That is sad. I was once involved in a fundraiser project where we overhauled the engine in the small citys old fire truck. We were paid back by letting us all ride on it during the Christmas Parade That's all the old truck is used for now. Maricopa Cal.
Typical scrapyard worker's mentality. Just generalizing here, so if you are a scrapyard worker, don't get mad at me.
Makes you wonder how it got there. Some city bureaucrat feels good about himself for getting a dirty old vehicle off the street. Sorry for such a negative first post, but seeing something like this p#&#@s me off.
There is a great scrap yard owner near me. If he gets something cool he often lets me know and I get a chance to buy it for scrap+. I got a great 66 Coronet convertibe parts car a year ago from him. (I have a 68 Coronet convertible project). Keep in mind he is in business. We get along great because I know this. If I think something should be saved I need to spend my $$$ to save it. Carmak Riverside, Iowa
That's just enough to really piss guys like us off !!!! The mentality sometimes makes you wonder if the yard owner or workers have a brain to let something that nice get crushed. A local yard near me won't sell anything that goes across the scales and I seen many trailer loads of pre 64 cars and trucks and even a complete early 40s firetruck go through there . You can't even buy a freakin hubcap if it went across the scale no matter how rare it might be.
I was at the scrapyard today too. I took in about a ton of scrap on my little 10ft trailer. I had never been to this yard before, so on my way from the scales to the drop off point I had my eyes peeled. This road was about a mile long straight through the middle of the yard. Saw a couple of late 40's F1 Ford pickups and a '50 shoebox sedan on the way through. When I got to the unload spot there was a late 30's Ford frame setting there with it's ass sticking straight up in the air - complete banjo rear end with wide 5 wheels still on. The pile we unloaded my stuff on was massive, so there was no way I could take it all in but I saw 2 old homemade trailers on the pile both with model A axles under them. All of this stuff was just begging me to take it home. I asked the worker helping me unload if they got much early Ford stuff in. He says 'Yeah, but it all goes to scrap'. I ask him if they would hold any of it back if a guy was interested in it. He told me to talk to the owner. I go back to the office to get my check and ask the guy "So do you ever get any old Fold stuff in?" Guy says "No, never." Before I can ask about any of the stuff I just saw in his yard, he follows up with 'but anything we do get gets crushed' as he handed me my check. I just turned around and left. Lunch hour ruined.
I saw a 62 T-bird on the hook. Asked where it was going and the driver said scrap. Asked if I could make a better offer. The bird was really rough so I made sure he had my number before we parted. I do have a few O/T cars I'd be glad to trade which he said would be fine. I offered him lunch as a "no forgetter". He perked up at the mention of the jag. Those are heavy.
I went to one of the local scrap yards to scrap some junk and asked if they sold any scrap iron. They won't sell anything to a walk in. It must have something with liability and it's probably a whole lot easier just to crush, bundle and ship than to have a bunch of scavengers rooting the yard. I can understand that, sad, but that's the way it is today. I also have a feeling it has a lot to do with the company's structure. I've seen many businesses that were started on a shoe string budget, the owner worked his ass off building the business. In the mean time he's able to afford to give his family what they need and want. Then the business is passed on to the wife or kids and they think since the old man made a killing if they tweaked the business they can make more. Usually by putting the screws to the help and being less helpful to the small clientèle went there are bigger fish to catch. Usually they just screw things up.
We have a scrap yard here that used to sell stuff years ago if they got to know you. The city came in and gave them a hard time claiming they were running a salvage business and tried to shut them down. Now you can't buy anything from them. I've seen a lot of decent cars headed to that yard.
The scrap place I go to has been real good. They even seperate out some stuff that looks like somebody might use. They will sell anything they take in, at a profit, of course. Somebody brought them two manual tire machines. I asked about buying one of them, but the guy said the boss was keeping them for his self. I asked the boss, and he said he was, but he'd keep an eye out for me one. I haven't heard back from him, so don't know if he forgot or they haven't gotten any more in....
I am glad I am friends with at least one of the scrap/salvage owners in my area. I can trade weight for weight or buy it by the pound. Anything from a hubcap to a whole car/truck is fair game, at least for me, and he does set some of the older ones back for quite a while.
Could be that as a city vehicle the city stipulated that it could not be re-sold.Liability issues? Have seen that happen.
My Brother-in-law scrapped out a dump truck of that vintage last summer. When i told him it probably had a 409 in it and that I could have probably gotten him about $1000 just for the engine out of it, he about shit. When he scrapped out a couple of early 60's T-birds this spring and i told him I could have probably gotten him at least $300 for each of the engines he about shit again. Last weekend when he was telling me about the lastest place he's scrapping out, and came to the part where he found and scrapped 2 vintage gas pumps (like the one in my garage he says) I told him I could have gotten him at least $250 each for them, he about shit again. I don't know how many times I have to try to get him to see that if he would call me, or shoot me some pics of the stuff BEFORE he destroys it loading it in his scrap bins I could make him at least DOUBLE what he makes on this stuff in scrap without even trying. Sometimes I think he gets off on watching me cringe every time he talks about his latest scrap effort!
Some people just like having a story, or having something other people want... and they get particularly pleased when they've destroyed it. You need to tell your brother-in-law to call you any time he gets old gas pumps or anything before 1974. If you have, and he still doesn't listen, tell him to fuck off the next time he starts telling you about destroying things that are important to us, and then show him the door. -Brad
The Jalopy Journal
