What's the coolest old car you've seen in a junkyard?

Check out my avatar...I had 100's of cool cars go through my junkyard...

 

in a junkyard down the road a few blocks from my house a few years ago, sat a complete '59 impala 2dr hardtop. also in that yard later was a few gems like a '51 ford 2 dr, '63 impala, 63-6 chevy flatbed, '57 chevy 2 dr,among tons of others. and then a few blocks over from there is another yard where the guy has his "private collection" full of old gold. but the coolest was definitely that '59..

 

I couldn't narrow it down because I've seen a bunch of odd/rare/cool stuff in yards. In one yard in Colchester, CT my buddy and I found an early '50 Packard hearse, '54 BelAir convertible, early 40s Lincoln Continental convertible, '66 & '67 GTO convertibles, 6 or 7 Edsels representing all three years, a '70 GTX and a '69 Dodge Charger 500 (the predecessor to the Daytona Charger and rarer). Another yard in the same town had several Corvair vans (former phone company trucks), a '62 Hawk Gran Turismo and a '64 Bonneville Brougham. In a yard in Tolland, CT I saw a Chevy Cameo Carrier, a '58 Impala convertible, a '69 Camaro Indy Pace Car convertible and a nice '63 Pontiac Catalina hearse.

 

How about a '37 Ford Cabrolet with a 283

 

Richards Auto Sales and Salvage in Denton, NC probably 10-15 years ago I went with my dad and my uncle to find parts for some car my uncle was restoring. That was when Richard's was in his hay day! He had everything it seemed like from the late 20's to late 70's cars only. I remember and I think still even to this day I remember seeing in rows 49-51 Ford and Mercs, tri five Chevys, 49-65 Buicks, etc. I think it was at that moment I knew which way my life was headed. I ended up finding a shotgun house just two miles from that junkyard, bought a couple of cars from him. 1946 Plymouth Business Coupe (it had crushed red velvet interior and a fucking 8 track!) 67 skylark that I wrapped around a telephone pole and a donor 50 Buick for the car I have now. It's too bad he isn't doing the business like he use too, he's maybe only open once or twice a month now. It's kinda sad! Last time I drove by there the yard looked to be thinning out.

 

about two years ago I saw a customized bronze colored 1956 Chevy convertible sitting on the bottom of a pile of other crushed cars. It had 56 Packard taillights, 1955 Pontiac split bumpers, nosed, decked, etc. Sadly, It was flatter than a pancake. I didn't have my camera with me at the time and when I went back it was gone.

 

Coming home from school (at the U of Minnesota) in 1961. My buddy was drining and was looking for a short cut through the near north side (where the scrap metal yards are in Minneapolis). I happened to look down a side street, and said "Whoa, turn around!" we went back, and there was a storage area about 30X60 feet that was packed full of classics. I definitely remember a V16 Marmon, as well as miscellaneous Packards and Cadillacs; quite a sight!

Also, as a tribute to my profligate youth, a buddy and I found a real nice '50 Olds 88 fastback at D&D auto parts in Lyndale , Minnesota. This was about 1965. I made a deal to buy it for $10. The next week, I had accumulated $10, and we set out to pick the car up. We decided to stop at the liquor store and buy a couple of six-packs to get us through the experience. Just inside the door was a sign "Super Special - 3 Cases of Grain Belt - $10.00". Another one I missed out on.

 

Not to be picky, but your so-called "Packard" front end and most of the rest of it is actually a 1928 Buick. Here is the roadster version...

The body looks to be a 1934 Chevrolet...

 

Fedcospeed , I lived in N Tonawanda (NY) in the 1970's. We raced at Lancaster and Perry Speedways. On the way down to Perry we would stop and look at the Airflow and the other cars he had there. Most looked like they just needed a battery and gas. The last time I was by there was in 1978 and they were all gone....

 

Omaha, NE, 1980's...there was a HUGE junkyard full of older cars out west of town near the Lincoln Hwy. We bought many parts from there......

 

Sitting in a yard in Williams California

 

In December 2006 I found a 1936 Olds coupe in a junkyard off highway 10 near Redlands, California. I bought the coupe and have been working on it.

 

Not a hamb friendly find but when I was looking for parts for my G.T.O. I was at Little Johns wrecking yard on Elliott Reeder rd. in Ft. Worth. Sitting on top of a pile of cars to be crushed was a 71 chevelle s.s.. White w/ black rally stripes and black interior,400/400,12 bolt posi.. Body was perfectly straight didn't see the interior but I bet was pretty good. Only thing missing on the car was tires and wheels

 

I forgot about the two 39 or 40 Ford woody wagons that were in two local yards back in the 70s,there was not much left.

