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Post Info TOPIC: R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery"


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R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery"


It's taken me over 2 years to bring myself to report the tragic loss of my '50 Sedan Delivery. It happened in Nov. 2009 in one of California's largest wildfires - The Woolsey Fire that swept through 94,000 acres of the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu and west of L.A. We were fortunate that our primary residence survived while 1964 structures did not. 35 homes are gone within a one mile radius of us. One of those was my beloved 1500 s.f. garage/barn that housed the Delivery. The vehicle was literally weeks away from paint and assembly after a protracted 45 year love affair that started with the find on Salt Spring Island, B.C., a roundabout road trip home to Toronto through Cali.(putting parts on along the way)- a extended pit stop in Oklahoma City where the engine gave out (longer story), and anyway many more adventures later (even longer story!)

Had the car shipped to Cali. several years after moving there in 2009 which was a nightmare when customs seized all the parts inside (including the engine) after the shipper declared as 'parts'. The intense heat of fire caused the metal girder above the Ponco to guillotine it to death. The only salvageable part was the rear cargo door which I hope to find a good home for since they are 'rare as hen's teeth'. Just goes to show you- shoulda left her back in her motherland!!

So long Indian- thanks for the memories!

Photos forthcoming of the funeral!

 



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A Poncho Legend!

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R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery


Sorry to hear about this. Was it 2009 or 2019 you had the loss?


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Must be 2019. Bought rims from Tim a while back....

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RE: R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery"


2018?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolsey_Fire

So sorry to hear of the loss.  Having a 45 year history with the car would not make things any easier.  I cannot imagine the horror of knowing the fire is advancing towards you and the worry about what might happen, then seeing the devastation happen around you, and finally realizing that your garage and cars are gone.  Nobody should have to go through that kind of stress.

I can understand why it took 2 years to be able to post about it.



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Sorry to hear about that irreplaceable loss. I can't imagine.

Whenever I see images of what is leftover from a wildfire through a California community, there always seems to be quite a few barely recognizable hulks amoungst the debris. But as car guys, we have trained eyes, and they often seem to be classics.

You see miles of grey dust and destruction, and then you imagine what the owners must be going through.



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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT. 
 


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Yes, sad. Wildfires and bushfires are becoming more and more prevalent in this world.cry



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Prince Edward Island

'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.



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R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery


very sad to hear murray glad you are ok i was wondering why we hadnt heard from ya condolences to your 50 TIMBUK

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RE: R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery"


timbuk wrote:

very sad to hear murray glad you are ok i was wondering why we hadnt heard from ya condolences to your 50 TIMBUK


 x2 very sad after all those years of caring for her. Also wondered where you had gotten to....  Me.. if I couldn't find a buyer that really needed a rear cargo door  to finish his/her project(sell). Until then maybe just hang it on the wall like a headstone.  After all those years....it was part of you and you were part of it. Have had my 57 chev since I was 17. Any thing happened to it..as long as I had 1 part to keep. Cars are like pets. We nurture them, will spend what ever it takes to keep them healthy(new plugs/ oil) and happy (take them for a drive).....but at the same time it keeps us healthy and happy. Sorry for the loss



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Canadian Poncho Superstar!

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I can also see why it took you so long to talk about this. Just trying to figure out how any of what happened makes any sense is enough to blow your mind.

Also trying to also see why something that lasted so long, went through so much and with all that effort could be just gone is enough to make you question a lot about life in a larger sense.

I'm sure you 've heard all the platitudes so I won't mention any more of those.  

Maybe this song would help put it in perspective though.

 

 



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ken from northern Alberta

38 Willys pickup electric

39 Buick (327 with 700 r4)

66 Beaumont 4 door hardtop

69 Chevy CST pickup

1976 GMC 23'  motorhome

1994 Impala SS (temporary, according to my wife)



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Well that sucks Murray. I'm sorry to hear about your loss.



