Where are the best muscle car junkyards?

DRAGPAK428 · 11-06-2009, 08:52 AM

Here in Illinois all the Junkyards (ahem recycle facilities) crushed all of the old stuff years ago. I was wondering if anyone has a favorite yard they can still go to like stepping back in time.You know the ones I am talking about.The ones where trees are growing through the engine compartment.

Feel free to chime in southern boys, you guys have the best!

Roddster · 11-06-2009, 09:45 AM

We live in the rust belt. Hardly anything in the 1980's even showing up anymore. About once a year, some kind of 60's Fomoco product will show up at one of the local yards here in the south suburbs of Chicago. Funny, people immediatley strip off all the old Autolite parts -regulator, solenoid, radiator cap, stuff like that. Hey folks, I can buy that as new accurate repop if I need it.

I think one of the best yards is in L.A California. Read about it all the time in Hot Rod. Lucky dogs. Probably because enough stuff comes in fresh.

ponies · 11-06-2009, 09:53 AM

Doesn't that joint in Tonica Il still have the old stuff?

ynned · 11-06-2009, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roddster

...
We live in the rust belt. Hardly anything in the 1980's even showing up anymore.
...

Same here. What hasn't turned to dust long ago gets crushed every time the price of scrap goes up. There is one place close to me that has a few pieces of old iron, ( even a '57 Ch*** the last time I was there) but there's not much left but lacy sheet metal.

jfstang · 11-06-2009, 07:21 PM

Back in the early 80's I went to a large local wreckers east of Toronto (Dom's) for used Mazda parts we needed. Found next to no Mazda parts, but tripped over a row of '65-68 Mustangs. Some were hulks already, some had quite a bit left. I walked out with original door sills covers, arm rests, etc. etc.
But that was in the early 80's. (Sigh) Nothing at all left up here, dry as a bone.

Jay_H_237 · 11-06-2009, 07:51 PM

Not much around here either. There was a place 40 minutes away that had stuff I went too back in '99 to get some stuff for my 68 but when I called them a few years ago they said the cars were gone.

I had to travel around to a few yards last month looking for some stuff for my 87 Caprice until I found one that had a few 80s full size GM cars left!

I seem to have the best luck watching Ebay now.

rcode72ho · 11-07-2009, 03:01 PM

I remember over 20 years ago a friend took me to Vogt's off Rt. 70 in Carroll County Maryland. It was a week or so before Carlisle, and I wanted some parts to take with me to sell. I had never been to Vogt's before. My friend parked his truck and told me just to go and pull whatever I wanted, and then take it to the counter to pay - he said the prices were real cheap.

In a matter of a couple of hours I had pulled 7 floor consoles from 65-70, one 68 coupe roof console, 2 sets of 67-68 door grilles and lights, AC controls and vents for 67-68, a 65-66 Pony steering wheel, and a bunch of miscellaneous trim.

I walked everything in (several trips) to the counter. The guy asked me "Where did you get all this stuff?" I told him my friend said it was alright to just pull it. He said that nobody was allowed in the yard without permission, and that they can get $150 each for the consoles at Carlisle. I told him I would be happy to put all of the stuff back into the cars, and I was sorry.

He told me to hang on a minute and he yelled to the guy in the back and asked him what he wanted for everything. The guy yelled back - "A Hundred Bucks". The guy asked me how that sounded. I quickly got out $100 plus tax and loaded the stuff up.

I would have to think those days are long gone.

Greg

rangerdoc · 11-07-2009, 07:52 PM

Just a bit NE of Seattle is a junkyard that is nothing but mustangs. I can't remember the name of it now. I used to go there a couple times a year when I lived there 10 years ago. I don't know if it is still in business, but it was a great place to get parts.

sixteenpushrods · 11-07-2009, 08:33 PM

There is a mustang salvage lot in SW MO. Guys are pretty nice and helpful. Rusty is his name. Missouri Mustang.

69smach · 11-08-2009, 07:27 AM

When i did the article for Musclecar review mag a number of years ago (when Tom Shaw was editor) myself and friend Murphy Allen used to find the best yards in the hills of central and east tennessee,,and some were in extreme southern Kentucky. we ran across a few in northern Georgia too.The photo i shot of Murphy standing there in front of choice cars stacked six tall was at a yard in Jamestown, TN,,old man must have had at LEAST 3 thousand cars there.I had never seen so many stacked on top each other.Another set of photos in that article was from a yard near knoxville,,off highway 11W north,,,in a little town called Blaine,,i think it was.At the top of a mountain,,there were at least a thousand cars,,GTO's,Mustangs,SS Novas,big block Caprices(too many to count),,and one rare as hell 68 R-code Torino Fastback,,VERY clean car,the engine to it was in a wrecker in the area we were told.Atlanta plant supposedly built 49 of them for one day,,then switched over to the 69 models.Crossville Tenn. also had an interesting yard,,but i believe it has been sold out. I can go on and on about the stuff we found and the articles in magazines on us,,I guess the most recent good find was a 428 CJ engine complete but apart, I found in a 70 Merc full-size laying inside the car and trunk.Found it this past winter in Scottsburg Indiana,,the Q-code breather was in the trunk,,weathered but very good condition. CobraJet web site confirms it as a 70 "Q" breather.I don't know how many of those old line yards are still around in Tennessee,,I would be interested myself if anyone reading this is in that area and can verify.We still have one yard in Ky. that has some good stuff in it,,near lexington,,but we just can;t catch the guy there anymore in forever it seems,,and all the cars are still sitting.Rusting. Jeff Kaiser.

caspianfstbk · 11-08-2009, 10:30 PM

Ascension Pony Parts
42500 Hwy 42
Prarieville, La 70769 Ph225-622-5738. Owned and operated by Joe Hebert. Row after row of early mustangs. Really niece guy and loves mustangs.

68302stang · 11-08-2009, 10:59 PM

There's a good place in Kentucky called Kentucky Mustang. The last time I was there was about 5 years ago but he had quite a bit of good stuff. I think he has a website.

kdrop · 11-09-2009, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangerdoc

Just a bit NE of Seattle is a junkyard that is nothing but mustangs. I can't remember the name of it now. I used to go there a couple times a year when I lived there 10 years ago. I don't know if it is still in business, but it was a great place to get parts.

That was Wild West Mustang Parts in Woodinville. It's long gone now.....

rangerdoc · 11-09-2009, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdrop

That was Wild West Mustang Parts in Woodinville. It's long gone now.....

awww...that sucks! I spent many hours there. They also saved me one afternoon when I cracked my timing chain cover.

69smach · 11-09-2009, 01:53 PM

Kentucky mustang is in Mt.Sterling,Ky,,,owned by Duane and Tammy Hollon,,,,first class people too. I have known them for a number of years.They are about 45 minutes East of Lexington,,(15 minutes in a 428 CJ,,lol),,off hwy 460.He once had a 70 R-code Mach,,was a pieced-out car,,rough but the serial # was 0F05R100040,,,one of the first show units sent to Dearborn Steel Tubing for hand assembly for the 70 Show car circuit for Ford. I think if knew how rare it was then,,he would have kept it.