Recently have become mildly obsessed with the twilight era for vintage junkyards, which is happening right now. I have developed a small cyber toolbox (GoogleMaps, GlobeXplorer, MapQuest, Switchboard) to gather before & after aerial pics of junkyards across the U.S. Mostly this is to document where they were and their size, but it's also useful to today's scroungers to assess whether a given sight-unseen yard today looks worth the trip. I have gotten adept at recognizing ex-yards from space.

Many times these automotive DisneyWorlds disappear when one's back it turned, leaving but a faint scar on the landscape. I've been in about 15 different yards over the years- I am seldom as euphoric as when I am clambering over acres of vintage iron & steel, searching for anything off the long list of my, my brother's, my friend's, or internet buddies' vehicle's needs.

Check it out:

Hoctor's Auto Wrecking, Phoenix AZ, 2005:

2006:

{cue softly whispering wind track...}

Here's one I spent hundreds and hundreds of stupidly happy hours in:

Manchur's Auto & Truck Parts, Pittstown NJ, 25- acres, that's roughly 3500 vehicles. 1995:

Crushed out after the owner died circa '98. Here is it in 2006:

{cue crickets chirping track...}

-- -- -- -- --

So..... anyone have any recollections or info on where vintage/classic junkyards were/are? Given my cyber toolbox & GlobeXplorer's ability to show images back to the early '90s in most cases, I can track down the images for my 'Rust Scrapbook'. Appreciate even the scarcest of info.

Thanks for feeding my demon.

Edited May 21, 200817 yr by balthazar

That one in Arizona makes my heart sink down to my kneees.

Why? Dear god why?

Oh that's right, all those classics, like '63 Chevys, '55 Pontiacs,

'41 Buicks, '36 Plymouths & '28 Cadillacs were crushed, melted

down & reprocessed inot steel that was shipped to Japan so it

could be sold bakc to us in the shape of 09 Toyotas & Hondas.

:puke: :puke: :puke:

c'mon Sixty8- pony up with the info on that MA yard you've been in!

Balt: the junkyard of old iron I first brought Sixty8 to is in NH, not MA. Here:

Blanchard's Auto Salvage

47 Greenville Road

Wilton, NH 03086

If for whatever reason Blanchard's does not go in, you can also try searching for it under "Zeke's Auto & Truck Sales"

And here's one you can do for me and Sixty 8 and a few other friends of ours because it's turned into one of those "tell me what you want, then I'll hold your hand while we go look at it together, then if you want the part leave a deposit and we'll call you in a week when it's off" places. We've never been able to have free roam of it:

Balicki's Used Auto Parts

92 Bacon Road

Ware, MA 01082

Balthazar:

I originally opted against letting the cat out of the bag

on the REAL location of Blanchards... they're one of

the coolest places around & I;d hate to have the info

get out, some looser go there and by smashing a few

windows & vandalizing some 1950s car, be it a rotted

dust-pile or not, ruin it for all of us.

We've gotten to know the owners well enough that they

let us in to wander/take photos/buy emblems & such,

but I've seen them on more than one occasion turn

people away saying that they're NOT open when I knew

they were, simply because they do not want hassles

from people looking for parts for some 1995 Taurus or

whatever. It's a very cool place, I hope it's always

around & does not get bought out and turned into condos

or a business park.

I remember the very first time I went there... XP took me

as the location of this place was kind of a family secret of

his, they had a '79 clone of the Banana Boat. I thought at

the time: too bad I can't find a non-crushed one of those,

since theirs was already squished, 2-feet tall, sitting in a

sandwich of 1970s & 1980s cars, next to a field full of much

older, and much more rotted cars.

I hear you about Blanchard's, but think about this: with scrap prices rising steadily, not to mention EPA pressures, rising land values & taxes, and the average age of the typical 'yard owner... these places are getting squeezed on numerous fronts. Unless they're internet-savvy, unless they do enough business to make it worth their while... how long are they going to hang around?? Sure, there's a few rotten apples in ANY bunch, but if everyone kept their 'secret stashes' secret, the secrets are going to disappear by themsleves. Besides, the years of weather aren;t doing the parts themselves any favors.

Besides, XP already spilled yer beans! :wink:

Time is NOT on the hot rodder/ shade tree mechanics side anymore.

I'll look these up tonight, thanks!

I can not argue with that.

\Since I do not have a half million dollars to save the stuff

at Blanchards that is still worth more than scrap-weight

I at least try to document as many of the cars on camera.

I'd love to make a rat rod out of that '61 Fleetwood though!

Here's my thread on Blanchards BTW:

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...ic=8601&hl=

(from two years ago)

Around here, the yards have been disappearing for at least a decade. Any that might be left have likely crushed anything "vintage" long ago.