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1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars



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R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery


I feel your PAIN from my first hand experience of loosing my 51 Poncho Torpedo Back & Cutlass rag top in garage fire back in 2017. It 'SUCKS" big time !!! But as long as " YOU" survived that's the main priority, vehicles can be replaced,you can't!!!

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Some times I wake up GRUMPY, but today I let her sleep in    !!!!!!!! BLACKSTOCK Ont.



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RE: R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery"


Thanks guys for all the condolences! Yes- my bad, the fire was Nov.2019. We evacuated 2 hrs (7:30 am) before the 14 mile long wall of fire came through. I had been up since 3 AM preparing- taking pictures of everything and clearing things flammable away from the house, etc.(Wife was already freaked out and took the 2 cats and her Boxster to the beach 7 miles away.)We have a 2016 25' ft Airstream which I had hooked up locked and loaded and that was our home foe 2 weeks 25 miles up the coast while we waited to get back in. It ended up being a full 7 weeks before we could move back to the house even though I was allowed in to put some erosion control measures in place to prevent the rains & debris flow from destroying what was left! It literally looked like a moonscape with no vegetation and burned rocks everywhere!

Also consumed were 3 vintage Airstream trailers- a 1957, 1972 and a 1963 . The first 2 were extremely popular Airbnb's we had on our property for 5 years with guests visiting from all over the world. The '63 unfortunately was only here for some body repairs I was doing for the owner- and none were insured!

Here's a few pictures:



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Gut wrenching.

How is it that the house survived?



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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT. 
 


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The house only survived due to 3 important factors:

!/ Tons of PRAYER support

2/ Fire 'resistant' construction (stucco & stone veneer, dual glazing (biggy), spanish tile roof & minimal wood exposure.40% of homes burn after the fire due to embers.

3/ Brush clearance- law here requires 200 ft.(100' bare earth + 100' "lolly-popped"). The chaparral around us was 15-20' high and unburned for over 20 years. The fuel load created heat enough to melt aluminum alloy wheels into puddles and destroy the metal shop girders. Most people didn't have adequate clearance and if they lived on a ridge it was game over!

You're probably asking 'Why would he want to gamble w/those odds?'

Answer: 300 days of sunshine/ yr., a new 'Show & Shine' to go to weekly, no salt on the roads, surfing 6 miles away!

             Today it's 24 Celsius! I'm in a sweatshirt and not shoveling anything but horse manure! :)



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Here's the 'Before' picture of the shop.



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R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery


Totally understand , 49 years is a lifetime...tough to read, so sorry to hear about .

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RE: R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery"


Has it began to come back to life a little? The ground cover, small plants and the like?



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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT. 
 


A Poncho Legend!

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Those pictures tell a brutal story!



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Prince Edward Island

'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.



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R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery


Very sad to hear. Are those bee boxes next to your garage?

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RE: R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery"


cdnpont wrote:

Has it began to come back to life a little? The ground cover, small plants and the like?


 We just got the 2nd rainstorm of the winter and the hills are beginning to green up. The native vegetation is coming back - some is about 4 ft high now and the low sage and other species are also on strong. Main problem is the invasives- wild mustard takes over and is beautiful in (yellow) flower (like rapeseed on the prairies) but it grows up to 2 meters high and is inpenetratable, choking out the natives. When the rainy season stops in April it dries out and becomes another fire hazard. They say it will be 10 years before it fully recovers- that is unless it burns again, which is happening more frequently with global warming.



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/download.spark?id=2378951&aBID=118110



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R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery


soo sad murray once againglad you are ok...jim! theres my old rims!

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RE: R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery"


https://vancouver.craigslist.org/rds/cto/d/langley-township-southwest-1952-pontiac/7270260782.html



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Canadian Poncho Superstar!

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R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery


Know first hand the mental anguish loosing a long time vehicle to fire can cause.
Now that you've brought it out in the open and shared it with us you can work on moving forward.
Sorry for the loss let's put it in the rear view and move on.

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RE: R.I.P.- Wildfire Consumes the '50 Delivery"


Will you be getting a replacement for it Murray? Was it insured against what happened to it?



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Prince Edward Island

'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.

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