MEMPHIS FIELD FINDS…..Leal Bros.
Although my brother and I (Leal Bros.) have been submitting Houston area show coverage to Hotrodhotline for a few years now, this is my first “Barn and Field Cars”. First the owner of all the vehicles are owned by my brother in-law’s ex-father in-law who also owns the property that they’re on. Although my brother in-law now lives in Alaska, his ex-wife, their two children (my niece and nephew) and their immediate families still live in Memphis. Recently my nephew graduated from High School and his older sister (my niece) got married, both on the same weekend. That made for a perfect excuse for a family reunion, so most of my in-laws from the Houston area (five families) made the trip up to Memphis. The graduation party was held at my brother in-law’s ex-father in-law’s house which is located in a rural area east of Memphis. The best way I can describe it is “it’s two or three times removed from any major highway” so needless to say there’s not much thru-traffic. Even if there was, all the vehicles are hidden behind storage buildings. When we first drove up, I saw an El Camino and a couple of late model Corvettes (post Sting Ray) in a garage behind the house, but what caught my attention was an early ‘50s pick up on the side of a building. I asked if I could take some pictures and he not only said okay, he said that there were more vehicles behind the building. Although I’ve seen “Barn and Field Cars” before in magazines or on the internet, this is first time I had seen some up close and personal. After taking pictures of the pickup, I could see a full-size Ford and a Mustang further back. As I went to take pictures of those cars, I saw a trio of early ‘50s Chevy pickups. Like my wife told everyone when they told her where I was; “I WAS IN HOG-HEAVEN”. Just check out these gems. The ’65 Mustang is all there with all its lights, glass and emblems not to mention a 289. And check out the ‘59 Ford Fairlane complete with continental rear spare tire kit and retractable one-piece top. I’m a big fan of early ’50 Chevy pickups so those really made me smile. If you look closely, you can see that they’ve been “modified” before with wheels, tires and bucket seats. Not sure if he wants to sell them or not, but his new “grand son-in-law” told me that he was trying to get one of the Chevy pickups. Needless to say I had a great time and the “Field Finds” were just a small part of it.
I caught the last day of the 2012 Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour in Dallas and next year the Power Tour starts in Dallas and finishes up six days later in Charlotte, North Carolina. Maybe I can convince my wife to take a vacation during that time and we can follow the Power Tour from Dallas, to Texarkana, to Little Rock and then to Memphis. She’s was already talking about going back so there you go!
