Barn Finds reader Fred H. sent us this interesting find from about 60 miles south of Spokane, Washington. They are listed here on craigslist, and the seller is looking to sell all 60 car “bodies” for $5,000. An alternative to that is buying them at $200 or $300 each, but as the seller says, “bring chainsaw,” and you’ll have to wait until March because it’s too muddy right now for them to help you load up. And yes, most of these would be parts cars to us — unless one really catches your eye. But I see this as a test of your car spotting ability–so read on and answer in the comments!
Picture #1: Let’s try to figure out what these are. This one’s pretty easy, it’s an El Camino — but do you know the year?
Picture #2: While this is obviously a Ford station wagon, it’s not a woody, despite the engine compartment decor.
Picture #3: While this is a Chevrolet — what year and model?
Picture #4: This one’s a little harder, isn’t it? No hints — you tell me this one in the comments!
Picture #5: Now we have a Pontiac. But what model and year?
Picture #6: Is this a Dodge, a Rambler, or something else (yes, I do know)? I can’t wait to see your answers in the comments! And you get bonus points for guessing #7, #8 & #9 (the first three pictures in the collage at the top)!
#1 = 73 El Camino, #2 = 65-66 Ford Country Squire, #3 = 69 Impala, #4 = 65 Buick Skylark 4dr, #5 = 63 Pontiac Tempest, #6 = 64 AMC Rambler, #7 = got me, #8 = 65-66 Impala or Caprice, #9 = 75’ish Toyota Corolla coupe. I’m stumped on #7, but I am sure someone else will get it. I though early 60’s Dart or Corvair but nope.
#7: “62 Dodge Dart pretty cool!
I didn’t look at the 62 Dart, I looked at 63 and I guess passed on it beiong earlier. Good catch spoonleg!
#9 – 72 Toyota Corona
Ha, you pay the guy $ and get rid of his junk cars, help clean up his property, and give him a start on next season’s firewood. Smart!
What an eyesore. This should be illegal unless you have a fence around it to block the view. Just think of the rodent and wasp infestations. Think of the leaking hydrocarbons into the ground. Modern junkyards have regulations for good reason. Just my opinion.
Thank you, Billy 007, for your honesty. The tail end of the sentiment you express is the reason I cannot have *one* non-op vintage car to work on in my backyard, unless I put an opaque plastic sauna on it to make sure the interior rots and it rusts rapidly, because ‘people can see it’.
This is obviously not sandwiched between townhomes in downtown Spokane. This is out in the country someplace, and an egregious example of a ‘farmer’s drift’ of old cars.
Codes enforcement personnel looking to get farmland to land developers nowadays are equipped with satellite photographs and drones to locate a pair of old cars or pieces of machinery on property to harass owners to sell. Don’t get me wrong: If it’s twelve cars stacked up in the front yard next to your cute suburban home, fine. But I’m tired of people’s imaginary rights, including my obligation to shield their eyes from something that offends them.
well said AgLand , well said … and billy007…why are you even looking at barnfinds…. shouldn’t you be reading prius weekly and eating tofu ?
Its a rural site and the cars have no motors. Save the planet on your own property.
Hooray for you guys telling it to him! He’s a clearly a mole from the people who are trying to force us all to ride the communal bus.
Ahh boys, I own 7 cars and haven’t ridden in a bus since high school, and that was a very very long time ago. Is there a law that says you can’t be a car guy if you care about the planet? Being a citizen requires some sense of responsibility. We all can’t drive our 4X4s down the middle of the road with a beer between our knees and outlaw country music on the radio.
Billy 007 those cars aren’t hurting anything. In fact they’re slowly turning back to dirt.
Sadly, it’s more like bring your portable crusher. At $150/ton, you’d probably make out better that way.
There are a ton of good parts on all of those cars and as we see from Ebay, even a small trim part can be worth hundreds of dollars.
Yes, that’s true, however, there may be like 2 people in the world restoring a ’63 Tempest, or a ’64 Rambler American and someone has to physically remove the parts, store them, advertise them, and could all be for nothing. These cars have had most of their useful parts taken many years ago, when these types of cars were still running around, and at $150 /ton, times 60 cars would be about $15,000.That would be a lot of chrome pieces to sell.
Every car in the pictures above have solid usable parts.
I am not sure how you came up with 2 people restoring a Tempest. You don’t have to be restoring a car to use these parts.
There are cars that are still in garages somewhere that could use these parts.
If you want to crush cars, please go find all the Euro trash that never should have been in the country in the first place.
I’m sorry, I don’t see it. What, a gas cap door for a mid-70’s Corolla? A piece of dented chrome on a 1961 Dodge? Delaminated glass? Sought after items just aren’t here. I know it’s hard to see classic’s decaying in a field, but it’s not a field of Auburn’s or Model A’s, or old muscle cars, this is what’s left over from a modern society, and the reality is none of this stuff will be used. The fact you suggest scraping the Euro trash that shouldn’t be here in the first place ( and that 8 people agree with you) is unsettling as well.
