By COLlive reporter
Construction work at the parking lot of Camp Gan Israel in Parksville, NY, has landed the known Chabad boys overnight camp a rare find.
A 1940’s Dodge Woody Beach Wagon was unearthed in a hidden shed while excavating the lawn used for parking across the Parksville Road which belongs to the camp.
It is estimated that the car has been inside the shed for over 40 years. Amazingly, everything inside the car remained intact, with air in 3 of its 4 tires.
The grounds once belonged to Klein’s Hillside Hotel, one of the largest resorts in the Catskills during the Borsht Belt era. It was able to host some 350 guests.
“Klein’s was a huge hotel complex. It had professional basketball players on its staff. It booked only the best entertainers on weekends. The grounds were enormous,” Stanley Greenberg recalled in the Plainview Old Bethpage Herald.
When the camp director Rabbi Abraham Shemtov purchased the property, moving the Gan Israel from its rented grounds in Swan Lake to Parksville, the shed was part of an unused maintenance building.
It sunk some 7 feet in the ground with its roof at street level and hidden by tall trees. It was recently ordered to be demolished.
The Dodge Woody is a rare find, and is sought after by antique car collectors. A fully-restored Dodge Woody Beach Wagon can fetch a nice amount at auction.
The Woody has been carefully removed from the sunken shed and is expected to be sold.
The only known exception to the “100 year rule” would be cars. Since the definition of the term antique requires an item to be at least 100 years, or older, and the item in question must be in its original and unaltered condition, most cars clearly would not meet these terms, as yet. So, cars have generally been considered to be ‘antique’ if they are roughly 75 years old, or more (some cars can be registered as “classic” when 25 years old, such as muscle cars and luxury vehicles such as Rolls-Royce and Bentley). Furthermore, this is not a universally… Read more »
First of all, there is a BIG difference of a car being buried as opposed to being above ground for extended periods of time. Secondly, the vehicles manufactured in the late 60’s and 70’s were built far more stronger and better than those of the 20’s 30’s and 40’s. Thirdly, There are way more compunded problems that occur when an engine is subjected to the chemicals that are present underground. Lastly – No honest restorer can realistically bring back this vehicle for less than what it would actually be worth if in perfect condition. Especially if true ownership cannot be… Read more »
Sir, I currently own and drive a Chevrolet that is 45 years old, was left outside for many years and was rusted and had a number of mechanical problems. Today that car shines, starts, and runs like a new car. Except for the paint, I restored the car mechanically and am now doing the interior myself. Anything else you want to add??
When was the last time you restored a vehicle? Are you a certified ASE Mechanic with 30+ years experience? Besides Coker Tires and Transmission fluid – what specific mechanical knowledge do you possess? Have YOU ever rebuilt a vehicle that was buried for 40+ years? Besides restoration – who owned this vehicle originally? Something that was inadvertently left on a property – even with a contracted sale, does not constitute ownership by the purchaser. In other words, unless it was SPECIFICALLY mentioned in the deed, at the time of sale – this vehicle was not included, and would be deemed… Read more »
Do you know how engines and other automotive parts work? Are you aware that an engine whose pistons and rings are rusted solid and seized, can be freed by simply pouring transmission fluid into the cylinders and letting it soak for a few days? Upholstery can be replaced, the original tires can be purchased from Coker Tire? This vehicle is absolutely restorable and no doubt if it goes to the right person, they will restore it back to showroom condition. I’ve seen FAR WORSE cars restored to perfection! The problem is, that many here in Anash go to a fleecing… Read more »
An old car or truck is WORTHLESS if it isn’t running or working! If it’s just sitting there – but cannot run or work, it is a pile of dreck. In order to make that thing run – it would take approximately $45 – 65,000 – just to rebuild the ENTIRE truck from top to bottom. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING usable on that truck!! There is rust, rot, deterioration that permeates the entire thing – not to mention, that you would need to use ALL ORIGINAL TYPE OF MATERIALS used when it was ORIGINALLY built, which would be next to… Read more »
of course people pay for old cars, old stuff can be sold for a lot of money!!!!!!
There is merit to everything..don’t knock others because they know secular things. How do you know that such knowledge won’t be used for some holy purpose (like mekaraving a non-frum Jew who is a car collector, or teaching a non-Jewish old car fanatic about sheva mitzvos b’nei noach, or Moshiach? I gave a presentation about Chanukah to members of my antique car club and we ended up having an animated discussion about Moshiach, the Rebbe, sheva mitzvos bnei noach, and yiddishkeit. And there were both Jews and non-Jews at the meeting…
#11 that was rude and #9 I think 2 pools is enough
My father had a car like that when I was a little girl. Cool!
The Ford woodie in your link is a customized car that the owner probably put $50,000 in just to rebuild it. Car-based woodie wagons are worth much more than truck-based woodies (and this Dodge is truck-based). Restored, it is probably worth around $20-30,000 tops.
Cars are officially antiques at 25 years of age. Horace and John Dodge were NOT Jewish, but the Mogen
Dovid was a popular symbol in the old days. The “power door lock” wiring in your modern car is more complex than the entire electrical system of this old Dodge truck which makes restoring this old vehicle possible for someone who enjoys the hobby.
