THE PARTS YARD PATROL - THE BIG QUESTION - SURVIVAL?

Nick Cash

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have called anyone who told me about it a liar! I was standing in the middle of a Salvage yard in the seedy old industrial area of a major city. I had my trusty camera and camcorder in hand and I just couldn't wait to get started shooting. The scenery, to an old yard dog, was magnificent, it was resplendent with aging hulks of formerly splendid classic vehicles. It was mind bending just standing there in the middle of so much history!
But today I wasn't there to just look; I was there to find an assortment of classic vehicles. I was like a kid in a candy store. I couldn't help but find everything that I was looking for within an hour. The yard was amazing, as was the old curmudgeon that owned it. A retired contractor who must be in his late 70's at the least.
As I stood in the middle of that restoration paradise, I couldn't help but feel sad! The value of every single vehicle is only $75-$100 for crush value! A yard of this size with an elderly owner can only be wasted. It can't be moved, the cost of moving is unbelievably expensive. If it is sold, it generally will be sold to an under funded wheeler dealer who will strip it of the valuable pieces and then crush the others indiscriminately to make payroll and payments. Unfortunately, the value of the yard is mostly in a few rare vehicles and the rest for parts and scrap metal value only.
Another parts yard I ran onto some time back in the northeast area, that had over 5000 rust-free classic vehicles collected from the Air Force men which drove them up there to assignments on the nearby Air Force Base, the owner told me at that time that he had enough parts to put together around a dozen 49-51 Mercury's. Unfortunately he didn't want to sell anything individually, he wanted to sell all 5000 at once! He is a farmer and the cars were on prime farmland which he needed to reclaim, so all the cars had to be moved. If it only cost $5.00 to move each car, the cost will be $25,000.00, but my guess is that it will probably run 3 to 10 times that cost!! So the yard was probably be crushed, he had already crushed around 3000 cars because the lot was originally around 8000 cars. It doesn't take a fortuneteller to predict what the future holds for that yard, as well as the other one I mentioned!
Is there a solution to this problem? I honestly don't see an easy answer! Maybe someone out there has an answer, if so speak up before it's too late!
Please don't ask for the Salvage Yard owners name, location or phone number, I have been sworn to secrecy!

The crusher is coming to Christy's auto salvage in Leavenworth, Kansas

I just found out this afternoon that an old junk yard in Leavenworth, KS is preparing to crush their entire inventory. The yard opened in the 50's and the are being forced out by the City. The Owner, Randy, would like to sell complete cars and in some cases parts, to anyone rather than crushing them. The crusher was supposed to arrive already but has been delayed at least a week due to the recent rains/floods.

Please do not reply to this message as I am telling you everything I know in this email. The yard is open evenings until dark and Saturday and Sunday. This will probably only last until May 21st or so. Most cars are $200 to $300...or less. One particularly nice and complete 54 Chrysler 2dr with the hemi is $500 or so. Most of these cars are rough and I would estimate that 33% are restorable or rod-able. The rest would be considered incomplete parts cars. Many are rusty, many have some rare equipment intact. Some glass is good, some stainless is good, most pot metal is not usable. Most of the sheet metal is bad at the ground level if you know what I mean.

You can go to Craig's list for more info and a few phots that do not do the yard justice.

craigslist.com
Kansas City search: Leavenworth for
Old Salvage yard closing in Leavenworth KS (Pictures)

The following list is partial and represents my best recollection:

10 or 11 - 50s and 60s panel trucks and sedan delivery's
Busses, lots of busses
Busses full of doors and hoods,
Chrysler airflow (37?)
Airflow tanker truck, poor condition, most of cab gone, tanker is there,
Old auto transport trailers, 3 or 4
Old moving van trailer +/- 30' long
Pickup beds full of hub caps and wheel covers
30, 40, and 50s sedans and coupes, Chevys, Packards, Plymouths, fords, Olds, Buicks, etc etc
Caddy hearses and a few limos in the late 40s and 50s
3 each 38 or 39 Packards
1940 Chrysler
1948 Windsor 4dr
1968 barracuda
1955 (or 54) Ford 2 door wagon complete
Several 54-55 Fords
Several edsels including a few wagons
1949? dodge truck panel
3 each 1959-60 imperials
A few nashs, frasier, fiats,
Lots of corvairs
several cab over trucks
one old steam shovel
2 or 3 late 60's mustangs
Rear ends, engines, trannys, wheels, etc

I am guessing 200+ cars and 50+ trucks from the 30's thru the 60's

The yard is about one mile West of Leavenworth Kansas on Highway 92/Spruce street. Drive West out of Leavenworth on 92 until the road curves South, you are there.

Christys Auto Salvage 16595 Springdale Rd Leavenworth, KS 66048-7603 (913) 682-2121