Ok, great. Certainly one of you 26 fine people will save these wonderfully preserved classics. (crickets)
Is the bottom car a Mercury Comet?
Pinto wagon in front of the Chevy.
Number three is a 70 to 72 impala
It’s a 69 or 70 Chevy impala. If we could see the bumper clearly it would be easier to tell. But it definitely is not a 71 or 72 Chevy impala!
Ok, without looking at the previous comments, let’s try this. 1. 73 el Camino.
2. 66 Ford. 3. 68 Caprice. 4. 69 Olds 98. 5.
63 Tempest. 6. 66 Rambler. 7. 62 Belvedere. 8. 65 Impala. 9. 70 Toyota or Mazda.
#6 – 1965 Rambler American
The impala/caprice is a 69
Salvage parts an scrap the rest, cause rest to sure lots of oh rust in them..
Now that’s a bargain,if you had the space available,to
part out them all, still lotsa good bits there.Someone
will make money on these…somehow..?I hope that
some can be saved..! ? While agree with most modern
junkyard regulations, I just couldn’t have grown up to
be me ?,without the many fantastic trips to old scrapyards
in early 1970’s with my dad..,who just turned 80..!Sad that
Todays kids will never know that thrill..,like many of us did.
I would also like to add- that it can be argued that
todays(mid 70’s & newer) vehicles have caused a lot more
pollution in the building/manufacturing processes–much more plastic,aluminum, ect..+ so many more people have 2-3 cars now!
but none of these “do gooders” will admit that.?
Vehicles have always been recycleable…,whether in a field or woods,
or in nice rows on a concrete pad.The earth is getting saved slowly,but old farmers with junkyards aren’t to blame for todays issues.
Dad and I did that in the 70s too, some of my best memories. With that said, even then it wasn’t a good idea for all sorts of reasons. I agree, someone needs to come in with a large crew, pull good parts off some weekend, and crush the rest. Does the EPA need to condemn the soil? No, but lets insist that this sort of thing does not happen in the future. As for the fella in Spokane who can’t have a parts car in the back yard, sorry, but you moved there. Majority rule in this country, and they want property values to stay put and a decent view. Move out in the countryside, or build a tall fence, that wouldn’t rot your car. Developers cruising the skies to force sales? Never heard of that, could be true, just not here in the upper Midwest. Wouldn’t put it past them. The best way is to offer top dollar, the moral high ground, but wealthy people sometimes are not too morally inclined, so I could see it happening. I could see it be tempting to a smug know it all developer when running into an old guy who has no reason to sell. My own late father in law had a small farm on several hundred acres. Half was in woods surrounding a small lake. The farm sat a dozen miles from a major university with wealthy potential clients and the real estate people knocked on the door weekly. He wanted to farm his fields and milk his cows, saw no reason to have upper middle income people take over his farm with McMansions. Some of those offers were pretty darn good, and my wife and I encouraged the then 80 year old man to sell out, but he wanted his home as he had lived it. Can’t blame him for that. When he died there was an uncomfortable family squabble which we also could have avoided if the farm had been in cash. In the end, one of the kids hired a crooked lawyer and he got the farm, which in his stupidity promptly lost it all. But I digress.
Reminds me of the people who build houses near a preexisting airport, manufacturing plant,farm or something similar and then complain about it. Real estate developers are the scum of the earth IMO.
Billy 007,
County officials often use these laws against citizens just because they can.
Local county law said a vehicle without license plates was considered solid waste. I had a beautiful 1985 [10 years old] Rolls-Royce Silver Spur Centennial [1 of 25 worldwide] sitting alongside my house, under a carport, a running driving car. Didn’t have plates on it because it was far cheaper to cover the car under my home insurance than the car insurance, [vehicles in the state have to keep insurance in force to keep tags current] and I wasn’t driving it at the time due to long recovery from major cardio surgery.
County agent tells me to put tags on it within 30 days or they will tow it away and scrap it. Yeah, $90,000 car is solid waste. Well the county issued me 7 warnings over the next 7 months, I turned it over to an aggressive “pit-bull” attorney who said it was harassment, and also in violation of State laws.
Pre-trial hearing judge said the county needed to settle, as they wouldn’t like his decision! County paid all legal fees and a small $ amount for my compensation, and county promised never to site me for any future license plate issues.
I posted a small sign next to the Rolls-Royce explaining what had happened, and the county quickly cited me for having an advertising sign on residential property. Back to court! Judge agreed it was a political statement, not a sign, and allowed it. County paid costs again.
Attorney advised me I should move to another county. I did!
