how to go about valueing an old roller

[ronan]

Right now I have a lovely Navy Colt in the milling machine. I sold it brand new three weeks ago. For whatever reason, the new owner has dismantled it and cross threaded at least two screws putting it "back together". I need to drill them out to get it apart again, then make new screws. Sadly, this is not uncommon.
However, I am not complaining as it keeps me in a steady stream of work. (Also, I never tell so everyone comes to me because they know their secret is safe. It's a strange old world).

There was an old boy had a gun shop a few miles from me years ago. I was there one day buying bullets and there was a whole rack of semi-auto and double barrels in bits, some with little plastic bags full of bits attached. When i asked what the issue was with them, he told me they were guns that had been dismantled by their owners and they were unable to reassemble them.

 

[Keith 66]

It is said that more Original Mod 50's have arrived in boxes of bits at gunsmiths than any other air gun.
If you ever took one apart you will find the trigger assembly with its triple ball bearing & sliding sleeve "interesting".
I have owned two of them & have stripped & reassembled them too!

 

[ronan]

It is said that more Original Mod 50's have arrived in boxes of bits at gunsmiths than any other air gun.
If you ever took one apart you will find the trigger assembly with its triple ball bearing & sliding sleeve "interesting".
I have owned two of them & have stripped & reassembled them too!

If you ever owned one of Ruger's excellent .22 pistols, you will know what a complete and utter barsteward they are to reassemble once you have taken them apart for cleaning. A really tricky thing to do. They have updated them now to make it a simple task, but the older ones were a waking nightmare.

 

[jordhandson]

bit of an odd one this, we've got an old diesel roadroller that not quite sure what to do with.

its a 1930's aveling porter diesel road roller so its getting on a bit, ive never seen it fully assembled but its mostly there, unfortnatly in the past someone done an enigne swap so its missing its orginal blackstone diesel and its got a gardener on it now.

As much as i'd like to do it up and chug up to welland on it just to upset other road users, i'd have no way of moving it other than driveing it, no use for it once its done and there are a 1000 other jobs ive got to and should do first.

ether way shortly ive got to move it from where its been resting our choices are basicly to drag it to a new resting spot, probally give it a good spray over with some oil to help preserve it and cover it with a couple of new heavy sheets and leave it for some years, or try sell it it looks the 10 ish ton mark so probally £1500 at the scrap yard but id rather just wrap it up and try slow its decay for a bit longer than do that, a few people have offerd to buy it but at fraction of what it weighs so id think they are just after a quick cut up job.

so how the hell do i go about trying to value or even sell a 1930's diesel road roller with the wrong engine ? ( ive tryed the usual tricks all ive found is models and the odd few bits of brass )

I would have though based on the machines I have restored for people, start at scrap price then double it, advertise it and see how it goes, or if you get any enquirers, you will soon find out if its to much. From a collectors point the is the fact it not the original engine is a negative, if it dont sell stick it in the field or shed and let it rust out. It happens a lot down here people want things restored then they iether start and dont finish or it gets left cause they dont realise the costs do it for them, or they want the world for it and it ends up going back to the ground.

Just my take on anything that needs restoring

Jord

 

[dannyp]

Thanks for that seems a sensible way to go about it, once its dryed up a bit i'll get it out and get some piccys up if it and try sell based on somethign like whay youve suggested. tho if it dont sell i can see it getting the gas

 

[dannyp]

or chould allways put a big aero v12 in it and try for a road roller landspeed record ummmm

 

[postie jon]

get it tip top condition ,then advertise yourself as a pot hole filler.... or a mother in law grave compactor.

 

[dannyp]

pot hole filling chould be busy round here doing that but dont fancy chances of getting a cheque out the council

 

[Gritineye]

I have a few friends who have collections of big old stuff, tanks, trucks, steamers and such.

They often get offered things simply because they can buy cash, have the means to move and store them, when often other interested parties don't. They never pay much above scrap prices but the seller is confident they won't be scrapped.

 

[fizzy]

When we lived out in Saudi the local golf course consisted of browns for the greens - sand mixed with crude oil. The T off points were tarmac with holes drilled in. They had an old "steam"roller to keep flattening everything back down.
I was about 8 at the time. Managed to set the monster running - jumped off - it flattened a huge stack of empty 45 gallon drums before falling over on a dune! I had a sore backside for days after that stunt It was back in use within days.