Exploring Arizona- abandoned, wrecked cars & trucks, old hiways, etc

I would save this car, believe me, it might take me a few thousand hours but I can work metal and I would save this body!! Jim

 

We always called it the bridge to nowhere. I know it well. Spent a lot of time out at adair range.
Is the Plymouth still there? I checked it out once in the 90's, last few times I looked for it, I didn't see it.

curly

 

The story behind "The Pit" in Benson is.... there used to be an old salvage yard there & the Southern Pacific R.R bought the land 'cause it was is right next to the track.

The R.R. bulldozed all the cars from the salvage yard into the wash next to the RR tracks for erosion control.

Cool thing about it is.... you can take all the parts you want....
We been haulin' parts outta there for years now.

Not a good place to visit when it is warm as the place is crawlin' with rattlesnakes... so...We only go during the coldest months of the year .

You actually have to tresspass on R.R. property to get to it but, we never been hassled by the R.R. cops yet.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=31.965791,-110.235336&spn=0.000546,0.000963&t=h&z=20

 

There is a guy with over 200 Studebakers rat -holed away in Vail Ariz. east of Tucson
{not visible from ANY highway }.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=32.088981,-110.714899&spn=0.001681,0.002323&t=h&z=19

 

It was there last time I was through there, but that was about three years ago now. I used to work in Yuma, but have always lived in Phoenix. If you can believe it, for about eight months out of the year I used to drive my avatar to Yuma and back at three days a week or more... Lots of fun in a hot rod, but your always looking for new ways to get there and back to break the boredom.

 

So whats the catch? No sale or what?

 

"The Pit" in Bensen reminds me of an above water dry reef. Nature closing in on it, slowly, with a few cleansings during wash floods. Kind of like an old ship sunk and reclaimed by the sea, the earth and atmosphere is slowly burning its elements and minerals.

 

I talked with Ralph yesterday about that car. He said it he remembers it being $600, which even back in '81 had to have been a steal. I'll have to ask if he has any pics of it.

 

I'd seriously try to pound that back into submission one small bit at a time. Of course I'm crazy, but I'd definitely try.

 

That's why all the cars have bullet holes in them...got scared and tried to shoot the snake...shoot'in isn't too good when the adrenaline is flowing.

 

Double check your laws, though; here in NY they changed the law so that any cop can arrest you for being on RR property without permission, Jan 1st; more fallout from 9/11 and all that. I doubt you're going to run into a problem, but on the off chance you do it's good to know what's going on.

The reason you've probably never seen a RR cop is, if the UP is anything like CSX, most of them are concentrated in the larger cities where people actually do stuff to stop trains and break into them - other places, you might have one or two guys to cover a huge territory.

 

No, there was a semi rough '34 three-window right next to the '32 3 window that Ralph bought.The guy wanted $600 for the '34 and we all thought he was WAAY out of line. Ralph, myself and the grouchy old guy (last name was DuVall) that owned the shop Ralph worked out of took a truck and trailer out to get it and I was there when he counted out the money. Tell Ralph I said his memory must have gotten rusty, he's damn near 7 years older than I am! Man have times changed...
Also ask Ralph about the day trip we took to (I think) Camp Verde, Az. He said he knew this place that had the greatest apple pie, so off we went, on what I believe to be the windiest day in Arizona history. We stopped to change the plug boots on his roadster to fix a mis-fire about halfway there, but we found a neat junk yard that we could look down the hill into. It had a VERY saveable '36 3 window coupe that someone had made a dirt tracker into, but since there were no dents in the body that I remember seeing, I doubt it was ever raced. But it was fully lettered and numbered. Good times with Ralph indeed.

 

Vicksburg Road and US 60 .....

 

APPLEKRATE: I've got a place near St.Johns, next time I'm up that way I'd love to meet up and visit you and your yard.

MOTHERTRUCKER: Regarding rattlesnakes - what cold months? It's been so nice lately I bet they're out already. Gimme a call next time you visit that pit.

 

There was a yard in Eloy west side of I-10 that had lots of old stuff, it's where we bought the Nash in 2003. Anyone know if that yard's still there? He had an AD truck COE, a Corvair pickup with the side tailgate, old British roadsters...............

 

Thanks for sharing, I like this kinda stuff. We Quail hunt on the San Carlos Reservation and there are a bunch of old cars out there that we look at all the time, in fact one of the markers for our turn off is known as the 54 ford road....great pic's and looks like a great road trip for you guy's.

