Sprinkled about the brush outside Sharon, South Carolina, a host of mostly ’60s and ’70s cars await new owners with an appetite for resurrecting the dead. The listing here on Charlotte, North Carolina craigslist (less than an hour from Sharon) eschews pricing, but briefly describes a number of cars offered for sale or trade. Some are “ready to go” and others present their decomposing bodies to be scavenged by automotive predators. Thanks to reader “AMXBrian” for suggesting we feature this Southern treasure trove of possibilities.
GM H-body fans may picture this Chevrolet Monza with a 350 V8. When’s the last time you saw one of these on the road?
This 1941 Plymouth coupe was placed high and dry. The thick metal panels on these old cars show surface rust a long while before they surrender. We had a ’40 Plymouth back in the day and the body panels felt about three times thicker than the typical ’70s car.
This one didn’t make the list but this 1974? Pontiac Ventura seems fairly straight from this angle. LS transplant, anyone?
The 1965 Dodge Dart 270 coupe may not top everyone’s list of Top Ten Muscle Cars, but it could become someone’s low-budget street sleeper.
The yard has “probably a dozen Barracuda cars from the 60’s” including this one. I’m guessing that rear window could be worth something to the person who needs one, or maybe this vintage fastback ride could be put back on the road.
Lincoln wheels make an interesting addition to this 1955 Dodge Coronet, and may suggest it hasn’t lingered in weed-land too long.
A pair of Fords round out the yard’s representation of Detroit’s “Big Three,” and the owner offers a number of Japanese motorcycles as well. I’ll take the 1968? Galaxie fastback with the hidden headlights, but the missing driver’s side window and front-end damage put it more in the “parts car” category. For a resourceful and optimistic car lover on a budget, the world is an oyster. Which of these potential pearls is your favorite?
Sorry, as the resident pessimist here, with a few exceptions, I don’t see many of these going anywhere, except to the shredder when the new housing project comes in. Jeff got a little huffy with me, when I suggested “his” cars would end up in the shredder too. I’ve never been a dreamer(/optimist) I’m only being realistic. These cars have sat this long for a reason, nobody, or a very limited few, wants them anymore. Obviously, the cars that roll and are somewhat complete, will be attractive for some, but Dodge Darts up on barrels and stripped Venturas or Galaxies with trees growing through them, aren’t going anywhere. There’s too many nice ones that are a tough sell today. Ask anybody that’s tried to sell a vintage car that’s not a Chevelle or Mustang or a Challenger. We see a lot of vehicles for sale here, but we never see what is actually sold. I guarantee you, it’s not like a BJ auction, where every car has a buyer. And sorry, even if a staff member endorses the sale, it can’t drum up interest that’s not there anymore.
Hi Howard. Your comments are practical and welcome as always! The listing came in as a reader tip, and “finds” come in all varieties. Personally I like to think about how these cars as if they popped up in the pre-Internet age. That would have been interesting and unusual in those days, even if there wasn’t a rare model among them. Thank goodness the old car hobby hasn’t sunk to where it’s all about return on investment. Do we frown on amateur golfers for losing money at their hobby? Thankfully we all have unique ideas of what *cool* is. It’s more fun to ask “what if?” than “why bother?” I know people who built a wealth of skills fixing up old cars they couldn’t sell for $10,000, but they wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. That seems fine to me.
Hi Todd, thanks. As much as I love the internet, it spelled doom for collections like this. Pre-internet days, you had no idea your dream car was on the other coast, or in the next state, even, so if you wanted a ’64 Dodge Dart to fix up, this was usually all you had to go on. Scotty made a good point about how our demographics are changing. People are moving back into condo type housing( a new 41 unit condo is going up in our small town, on top of a defunct Chevy dealer, I might add) and less and less people have the space or the money to do this “saving the classics” anymore. It’s something the optimists look the other way at, but I see it. And don’t feel too bad for the golfers, the only investment they have is a bag of clubs. :)
I agree, Howard. The only item I can see that’s worth saving is the Barracuda rear glass. Re-pops are over $2K today, if you can find them. I own a `64 (#6 off the ass’y line) and have a spare rear window I got from a junker like this. Only pd. $35. for it back then too!
WOW that white Plymouth Fury, love that body style. I believe it’s a ’65, my dad had a blue ’67 VIP with a “Commando V8 383.” He would get on it from time to time, and I remember that motor pulling away from the motor mounts.(another backyard Saturday project) I still can here that distinctive sound those old Mopars made when they were starting up. Good ol’ days indeed…Great find, hope a few of these beauties can be saved.(especially the Plymouth 👍)
See?
Ahhh, here’s one comment “the other way” & more abound.
However, I support the comment “no 1 does that anymore” (I raised 2 millennials – 22’n 32 y/o) as to their interest, space, talent, etc – Zero.
I’m upgrading to the ’80s as many of the nostalgia crowd of my generation are gone, already have their ‘teen-hood dream’, R not driving or dead, have spent the 401K/trust to survive, etc. U must pick the Y/M/M wisely (or may B that’s just me – it’s not my era) but I’ve made a few sales recently…
Have to agree with Howard. Seems like all that is left in that yard are cars nobody wanted. The fact that they are still mostly complete probably means that not only the cars were not wanted, nobody was wanting the parts either or the hoarder was way high on his pricing for decades.
Look! The 41 Plymouth already has a lift kit!
Sorry, couldnt resist.
Except for the pedestalized ’41 Plymouth, these have probably been submerged more than once. It only takes once.
Sharon SC is south west of Charlotte, not a place that floods. Where in the world did you get the notion that these cars have been submerged?
That is not a Galaxie fastback, it is an XL.
Craigslist POSTING HAS EXPIRED!
I noticed a 71/72 Chevelle 2 door, wonder why BF didn’t mention that one?? Does anyone have the Craigslist contact information? It must of been posted a month ago if the posting is expired!
I noticed that too!
Call 1 800 Scrapyard.
Todd, Did you happen to get the contact information from the Craigslist ad before it expired? I’m in the Greensboro, NC area…….pretty close to the Charlotte area where it was posted. Wish you guys would post an archive Craigslist link in case it expires or sells while you feature it.
Hey JamestownMike – No and we’re not allowed to use the craigslist ad saver tools, but this might be the same place, from 2014… http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=51565&posts=1&start=1 Good luck, and let us know if you buy anything or have anything interesting to report!
If his prices are not to bad he will sell some of them. After all there is a butt for every seat
Not a Chrysler guy,
but that 55 Coronet looks salvageable.
Like the Dodge Dart. It’s a real shame that the post expired and everyone had some good views about this set of cars.
Most of these laying on the ground including the Plymouth coupe had been. Pick em up and they are crackers. Check them out and see if there’s anything you can use. A day in a junkyard is great therapy. Good luck hunting.
cheers
GPC
Certainly cool once, but it is a junkyard, and these all look like junk.