My dad just told me a story after coming from the dump.

My Grandfather worked 4-12 shift and knew the trash pickup routes, he drove a different route every night to scope out the pickings. he always had a garage full of neat sh*t.

 

Buddies dad works at the dump and makes quite a bit of cash off of cleaning junk up and selling it on Craigsdump. He got a cast fire hydrant awhile ago and sold it for 200$. The guys whole backyard is full of miscellaneous junk. Most of it really is junk but some is worth good money.-Weeks

 

A friend of mine was at the dump and spotted a pile of parts.1940 Ford 2 front fenders a hood,2 rear fenders and a coupe deck lid.All pretty good shape.The trash compactor bulldozer was on its way to smash everything.He ran and stopped it.He brought everything home.I took it all to the swap meet and sold it to a company that makes fiberglass parts. I was glad we saved the parts from being destroyed.I couldn't believe someone threw them out.

 

...am i thee only one that everytime i scroll pat this thread reads it as

"my dad just told me a story after coming from taking a dump" ?

 

I ran dozer at the dump here in the 70's I came home every day with stuff, weekends were the best, people cleaning out the garage, or estate sale left overs, or Cal Poly leaving town. Batterys and radiators were the money makers, I'd just pile them up till I had enough to drop off at the salvage yard on the way home, dammit I miss those days.

 

When I lived in Laramie, WY my brother worked for the city as a trash collector. Man, he'd bring all kinds of stuff home, funny thing is we threw most of it away when we moved.......

 

I would find busted up aluminum engine blocks that I would take from the dump and sell it as scrap to the recycling yard. Found an aluminum canoe once full of holes from corrosion, took that too. Aluminum cookware, copper, brass fittings, et cetera. Once, the pressing plant for a record company dumped a whole bunch of various records in sleeves. Selected a few of those as well. I hauled all the refuse for the second hand shop our drug rehab place needed to get rid of and I took more out than put in. It was a non profit and I supplemented my stipend with the scrap.

 

When we lived in Orlando I spied a set of 40 Ford front brakes sitting next to a guys garbage cans, waiting for the trashman. I ran up and asked them if I could have them and they said "sure." They were complete including backing plates, wheel cylinders, shoes, hardware, and drums.......all painted up in nice black paint. Evidently the guy was changing over to disc brakes and this was back when everyone thought drum brakes were crap. One mans junk, as they say.........

Don

 

Lots of good stuff gets thrown away everyday. I just pulled some stuff out of a pile that was going to the scrap pile. I'll post some pics later this week......

 

My mother inlaw is that way she loves history, reads about history and historical events but doesnt keep or save anything though. Not a thing in this world holds any sentimental value . So what if grandpa brought that home from the war she would sell it at a garage sale for a quarter ? And she thinks I am crazy for liking antiques ?

 

One mans trash is another's treasure.
In 1995 on my first trip to Bonneville my pal Mike and I met Bob Peterson. We asked about the famous 34 coupe he and his brother built, and as he told the story we listened as if we were a couple of little kids while our favorite uncle spun his tale of yore. They put the fenders, running boards and all stuff they didn't need out on the curb for the trash pick-up.
Hard to imagine now, but at the time it was just a 20 year old car.

 

In 1967 my dad had a fit about all of my junk that was cluttering his garage and told me to sort it out and put it on shelves or get rid of it. I took a set of '57 Chevy fender skirts and a sun visor that I had removed from my '57 to the dump (skirts and sunvisors weren't cool in 1967). I stood by and watched a bulldozer push dirt over them. If I had only known............

 

I was a sanitation expert in the mid 70's. People throw away alot of good stuff. The front of the truck would be full after every run.