That style of yard is mostly just a memory here.

In some parts of NH you're not even allowed to have a junk yard

anymore... not one that "stores" cars. You have to drain all the

fluids, dispose of all the hazmat IMMEDIATELY and crush the car.

Such is probably going to be the fate of that little Datsun I used

to have until a BMW ran a red light and totalled it.

I drove more miles in that little RWD, I6-powered, 5-speed, IRS

equiped, "talking" Japanese $h!box than any other car Ive ever

owned, including my 68 Camaro, '86 Fleetwood Brougham & just

by a couple thousand miles, my S10 Blazer 4.3/5-spd.

Edited May 22, 200817 yr by Sixty8panther

For all the coolness of Blanchard's, be aware that they crushed out a WHOLE MESS of stock. They don't think you know this, but you do now :

2007:

I know this one is harder to make out (apparently satellite lense technology has grown by leaps & bounds ), but that yard used to be packed. 1998:

Blalicki's looks the same as far as area/volume vs. 1998, but looks suspiciously neatly packed- and that always suggests major late model stuff to me. 2007:

Yup....

My understanding is (it would seem to be legit) that they do not put out any

solid "marginally-restorable" cars out in the field to begin with. They ARE

active on eBay and even go as far as to sell cars in groups, like recently

they sold a badly rotted '55 Ford with a good windshield & a semisolid Merc

of similar vintage ('54 IIRC) that needed a few things to be a restoration

candidate. Someone bought both cars & some odds & ends from the yard to

make one semi-decent car... prob. just a driver, fun car for the summer.

ALSO: The majority of those cars in 1998 look brightly colored, they're prob.

modern $h!boxes from the '80s and '90s.... Blanchards crushes those cars

without a care in the world.

At one point however XP & I did see not one or two but THREE Citroens go

to the crusher pile... all of them being late '60s vintage!

We actually laughed about it... better THREE semi-complete French cars be

crushed than even ONE of those '50s Cadillac factory limousines or some

rotted to death '58/'59/'60 Imperials!

P.S. most of the REALLY good $h! is UNDER the tree cover :wink:

man, I luv junkyards, abandoned cars.....something bittersweet about it

Here's a great sight for rusty trucks:

http://www.oldride.com/community/galleries/604844236.html

If I ever get the money I will drag that `57 Saratoga out of there I swear it.

Edited May 23, 200817 yr by Dodgefan

The best yard around here is just west of Mount Sterling, Ohio on route 56 headed west, go about 4 miles or so west of town towards I-71.

Tons of vintage stuff but they don't crush much of anything...

The other local yard that had tons of old cars crushed EVERYTHING about a year and a half ago.

Money talks, and when you can crush cars and send them to China for cash for steel...

Sadly, Sixty eight, you may yet own that 61 caddy...in the form of a Toaster from Wall-Mart!

Chris

What I don't get is: scrap price for cars is only up 50-100%- if your in the 'yard busniess, I can't see one saying 'no' to $200/car and 'yes!!' to $300.

66- I'll look up your yard tonight...

What I don't get is: scrap price for cars is only up 50-100%- if your in the 'yard busniess, I can't see one saying 'no' to $200/car and 'yes!!' to $300.

66- I'll look up your yard tonight...

Yeah, but it was reason enough for one local junkyard to crush the

following 95% complete, savable/restorable cars recently:

1987 Mercedes Benz 560SEC 2dr hardtop

1968 Cadillac Sedan DeVille 4dr hardtop

1972 Chevrolet Nova 4dr (I6 with auto)

1979 Cadillac Eldorado Biaritz w/ a flawless stainless steel roof.

several POS FWD turbo Mopars

1994? Twin Turbo Dodge Stealth (Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4)

& about 12 last gen. GM B-bodys (including a nice LT1 C.F.B.)

A bit late on this, I know, but wow....that's kinda cool and depressing all at the same time.

We've had a few junk yards go bye bye around here ... but nothing too big, though.

This also reminds me of this:

http://meadowdaleraceway.homestead.com/

Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"When you reach the bottom, it's now or never" ... O-Town ... 'All Or Nothing'

Interestingly enough...I saw 3 desireable cars flattened and on a truck headed for the shreder.

mid sixties (65 I think) Buick ragtop

67-68 Mustang Fastback

66-67 2 door hardtop olds with 442 badges on it.

All looked to have been restorable before they were crushed.

Sixty-Eight...sad to say, the 70's and 80's cars are disappearing by the boatlaod around here. I've seen whole Semi-Loads of Chrome Bumper RWD cars going down Ohio 104. I pass by Columbus Steel Products/Buckeye Steel on the way home from work...and there are a bazillion 70's-80's restorable cars getting flattened.

This whole topic makes me really, really sad...

Chris