The county agents said the law was needed to eliminate places for rats to live. I told them if they wanted to get rid of the rats, then stop providing places for them to get at human foodstuff [trash]. They chose to ignore my comment!
went to the ad, the only one there that is even close to being used as even a parts car, is that Citation , some were good cars in their time IDK if any have good ( useable) body parts … If I had a vehicle that was any of what is there, I MAY call for more details , probably wouldn’t even be worth the shipping!
Citations & Vega’s were Chevrolet’s Shame & Eye sores!!!
he said the Citation ! hahahahaha !!! oh you kids …..
Pic. #5 is a ’61 Pontiac Tempest!
probably with a slant 4 cyl made from half of a 389
I suggest ONE Match in mid July & should solve the whole problem!!!
There’s definitely still some parts value in this hoard, but economics are against most of them being anything but scrap. That’s why Pick’n’Pull-type scrapyards cycle cars through so quickly. They assume, probably correctly, that they will get most of their parts revenue within a month, as people pull the best stuff. After that, whatever’s left goes to the crusher for scrap and is replaced by the next batch. Unfortunately, these cars are mostly at the “crush what’s left” stage.
5000 Dollars for nothing but a pile of junk
Did anyone notice the person standing next to the el Camino looks unusually small?
If one had room then one could make coin on these for parts or whole cars from a couple early and late impalas to pintos and chevettes . I think I saw a galaxy 500 and some truck beds. If they have engines and blocks are good the Pallas could part out to another Chevy owner needing a date coded block!
That’s $83 a car. With the amount of work to get them to the crusher and pull off any decent parts there’s just not much left to make money off of. If it’s too wet to get to them until March, none of them are probably restorable either.
Pic #4 is a 1964 Buick Special.
Same car as pic #20 in the ad from a different angle.
If one has the storage space, this group of cars could keep your booth ar Carlisle stocked for a couple years, or keep your eBay store busy. Pull all the good parts and send what’s left to the recycler. I’d also demand to keep all the firewood I cut.
They say that you could have a person cut every line that has Freon in it at the same time in the U.S.A. and it would not pollute the air as much as one test rocket. Yet a shop will get a fine if there missing records of where a couple of oz. of Freon went.
I know them all except the one with no front end that looks like a Buick and probably isn’t.
I believe the Impala or Caprice is a 69 look at the side marker lights. The Tempest is 100% definitely a 61 first year.
i like the ford wagon and the 63 pontiac tempest many of tehse cars are in great shape little rust as i can see. sad to lose so many cars when there are so few original parts cars left thanks to Obama crush the cars program
Having recently gone through the nightmare of disposing of cars with no title, I’m telling you that this guy should be paying between $50 and $75.00 each to have these removed. Of course he already knows this. Scrap yards will no longer accept cars without titles! The paperwork for each car to get them to the point where you have ownership is over $150.00. The cars are worth max around $80.00/ton. Without engines, each car will come in less than 2 tons. Labor, transportation costs, time, tire disposal, oil disposal. There is no feasible way to come out ahead for a buyer. Even cutting them apart into prepared steel will take more gas/plasma/cutting wheels and time than you can recover. For the seller, he should hope that if he puts “FREE ONLY IF YOU TAKE THEM ALL” will bring some uninformed sucker to clear his lot. No title cars are a nightmare, almost as bad as off highway tires.
I sell cars without titles to the scrap yards here. If people leave them here, I have the right to remove them. They are abandoned, I can not keep them and do not want to keep them. If they will not pick them up, pay the storage or give the title, there gone. After the time and parts I put in, I loose every time.
A couple 4dr Chevy hardtops in the CL post, which I love. Lots of compact cars in the mix including a 64 Falcon country squire wagon. A couple Datsun 210’s could be cannibalized for their 5spd gearboxes (bolt-in upgrade for Austin motors in MG Midgets and Sprites). But someone who has the means to tackle this after the Spring thaw will have non-rolling carcasses to contend with. Better have a high-torque winch, a sieve and a rollback to do the job right. Those without frames will be swiss cheese underneath.
I went to look at these. Tons of fullsize sedans and wagons. Most still have suspension and just need wheels bolted on to (hopefully) roll. Guy has a bulldozer and boom truck on site to drag and load cars and is very flexible on prices especially if you move a few.
’61 Tempest. Oh so tempting!
Look at picture #2: The guy should advertise he has “real wood station wagons” and make a killing!
Years ago a local zoning enforcement officer said I could keep no vehicles on my property without plates. I had a used car lot and would rotate vehicles being driven and could not keep a dealer plate on all of them at one time. Long story short was that I told him I would buy an old school bus, smash all of the windows out, have my kids spray paint it, put farm plates on it which cost $5.00 and need no insurance. Then park it right in front of my house and you could do nothing because it is legally registered and plated. He never bothered me again.
#8 73 Dodge ….? Like the cop car, in the Blues Bros…