 

If only Ralph coupld type faster then a chicken I'd get him to sign up for the HAMB!!

 

Hey Zookeeper!

Loved the story! You sure the grouchy old guy with the truck wasn't Don Marks? Back about that time ralph was working out of his shop on Madison and 32nd street. Don would always qualify for being grouchy and owning a truck!!! Still! With his sizable grey/white beard, bald head, and somewhat sour disposistion, my girlfriend has lovingly nick named him "pissed off Santa Claus" and it has stuck. I'd be willing to bet it was...

Not to correct memories of thirty years ago further, but Rock Springs is probably the pie shop of note. Even if it's not, being that this is a AZ travelogue it is worth a big mention. Go north out of the Phoenix area on I-17 and get off at the Rock Springs exit and prepare to munch. Now beyond that, if you are in a vehicle with some ground clearance like say a truck or a rental car (heh!) go North out of the Rock Springs and Black Canyon and out by the old Dog Track turn on to the dirt Old Black Canyon Hiway. Then all you have to do is open your eyes! Stuff is still out there as you head North and come in the back side of Cordes, AZ.

 

No, it was definitely something Duvall (I remember Don Marks well), and he and Ralph had a shop at Duvall's house called "C&D Machine", the C being Ralph Clark and the D being Duvall. We used Duvall's old GMC truck and a trailer from somewhere and off we went. Ralph told me he sold the '32 as a roller a few years later to buy a house when he got married. Here's another quick Ralph story, during the time I was there, Ralph was doing an engine swap for Duvall that made absolutely zero sense. Of course Ralph knew full well it was dumb, but it was Duvall's car, idea, money and because he actually owned the shop, it was kinda one of those "have-to" jobs. The swap was to put a '55 Buick nailhead into something like a '69 Buick, which probably came with a 455 originally.Anyway, nothing at all fit, the oil pan had to be cut down to about 3" deep because it hit the crossmember and steering and the car was a piece of shit anyway. One day in frustration, Ralph (with a straight face) told me the Duvall should write a book about this fucking car (Ralph's exact words). He could title it, "How to turn your $800 car into a $300 car for only $1500" I still laugh my ass off just thinking about that whole thing.
As for the pie thing, it turned out to be some shithole coffee shop out int he middle of BFE, but we still had a great time.

 

LMAO
That's a classic line. We've all been there.

 

i am not sure where that sweeping curve is either, but i am in showlow 4 times a week for work, hmm can anyone say "FIELD TRIP" lol

 

Thanks for the link, i haven't found where i was at as yet. I will spend some time looking, it was a long time ago and they might well be gone. But maybe not, i should at least see some pieces of where it was.

 

Is the wide curve out on 60 east of Show low? There is a wide sweep to the right where another road goes up the hill on the left. Never saw any cars around there but show low has a bunch of tin laying around.

 

To the locals, that area is known as the "Y".
If you are eastbound heading away from Show Low, hwy 60 goes towards Springerville and hwy 61 goes towards Concho and to St Johns. Hwy 61 goes up the hill.

 

Last I knew the old man died and the kid took overIve been told the kid wont even sell a hubcap. Hope its not so I plan on going there to visit family this spring.

 

I am now thinking it is outside of PineTop. I remembered Showlow but had forgotten PineTop, i believe Pete lived in PineTop and i went to his house in town and went from there to that junkyard, it was a large (for there) highway and i believe it ran easterly and was north of pinetop. It was definatly off the reservation. And it wasn't all that far, iam thinking less than a halfhour.
I have been doing the map thing and will continue.
At the bottom of Salt River Canyon they used to have cars on display that people would commit suicide in by driving off the top of the canyon. Now, they would give a bodyman a pause - are they still there?

 

At the bottom of Salt River Canyon they used to have cars on display that people would commit suicide in by driving off the top of the canyon. Now, they would give a bodyman a pause - are they still there?

answer- no

When do you remember this?

Who was 'they'?

 

There are two sites in St. John, an old wrecking yard going out of town. There are 40s
and 50s cars, and some newer. The problem is, he won't sell anything. But he likes model A's. Get him talking, and he'll go on and on.
The other one is near the fair grounds, on private property, no access. Just drool.

 

Would love to do it when we get back on the hill, going to be late this year, going to aussie land first john