The alter Rebbe in Shulchan Aruch paskens that as long that the gathered even drawn water is not in a keli, rather in the KARKA, it suffices for tevilas Ezra. Possibly one of the reasons this wasn’t always used is because the pools of water were Keilim and “EIN TVILAH BEKEILIM”.
antique means at least one hundred years old
I am very impressed with the general knowledge of the readers.
I see kulonu chachomim and kulonu nevoinim now we need to be “kulonu yoidim es hatoiroh.”
I never new that dodge were brothers and that they were jewish. Are there still cars around from that era with the mogen dovid on the hood?
Sorry my friend, you are not correct in some of your details. The Mogen Dovid was taken off Dodge cars and trucks after Walter Chrysler bought the company in the 1920s. The brothers left Ford LONG before World War II, it was in the early 1910s. Dodges were famous for having all-metal bodies in the 1910s when most cars had wooden bodies. Jeeps were designed by American Bantam, a small car manufacturer in response to a US Government RFP in the late 1930s.. Bantam got their design approved by the Army in 1939 and when they couldn’t meet the demand… Read more »
The Dodge Brothers were Jewish and had a Mogen David in the emblem until 1954
They left Ford after designing his cars because Ford was a Nazi. Best engines ever made.They designed the Jeeps that won the war.
Benveniste,Tsfat
Here a photo:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=409647
and find an old car, you might be a redneck
we got the real deal mikvah
oh did i forget an indoor pool
Give it to isser he was the best head counselor ever!!!!!!!
Actually a swimming pool is NOT a Mikva and for sure not a KOSHER mikva. The Mishna (and subsequently the Shulchan Aruch) define a mikva of 40 sa’a of rainwater, among many other important stipulations of which a swimming pool don’t meet. That being said, there are opinions that would say that it suffices to go into a body of gathered water (rain or otherwise) would suffice for increased purity that a chassidic man tries to attain. This is based on an understanding that just like Ezra did’t stipulate that for his takona you have to go to a kosher… Read more »
And have Eric drive it around during Yarchei Kalah
I could not remember where I parked it.
Delightful! Like out of a Norman Rockwell painting from a simpler time (except that it wasn’t really simpler). OF COURSE this should sell well. To get full value, have it cleaned and then displayed at an old car show. Then the antique-car junkies can start a bidding war!
COOOOOOLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REALLY A COOOOLLLLLL CAR !!!!!!
http://www.classiccarmarketing.net/1939FordWoodyBurgundy.htm
U should build a mikvah even without the car
i dont own any classics but would love to restore a 67 shelby gt500. anyway that thing would be worth upward of at least $70,000 once restored in my opinion.
both CGi NY and CGI Montreal have pools and lakes
to #13: you are not a collector. people pay lots of money for what appears as junk, It,s all in the eye of the beholder.
the last year in swan lake was chof zayin . the following summer the camp was located in Trojan lake Lodge which was located in livingston manor. For the summer of chof tes it was already in Kliens Hillside which is the present location.
now that is very rare
It should be used as a mitzvah tank.
The location in Swan Lake was owned not rented .When Gan Yisroel was forced to sell the property in Swan Lake to make room for the Airport it rented a property in Livingston Manor for about two years. During that time a search for a permanent location took place culminating in the purchase of the present property in Parksville.-S.D.
considering that it sat in a in collapsed building for over 43 years
CGI NY has a kosher olympic sized mikveh, and a lake.
this car has been known to be there for many years. they just didn’t have a way to remove it due to the structure collapse. great to see it out in one piece
Would you look at the pictures displayed above, please? Does it look like ANYONE would PAY MONEY for that? Please, give me a break, I would not pay a cent for that. Look at the fourth picture, it looks in terrible shape.
Maybe people would buy the metal, or different pieces but as a whole, you wish!
😀 Ur Jewish buddy 😀
I love old cars like the next guy but if what you say is indeed true then the moon Is a matzah ball
i thought eric shneider and fritz were the only antiques in camp
Sell it to Jay he is really into antique cars!!!
Perhaps the income from this metziah could be used towards the construction of a mikveh. Every chassidish camp has one, why not also Gan Yisroel!
Boruch Duchman taking it for a spin
Maybe the van driver could use it for next summer?
You. An start importing them back from Cuba if you would like
Casto will be happy to change them for new model
always knew it was in the garage,across from Eric’s house was a car. no big secret!!
if the money goes to the camp
Give it to the head staff!
This is a 1948-50 Dodge Cantrell-bodied Woodie. Built on a Dodge truck chassis, it is the forerunner of today’s large SUVs. It was not built on a car chassis, since the car-based wagons were much smaller. It has a durable side-valve inline six cylinder engine which was shared with Plymouths and DeSotos of the era. This engine was considered almost indesructible and can be rebuilt if done correctly. It displaces 230 cubic inches and features a single downdraft carburetor. Not sure of the value, but restored, it is indeed a valuable classic. Amazingly, four wheel drive was an option, as… Read more »
coooooool