I decided to go a bit old-school this week and post some finds from yards I used to visit. I say “used” because they’ve since been cleared of anything remotely interesting and replaced with late-model garbage from the major U.S. car brands. Of course, the bitter pill I swallow every time I look at these photos is realizing how many good parts I passed up – these were taken at a time when I was more looking for photos than parts!
This forlorn sedan sported a pretty fresh flame job, but it wasn’t enough to keep the project from being abandoned and ending up in the scrap yard. I’m not a Chevy guy, but it looks like a Biscayne sedan – if you know for sure the year and model, feel free to let us know in the comments below.
I still remember this very rusty Alfa Romeo like it was yesterday. It had numerous parking stickers reflecting many summers spent at the beach on Cape Cod and parked in Boston’s financial district. It’s not hard to imagine how many memories were made with this fantastic Italian coupe, but it’s days were clearly numbered.
Another one that stands out is a beaten and broken Bradley GT. I had spotted this abandoned project in a driveway a few towns over just weeks before my visit to the yard. It appears in that time, the owner finally gave up and it was hauled off for scrap. You can even see the dashboard sitting on the ground in front of its broken nose.
These two make strange bedfellows! A sharp Triumph TR7 parked next to a Firebird Formula, that was at one time quite the stunner in yellow paint with black and red striping. The Triumph had weathered the test of time a bit better and was still a complete car when this photo was taken; however, both cars have since gone off the great junkyard in the sky.
Finally, it doesn’t get much more stately than a Lincoln Continental. Over the years, I’ve seen more than a few of these in junkyards, which is surprising considering they’re relatively valuable and certainly a fan favorite among classic American sedans. Perhaps the cost of restoration is too high with those ornate interiors and acres of bodywork, but they still don’t belong in places like this.
Be sure to send us your salvage yard treasures and catch up on previous editions of Jeff in the Junkyard here!
The white 4door with blue flames is a ’61 Ford
Yes it’s a 1961 Ford Galaxie. Not a Chevrolet Biscayne! !
I thought the Ford’s custom paint scheme was referred to as “Scallops”.
i see a 2002 and another tr7/8 in the photo of the alfa. i wish i had saved all the midget/sprite parts that i pasted up back in the day. but then i would have a junk yard with the ” powers that be ” trying to make me clean it up. thanks.
Not a Bradley, but an Avenger GT. Not that it matters at this point :-)
Definitely a Ford Galaxie with scallops. So much classic iron gone to the crusher. Really sad
There is a time in the life of most cars when they out live their usefulness, either by being crashed or repairs out weigh the value to the owner. Then they go and are judged as to whether anybody will need parts or maybe resurrect them. That being said, it’s all about the money, how long do you sit on a car without selling a single piece from it while the bills keep rolling in? Junkyard owners are in business to make money,10 years is generally the cut off. People with older parts yards are in a different mind set. I’ d love to keep every 2dr anything that shows up, reality is, if nothing goes out the gate, NO MONEY. Keep that in mind when talking about how it used to be. It ain’t as easy as it looks.
Junkman speaks the truth. It is a business, and a major revenue stream of junkyards is obviously selling scrap metal. There’s also the space issue–something has to go to make room for new arrivals. I like to console myself that lots of Camrys and Corollas and other non-enthusiast cars go too, hopefully first. They’re perfectly good transportation devices–my wife drives a Corolla–but nobody’s ever going to restore one, and when they’re done it’s not much more of an emotional wrench than putting a broken washing machine out on the curb.
Oh, I totally get it. I am in regular contact with local yard operators and they wish they could keep the stuff – but for every one of me that walks through the door, they get 10 people wanting parts off of Camry/Accord/Malibu/Sonata/etc.
Makes me wish I had the collateral and capital to start a yard of my own just catering to enthusiasts.
Love theses segments Jeff, thanks for doing them!!
Glad you like them. As long as you guys keep enjoying them, I’ll keep going through my archives and finding new places to explore.
Not Bradley or Avenger, but one of the few Ferrer GT manufactured