like to see! And no matter how you happen to feel about custom bodywork, it’s clear that Luis has put a ton of hard labor into this project to get this deserving car exactly the way he wants it. Way to go on a very well-executed job! See more on Luis’s CRX ride page. Oh, and his Integra is pretty cool too!

This truck first entered Myron’s life as a pile of rusted dinosaur bones on a car hauler, and wow, he’s done some amazing stuff with it since. So far he’s cut out and replaced a ton of rotten metal—like, all of it—and converted it to a Mopar and then a Mustang II independent front suspension. The custom fabrication he’s done on the panels is really well-documented, and I can’t wait to see how it looks with its paint on. The motor’s going to be a GM 5.3L from a Tahoe, and everything’s all ready to go back together. I’m sure this truck is going to be beautiful. Check it out!

Dwaine got a junk ’76 Cordoba for free, then let it sit for a period of several years. But when the time came to transform this promising project, he worked fast, gutting the interior and fixing the rust, installing a cage and a built 400 big block. He’s building it for open-road racing, and although he didn’t get the engine installed in time for this year’s Pony Express 130, he towed it down to Nevada anyway for tech inspection. The car won People’s Choice and passed tech, and later this month it’s going to be doing its first Bonneville 100, a hundred-mile race through the desert on closed highways. Stay tuned!

When David’s 5.0 Mustang was first "pulled out of a cornfield in Jersey," it was a beater with primer patches, stripped interior, shabby top, and mismatched wheels. But after a meticulous resto and some sensible mods, this deserving Stang is stunning inside and out. Acually, he seems to be on a mission to save neglected Mustangs�you may find his other projects even more impressive! 

Jason’s Mach 1 has seen its share of adversity, including�get this�a vengeful ex-roommate who was secretly misting the car with water while it was sitting in bare metal. This tough Mustang has since gotten a roll cage, 5-lug conversion, nitrous, and a 302 that was "pulled from a junker and rebuilt numerous times"�and, now rust-free, it looks positively vibrant in Ford Grabber Blue. Be sure to stop by Jason’s ride page for the great story of this former beater’s transformation.

Few things make me happier than seeing a determined car nut bringing a worthy ride back from the grave.  Ric bought this 1970 Camaro Sport Coupe as a rusty heap sitting out in a field: no engine, no trans, trashed interior. He bought a junkyard 350 for it, rebuilt the motor in his garage, and gradually started putting the Camaro back together using parts that he’s scavanged, custom-fabbed, or hunted down on good old eBay.  Though he’s still struggling to correct the inept bodywork of the Camaro’s previous owner(s), you’ll be amazed at how far it’s come. Keep up the great work, Ric!