Junk Yard Stories

[Tom Skinner]

Fellows,

I would like to try to start a Thread on Memorable Junk Yard Searches.

I can remember back in the 1970's going to different junk yards in NJ and PA with a buddy and spending the whole day finding parts for our 1947 Windsor and 1948 Royal. We were just young then and would pack a lunch and drive a couple of hours out to the junk yard. Back then you could go "pick" for parts providing you closed all windows, doors, trunk and hood lids when you were done. I believe one place was called Kobers - or something similar to that - its been 35 years - names allude me now. We were just poor teenagers.

I remember one fine day I found and removed a full Ashe Wood Roof Luggage Rack (brackets and all) off a 1947 Traveler for like $10. Thinking back now those were some of the happiest days of my life, it was like going fishing.

Of course having no better sense we would always grab a cigarette lighter or dash knob, and pocket it - I had very little money and not much values then. Sometimes it would pour down rain and we would sit it out in an old 1958 Imperial or some such fine automobile, and smoke a camel. Then when the sun came back out, off we went scrounging around again happy as kids in a Candy Store. Those were the Days and they sure were good.

Tom

Huntersville, NC

[JBNeal]

One spring break, I went to the junkyard on the other side of the county, for parts off of their yard truck, a B-3 flatbed they had just retired. Next to it was a '48, almost intact except for the front axle. I went to pull the gas tank out, since mine was riddled with rust holes. Wanted that gas tank so bad that I was disturbing a fire ant mound just to access the rear mounting bolts. Got the tank out, and in the TX sun, it was clear that this tank was in just as bad shape as the one I already had. But I pulled the rear drums (and pocketed the wiper knob) to show something for the ant bites and resulting pounding headache. Went back 6 months later to see if I could get anything else, and the junkyard had converted to a salvage yard, and anything older than 20 yrs had been "disposed of"...D'OH!!

[Greenbomb]

Not any particular time, but just being in the old time yards was fun and pleasant. I'd spend as much time looking at all the "potentials" as I did actually getting parts. Definitely more time than money then. (Hmmm- that situation hasn't changed all that much!) The yards today just don't have the same feeling. Maybe it's because the new stuff just doesn't have "personality" like the old cars.

[BobT-47P15]

There were numerous "junkyards" in this part of the country back

in the '70s. Now they're gone. It was fun to wander thru them

and look at all the nifty stuff sitting around. Prices were usually

very reasonable.

I once took a friend who owned a P15 coupe

to one of these places. He found a hood and some other parts

he needed - we dragged them up to the office - and the owner,

as I recall, quoted a price of $25. My friend had been thinking

the charge would be more like $100. He was really happy.

I'm glad I got some of the small items like switches & knobs, as I

have used some of them in the last few years. Still have a few

in reserve. Sure beats the ebay prices of today.

A '47 model car was only 30 years old in 1977 and many were not

all so rusted out back then.

Ahh, the good old days.........

Edited February 5, 2011 by BobT-47P15

[Don Coatney]

Not a story but a good old time bone yard near Toledo, Ohio

[hkestes41]

I was at a junkyard in Butterfield, MO when I was 16 or 17 so around 1976 trying to get a grill bar off of a 48 sedan for my business coupe. Problem was there was a tree that had grown up between the bumper and grill and was preventing getting the one bar that I needed. So my dad said go back up and see what they will take for the whole grill.

I headed back up to the office which was quite a hike. Price $15. So, back I go. Problem was that I had been needing to go to the bathroom since not long after we had arrived. So, I headed off the trail behind a tree and did my business. Grabbed some leaves off a scrubby little tree to finish up then went and got the grill. Hauled home the grill and several other parts we had already pulled and called it a day.

Next morning I woke up in total missery. Seems I had pulled leaves off a poison Sumac to wipe with.

Spent the next several days in bed, having to apply calamine lotion to the infected area. Called in "sick" to my job at the local grocery store. However, my mom thought my predicament was hillarious so when she went shopping she informed the owner who had a real nice 32 Plymouth Coupe (except for the color) painted pink with a SBC what had happened. Of course by the time I returned to work all the employees at the store knew what had happened and I caught hell for weeks.

[thrashingcows]

I don't go back as far as some of our well aged members....but back in the early 90's I had started to restore a 68 Coronet convertible. I needed a bunch of sheet metal and stopped by a local yard that specialized in vintage tin. I asked about parts and he said I could go check out a 68 coronet 4dr he had just got in. After looking the car over I went up to the desk and asked how much for the entire car....it was a 383/auto/A/C and rust free....was thinking $1000 or so...guy said $200!! and he would deliver it to my house.....