 

I saw a 56 Safari wagon in a St Paul Park junkyard - soon after they had set other cars on top. At Rodgers in St Paul they had a 62 bubble top @1975. Just old cars then.

 

A 40 coupe in a yard on Birmingport Road in Alabama, the owner had live goats running around in the yard to protect his vehicles. I used to go to a yard in So. Londonderry Vt. that had all types of model A's and 40 vehicles, the owner burned to death about 5 years ago in his house, don't know what happened to the cars?

 

Mid-80s at the Monrovia, CA Pick-A-Part: '57 Chrysler 300-C hardtop, originally green but repainted red at some point. Still had the Hemi in it; story I got was it was an abandoned project (owner pulled out all the wiring and gave up). Don't know if it was saved or not.

Even worse was the rusty 300-C or -D that my high school bought in '72 from a junk yard for $20.00 and cleared a $59.00 profit letting kids beat on it with sledgehammers:

 

A 1965 pontiac gto with a 4 speed and 3 duces sitting up high on 3 cars that was stacked up. The yard owner said he put it up there to keep people out of it ( yea right like that would stop us from looking) come to find out it had a bent frame and the yard owner was holding it until he got another good frame in. Circa late 60's.
Bob

 

I remember a grade school in the area doing the same with a nice late 40s Pontiac back in the late 60s or early 70s.

 

It looks like only jocks and cheerleaders were invited to this.

 

This one, a shark-nosed Graham. I saw it yesterday, Jan 19, 2013.




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Early 80's in northern Minnesota. After asking permission to walk the yard, the first car we saw was a 1932 Ford 3window. Complete except for the headlites and bar. Pulled the rumble lid cable and there they were. Couldn't get back to the yards office quick enough. Was told not for sale.

 

I'm no Ford fan, but there is an ol boy here in NE Iowa that runs a junk yard. On that property, he has a couple of buildings packed with some very collectible fords. Many were acquired as they came in as "junk".

Rumor has it, is that he has started selling some stuff off. I know he has a proclivity for T-birds and Mustangs.

Probably the neatest thing I ever stumbled upon though, a private junkyard, now all gone, that was full of 55-57 chevys. It took us years of begging, but we did finally convince him to sell us a few parts here and there. Mostly motor and tranny stuff. We were able to trade down for a shit ton of SBC speed parts at swap meets with the stuff he sold us. I remember a set of valve covers and a dual quad intake and carbs, that netted us nearly a pick up box full of stuff for the cars we were building.

...and then there is the story of Rex Bales. Again, NE Iowa, robbed a bank early 60's, late 50's? Went to trial and was acquitted and the money was never found. Rex spent the next 20 years building his own town. Restaurant, race track, lumber yard, and the most amazing junkyard on the face of the earth. 40 acres of pristine and very valuable 30's 40's and 50's cars.

The feds were pissed because they knew what he was spending to do it all, so they came in, seized everything and shut him down. The lumber yard rotted in the elements for the next 20 years, as did the junkyard. Eventually the lumber yard was used for FD training and the junkyard was crushed. Every single car. Not 1 part ever left that yard after the fed seizure. I was in the house one time visiting his widow. Every room was stacked to the ceiling, with only a narrow path to walk through, with antiques. They burnt all of that too.

Here is a google maps screen cap of the race track. You can just make it out.

 

About 10 yrs ago i was lookin for parts for a '62 chevy project i had and stumbled onto a '57 convertible - a buddy and i bought the whole car for $500 - it broke in half loading onto the trailer - all the convert stainless and parts including the tags were there - i think we got $2500 for it

 

Ron S.?

 

Yep

 

Saw a 63 Fairlane 271 hp car at a local yard years ago. Every important item was stripped from it but the body was nice. Looked like a theft job. Wouldn't sell what was left. Onlt reason I even noticed it was that you could still see the hi-po emblems on the fenders. The paint had faded around them.

 

salvage yard in pennsylvania about 10 years ago, found a car in the trees with 3 headlights, center one turned... only car i know of with that feature was the Tucker... it was real rough but still a sweet sweet car... even as a yard ornament... i was 18 and broke at the time... never made it back that way and dought id even be able to find the yard

 

In Salisbury NH at Fogs Auto Salvage in the late 80's I saw a 70 Chevelle on top of a scrap pile and looked like it just came from the body shop with fresh paint.

 

Oh yeah forgot this one. '63 Catalina I think? Had the 8 bolt magnesium wheels. We pulled the motor and tranny and put it in my buddies lemans. Blew it to the moon about a week later. Cam in 3 pieces, crank broke in half, block broken. Stuck a 389 in the lemans and junked the catalina....