Maybe I have the name wrong. My dad drove way out into the middle of nowhere in Michigan a few years ago and visited 2 places. One was called Bob's- Pretty cool old yard with all classic cars and the old guy would drive you in an old jepp to the area of cars you wanted to see. Anyway- not too far away was a place that I think was called "Sick's and Sons".. the sign looked like it hadnt been cared for in a while so maybe the name is wrong. The place is owned by this ornery old man. He has some modern stuff too but alot of classic cars. My dad and I wandered around the yard for a few hours and then went to "Deal" with the man. Unfortunately the guy thought everything was gold. He was funny- He tried to demonstrate how he yelled at some kids for walking on the hoods of the cars by grabbing my dad by his collar and draging him around a bit- nearly nocked him over. It was pretty funny. Anyway- Anyone know the name of the yard and if its still there? Rumor I had heard from one guy at "Bob's" was that the kids werent into the yard thing and when Daddy Died, they planned to talk to a scrap dealer.
Would that be Bob's Auto Parts in North Branch, Mi. Located on the S.E. corner of M-24 & North Branch Roads? Lotsa old iron in there! Not familiar with " Sick's and Sons " or anything similar.
The yard that you speak of wasnt by chance called "Shank & Sons" was it? Because it sure sounds like them. If it is, those guys are some characters, never too eager to give you a price on anything. It has been quite a few years since I have been there, a friend of mine has known the guys for years.
Yeah Bob's sounds about right. All I can tell ya about "Sick's" is it wasnt too far from Bob's- It looked like a house but had a bunch of camaros and corvettes (Mostly complete) in the frotn yard. I shoudl just call Bob's and ask the name of the place.
Maybe thats it! some cool stuff out there but you are right- wont give a price for anything and then when you make an offer the old guy goes nuts and rants on how he had guys come in all the time and they would buy EVERYTHING at that price.... It was really an amusing trip!
It is called Bob's auto salvage in Fostoria MI. I never had any luck with that guy. He never let anyone including me back into his yard. Did I forget to mention that he is ornery and senile yet? And yes, if you do want something that he has, HE will pull it and charge you 3 times what it is worth. His excuse is always, "that part is rare and is hard to find".
UPDATE on Bob's Auto Parts in Fostoria, Michigan. The owner, Bob Zimmerman, recently passed away. The family is closing the yard and auctioning all 1800 cars in it over May 17 & 18. See the information here: http://www.rowleyauctions.com/pages/auctionmay1718_2008.htm I went to the preview of the yard today, and it is quite a sight. Mostly 1936-1976 vehicle, somewhat organized by VERY overgrown. Only maybe a dozen restorable vehicles. However, a lot of the cars had good trim, and he had a lot of pre-1950 vehicles. Minimum bid is $400. Cars that are not sold will be scrapped, as Bob's son owns a metal scrap yard 1 mile south of Bob's Auto Parts. They will also have another auction in the fall, to sell his auto memorabilia as well as parts. There must be 30 school buses on the site FULL of parts!
i was at the preview today as well, like kaline said, not much worth saving there beside a nice desoto grille, some side trim, and a few pick up cabs. found a beautiful caddy flattie in the back of a delivery truck tho, not telling where that was im guessing the fall one will be a little better cause most the parts are protected a bit inside the buses. lots of cool old signs and gas pumps sitting around as well. there was some very cool nos parts and other little things inside the store which would probably be worth another trip out there. if anyone scores anything good be sure to let us know!
I went to the auction today, a good percent got X'ed mean'in its going to the crusher. I hated to see drop top stuff gettin crushed. I did end up buyin a 41 Furd pee-cup,I only wanted the cab. My bud also bought a jeep,it had a good body and he needed one.
Speaking of characters... Anybody ever been to Skipinski's Auto Parts in Ubly,Michigan? Used to be a lot of muscle cars in that yard. Haven't been there in 40 years.
DOugG: I figured a lot of the cars would get crushed. $400 minimum bid was a little steep, considering most of the cars were rusted in half. However, I was amazed by how many good '64-'66 Chevrolet bumpers they had. And I saw one totally rust-free mid-'60s Jeep - I bet that is the one your buddy bought. If it were my place, I would have hired some high-school kids to pull the easy parts and sell them before crushing what was left of the vehicles. Anyway, they had a '64 Dynamic 88 convertible like mine (except it was rusted in half) that had a few bits that I would have liked, but not enough to pay $400, borrow a truck, rent a trailer and take a day off work to go get it. Hopefully some of the parts from these cars that were sold make it back into circulation.
>>"Speaking of characters... Anybody ever been to Skipinski's Auto Parts in Ubly,Michigan? Used to be a lot of muscle cars in that yard. Haven't been there in 40 years."<< Skipinski Garage & Auto Parts, 5461 South Ulby Rd, Ulby MI, (989) 658-8121 June 2005 : But looked like a shitload more was there in 2000 :
If you're passing up a convertible anything parts car for $400, you're nuts, even if it's in six pieces. The yard we were cleaning out in 2006 I passed on a '64 Cutlass convert with buckets and console - someone else scarfed it up. Even though it had been flooded over the top at least twice that I knew of. If this is the same place I saw some pictures of, a lot of cars stacked 2 high, there were some good solid cars in there. One pic showed several decent 55-56 Pontiac hardtops, wheels on them, solid rockers, etc - and there was a '57 Chevy ragtop on another stack. I'd buy those for $400 all day long.
RustyNewYorker: This is the same place that you saw pictures of. The cars looked good in pictures, but in person they were much worse. The 55-56 Pontiacs from the pictures had no rockers or floors to speak of, and the '57 Chevrolet convertible was a cowl only (no frame, nothing behind the A-pillars). It was amazing...I have never seen such rust before.
I was at the preview on Friday. Couldn't make it for the auction but was interested in the 67 Camaro convertible. Did anyone see what it went for or if it even sold?
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