But my brother and I spent many many days going through junkyards....great times and memories.

[PatS....]

I was at a junkyard in Butterfield, MO when I was 16 or 17 so around 1976 trying to get a grill bar off of a 48 sedan for my business coupe. Problem was there was a tree that had grown up between the bumper and grill and was preventing getting the one bar that I needed. So my dad said go back up and see what they will take for the whole grill.

I headed back up to the office which was quite a hike. Price $15. So, back I go. Problem was that I had been needing to go to the bathroom since not long after we had arrived. So, I headed off the trail behind a tree and did my business. Grabbed some leaves off a scrubby little tree to finish up then went and got the grill. Hauled home the grill and several other parts we had already pulled and called it a day.

Next morning I woke up in total missery. Seems I had pulled leaves off a poison Sumac to wipe with.

Spent the next several days in bed, having to apply calamine lotion to the infected area. Called in "sick" to my job at the local grocery store. However, my mom thought my predicament was hillarious so when she went shopping she informed the owner who had a real nice 32 Plymouth Coupe (except for the color) painted pink with a SBC what had happened. Of course by the time I returned to work all the employees at the store knew what had happened and I caught hell for weeks.

Sounds like something my mom would do...so much for the perfect little boy crap

[Plymouthy Adams]

I was ambling through a junkyard one early afternoon and come upon this P15 set a bit out from the rest of the cars..it looked kinda out of place...I walked up and opend the door to these two lovely young girls...what luck!!!..ladies is that wiper knob for sale?

[old stovebolt]

Down near the Mexican border, off I-5, there is a yard that has large sticks near the entrance.......you use the sticks bang around the wheel houses

to make sure there are no rattlesnakes there......

[Plymouthy Adams]

rattlesnakes could make for a bad day...so do guinea wasps..

[Oldguy48]

I enjoy an occasional stroll thru a junkyard in the hopes of finding a useable treasure, but as I stroll, I can't help but wonder what the history of these cars really is. I mean, each one was undoubtedly at one time someone's pride & joy. If we could only see what these cars have seen, and how did they end up in a boneyard. And what memories did each of these cars provide to their owners. Maybe those are just the bizarre thoughts of this old guy, but I wonder.....

[Andydodge]

In 1975 my brother & I decided to head up to Dalby in sth west Queensland to check out a wrecking yard that we had been told about, it was about 700miles each way, we arrived on a Sunday at Toowoomba about 30miles east of Dalby , checked into a caravan(trailer) park there and the next day, Monday proceeded out to Dalby.

The wrecking yard was actually 2 yards side by side, total area was about 1/2 mile square with a Service station at the front........as we had packed our lunches & water we were self contained and spent the whole day there checking out cars for parts, me after 1940 Dodge bits, my brother after 1951 Chev parts. At the end of each day we'd bring what we had taken off to the front office, paid the guy and load the goodies into the back of my ute. We repeated this every day till Friday.........had a great time and whilst even at this stage a lot of the old car jewellery like grilles, badges etc had been removed it was mostly on Fords, Mopars & GM products still were not over popular so we scored bigtime.

We came home with sore heads and sunburn after spending 5 days in the Queensland sun. The funny thing is that friends asked us "what did you think of Dalby?.nice town is'nt it"........we were 1/2 a mile from it we'd say, could see it easily.......but never bothered to travel the extra 2 minutes...........we had more important things like Old Cars to pull apart!........we were young, I was 21, Bruce was 19............and silly........not young any more but still reckon that week was one of the best holidays I've ever had.........Andy Douglas

[richards47deluxe]

Does anybody from northern California remember a vintage auto dismantling yard named Antique Tony's in Richmond?? It was a great place to go to even if you didn't need anything......

[BobT-47P15]

Good stories, guys.

Keep em coming.

Kirk.....Harvey's Salvage at Butterfield is the place my friend bought a

hood and other things. I bought several things there too. Sure glad

I managed to miss that particular vegetation.

Old man Harvey was a nice fellow. He told me that some men had

come there and purchased buckets full of ornaments and emblems

off the cars. So certain things were being sought even in the 70s.

When the yard was closed out, I think the cars were crushed.

But his sons supposedly kept a batch of old Hemis. What ever

became of them I don't know.

[JerseyHarold]

In 1964, my father and I took a trip from Brooklyn to Niagara falls in our '52 Cambridge. The engine threw a rod and we were directed to a reputable and honest junk yard run by Stanley Stauba in Darien Center, NY. Stan didn't have a car to sell that he trusted for a long trip, but he did have a '51 Belvedere with a good engine. The engine, including installation, was $46.00! Quite a deal, even back then.

