Yesterday was a good day. After living in what feels like the frozen tundra for the last 7 months or so, it finally looked a bit like spring. I decided to get off my ass and get some fresh air and exersize and walk around the yunkyard. Came across some oddball stuff while there. I picked up a OLD streering column from something most likely from the teens. It has a four spoke center wheel with an interlocking wood grip. In the center are two metal levers that transverse a dial, controlling throttle and choke apparently. The yard boss said that in his 40+ years in the junkyard business, that was the only one he's seen. It was nickel plated, which has flaked off. The gear itself is about 9 inches around looking at it from the side. I'll shoot some pix to post. I did shoot a few photos at the yard of some stuff I found interesting or curious. Note the front wheels on the jitterbug. They're A ambulance wheels or coach wheels as they were called. There are supposed to be two more in the wheel pile, which I'm going to look for today. I don't know what the tan sheetmetal piece is... Maybe the inner metal roof of a Chevy truck? If anyony knows, please tell me. I dug the bellhousings all layed out. He's really organized quite a bit after a fire last year that claimed about a quarter of the yard. I may grab that roof... Not sure what it is, but it's in good shape. I also came across a flathead intake like I'd never seen. Maybe some sort of early fuel injection...? Probably isn't worth a wooden shit, but looked kinda cool. Also there are a couple random yard shots. I'm going back today to grab the ford axle and some other stuff I hid. Will be back with more pictures later on. Today's decent too.
You mean Doodlebug? Those wheels are cool. So is that flathead intake. I'd grab that, looks very interesting.
Yes Doodlebug... Apparently I felt like dancin'! Yeah.. I gotta get going. I'll grab the flatty intake. It'll probably be a buck. See ya. Jonny
Why do you have better junkyards on the East Coast than we do in Ohio? I can count the number of pre-'70 vehicles that I've seen in junkyards around here on two hands...
Take the whole Doodlebug! The flathead intake looks like the set-up for propane--without the canister that goes over that part that looks like a FI unit.Nice finds.
I dunno man. I heard that Ohio was the junkyard capitol. I figured I'd take a trip to find out.. hmm. Maybe not now... Not if it's all 70s crap. There's plenty to choose from here still; just make sure you can make the bottom 3" to a foot up on your own, as it's gone most of the time. I've been lucky with my finds lately. On a sour note, one really good yard that I never really got too deep into just crushed 800+ cars this winter. I couldn't believe it. He had tons of big block Chryslers, and 20's and 30's cars along the river bank... all gone. Won't part with the any of the 6-71s he's got either. Wished I'd known he was gonna sell out for steel money, not giving a shit about what was really there... Can't save 'em all. I asked him what he saved, as there was some NICE stuff out back. He said none of it and I thought I was gonna puke or freak out and go nutty. I got back in the car and tried to think of something else on the ride home. Fortunately, this yard's up and running strong and the guy who runs it is amazing to talk to. I'm currently working on a portrait on him. Jonny
I've pulled 4 flatheads out of there recently... the intake may be to one of them. Saw 3 more today... one fairly complete 59 AB, and a bunch of heads. They'd be mine if I had a place to put 'em. I traded one of the flatheads and a nailhead toward my '50 Dodge. Got too much as it is... I need a storage unit or something... maybe a hangar. Jonny
That's possible, I'm in Southern Ohio and all our rural farmlands are now 'new neighborhoods with prices starting in the low $300s'. They've switched over our farms from corn to yuppies and I think the yups don't like looking at old cars in junkyards and being reminded of the ultimate end for their $60k SUVs. It's also possible that I just don't know about them, since I don't know any real car dudes around here...
The Jalopy Journal
