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Posted

I went to youtube and watched the video showing the French Lake yard that was mentioned. Awsome cars there. I also viewed several other clips of a yard called Easy Jack's in Kansas I believe. Boy, I could spend all day in yards like these :) . I only hope that they remain.

John R

  • Like 1
Posted

Hi Bob,

  The video is fairly recent I think and there is a vast assortment of vintage gems there. When I see these cars from the the '30's and '40's parked in these yards, I always wonder about their history like who purchased them new and how were they cared for. Just a habit of mine I guess. Back in the '50's when I was growing up, these cars were plentiful and still being used. They could be had for short money too. Great memories.

John R

Posted

I went to youtube and watched the video showing the French Lake yard that was mentioned. Awsome cars there. I also viewed several other clips of a yard called Easy Jack's in Kansas I believe. Boy, I could spend all day in yards like these :) . I only hope that they remain.

John R

 

You nailed it. My coworkers all think I'm crazy for taking a day off just to go wander around French lake. I can go there with nothing in mind to find and still make a day of it. Of course I usually come home with a few treasures.

Posted

Ed,

  I'm sure that treasures are there. I remember a guy I worked with once told me of a retired neighbor that he had that used to take off with two pals in his motorhome and travel to salvage yards all over. They probably visited the French Lake yard at one point.

John R

Posted

What the heck are salvage yards? Around here they are call junk yards and that is just what is in them. We around here have junk car yards that you might find a part from a eight or nine year old car but nothing any older. It seems that around this part of the country there is more money to be made smashing the cars than selling any parts from them. The yards around here only keep cars that are no more older than seven, eight years old. If they are older than that forget about finding a part unless you go to a auto parts place. I have seen salvage yards up north that have old cars just sitting waiting for some one to come and get parts from them. I wish we had the same here in south Texas but we don't. I envy you people up north and central United States that can find parts for your old cars by just going to the salvage yards and further more go to a Napa store and get what you want. Around here they look at you like your nuts wanting a part for a car that old. If you ask for a certain part for an old car they have to dig for a while to see if they still have any old books and if they find one they have to call to see if they can still get the part. Like I said I envy you guys from central and northern states. :(

Posted

Most times for engine parts I tell them to look in their industrial catalog as Chrysler furnished a lot of combine manufacturers with engines.  Most of the help now days do no know how to use the catalog just the computer which never goes back that far unless it is a NAPA store.

Posted

Went into AutoZone the other day to get a new coil.

 

Kid behind counter: "can I help you"

 

Me: "I need a 12 volt coil" I knew what was coming next.

 

Kid: "What make and Model is it for"

 

Me: "It doesn't matter, it just needs to be a 12 volt coil"

 

Kid: "I need to know the make and model to look it up"

 

Me: "OK then, it is for a 1948 Plymouth Deluxe Club Coupe"

 

Kid: puches it into the computer "Oh, we don't have one"

 

Me: "Really, you don't have a 12 volt coil anywhere in the store?"

 

Kid: "Nope"

 

Older guy in the back must have been listening and comes out from behind the shelves and says "Hey dumb a$$, a 12 volt coil is a 12 volt coil. Doesn't matter if he is putting it on a tractor. Let me show you what a coil is." takes the kid to the back and emerges with a new coil in about 45 seconds.

 

I know it is not the kid's fault, he has to work with what he was trained to do. Just gets comical and/or frustrating some times.

  • Like 1
Posted

Asking for a 12 volt coil isn't as simple as it sounds. There ARE differences. Internal or external resistance, some use nuts to hold the wires on, others have a slide connector, and then the ones that go into the distributor cap and there are other variations of 12 volt coils as well. Most of the parts people you will deal with may have never seen a points system and would be totally unfamiliar with that coil design or what would work for an alternative.

I spend my weekends on the other side of the parts counter and you'd be surprised how many customers don't know what year their vehicle was made, some don't know what model it is, many don't know the submodel or engine size. All important info for getting the correct parts the first time. Some parts need more info than that because of the variations. Not totally defending the counterperson in the coil incident, but some customers could bring more info to the table than they do.

Ok, off my soapbox now.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

 I wish we had the same here in south Texas but we don't. :(

 

 Call John's salvage on Fox Trotter Ln. in Seguin Tx. He's expensive, but he has been keeping my cars going since the 1980's. 

 

Southside auto parts in San Antonio has antique cars, and our local Pick-N-Pull has a special antique section only open from 9am-12 noon Friday and Saturday.

Posted

Reminds me of the time I asked the girl at AutoZone for a petcock. She called the manager and he found one for me.

Hey Don, you're lucky they didn't call the police on you for inappropriate behavior. Lol

  • Like 1
Posted

Rusty_Apache, who is the local pick n pull you reference in San Antonio? I'll be in SA next week... Thanks... Dave

Posted

Salvage/ junk yards ,, aren't what they used to be ....I remember going to them back 50years ago ,, I was 10 ,, seeing all the cool cars that they had .. the coolest ones were ,,and still are in the back ...there WAS a couple of nice ones here in Arizona .. nice old cars that the owner said weren't for sale .. drove by it around 3 years ago ,,, cars all gone ... guy next property over has a car crusher ... but new owner doesn't know anything .... 

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Rusty_Apache, who is the local pick n pull you reference in San Antonio? I'll be in SA next week... Thanks... Dave

 

They are out on highway 16 towards Poteet. The antique only section is only open 9-12 on weekends.  John's salvage in Seguin is not far out of your way to S.A. and he has more reasonable business hours, and more selection.

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