Stan's reputation and business grew considerably over the years, and when he passed away a TV station in Buffalo did a feature story about his life.

[Don Coatney]

I was ambling through a junkyard one early afternoon and come upon this P15 set a bit out from the rest of the cars..it looked kinda out of place...I walked up and opend the door to these two lovely young girls...what luck!!!..ladies is that wiper knob for sale?

Do all old men think alike:rolleyes:

[oldodge41]

Man, I love a junkyard. So many memories when I think about it. When I turned 16 in '74, along with my cousin, and got my license we were driving junk and always needed parts. A local guy had a repair business and a small yard. We would go out to "Don's" at least once a week, maybe more. We could drive through the yard and pull parts. I mean we used used ball joints, tie rod ends, u-joints, tires or whatever. Never had money for new. We would pull up to the garage and Don would come out and look in the trunk and invariably say something like "give me 2 bucks". He kept us on wheels. I remember once he let my Dad and I use his garage and tools to swap a tranny in an AMC Ambassador that Dad had. He always did stuff like that, not just for us but for a lot of people. We always banged on the cars and pulled back the weeds looking for bees and snakes before getting too involved. never saw any poisonous snakes but black and garter snakes and lots of hornets and wasps.

As I got older and had better jobs I bought better cars and could afford new parts so I frequented the junk yards less until I bought the old Dodge. Then it was Dad and I scrounging around all the local yards looking for parts. The operators had changed though, no vehicles in the yards, they wanted to pull the parts and the fees were based on fifty percent of new cost. Still found found a couple that operated the old way and thoroughly enjoyed them. I think that is why I go to Carlisle and Hershey to the swap meets. I love walking the aisles looking and rooting even if I am not looking for anything special. I often go and never look at anything but the piles of parts and I almost always find something.

Great topic for a cold February morning. Thanks for the memories.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I was ambling through a junkyard one early afternoon and come upon this P15 set a bit out from the rest of the cars..it looked kinda out of place...I walked up and opend the door to these two lovely young girls...what luck!!!..ladies is that wiper knob for sale?

Maybe..if all men have a good wiper knob on their car...

[Don Coatney]

Maybe..if all men have a good wiper knob on their car...

My knob is chrome and looks very good when polished.

[Rodney Bullock]

I like good junk yard stories, As you all know I go to junk yards when I really don't need anything. It's like visiting old friends in the hospital. In the early days when junk yards were "not for profit" I say that because what they charged I knw you can't live off. I liked to look at the different body styles. The fast back old cars are the ones I liked the most, I think this is why I like coupes because I saw so many as a young kid. I have been to alot of junk yards over the years. The yard in Culpepper is still my favorite and while it is much smaller then it was 10-15 years ago I still enjoy going there now. What I really need to do is find a good convertible donor car and get to work. The yard in Prince fredrick is gone that was a real dream yard as it had all the cars I have ever wanted.

Edited February 6, 2011 by Rodney Bullock

[41/53dodges]

rattlesnakes could make for a bad day...so do guinea wasps..

dont tell me you got that from south park!

[Rodney Bullock]

I have also been a lunch box kid in a junk yard. I have never been one to sit in a junk yard during a storm:eek:. I have had a deer or two jump over my head. I have never been bit by a snake in a yard. As far as going to the bath room and using leaves to clean up. I just as soon wait until we stop on the road back:rolleyes:...oooh poison ivy at night when your sleeping poison ivy comes a creeping around:mad:

[james curl]

I started going to junk yards in the early fifties, back then they would just let you wander around all day long. Yards were filled with early 20s and 30s vehicles, very few 40s cars then. People were still driving Model A Fords and early 30s Chevy and MoPars, my first car was a 33 Plymouth four door that I bought from a local grocery store owner when he bought another newer car in 1953. All of those yards are long gone never to return and neither will the times.

[Tom Skinner]

James,

Thats why I started this Thread - so we can reminisce. You see we can all be Happy in remembering the good old days. We can choose to have good stories to share. Alot of those yards are still there - but west.

NM. and ND. and elswhere where the weather is kinder to the "old" Iron.

I'll bet that when we sat in one of those old Imperials we day dreamed about going down the road in it or restoring the very car you sat out a rain storm in? Those Days still live on. Young Guys today are still picking parts at Junk Yards everywhere. Fun is where you find it - why its everywhere.

I'm 54 and still want to go through a yard - possibilities abound.

Tom