The Cal-look Lounge

Seems 18-20 years ago, I had a decent list of VW wrecking yards I could get to within a few hours. Most were in some pretty backwoods areas, which made the trips to them all the more... fun (?)
Coming back from Yosemite NP yesterday, I noticed one of my old haunts is now a weedpatch.
I'm certain the others have suffered the same fate. Has the internet killed off all the secret stashes? During the late 1980's and early 1990's we put a lot of miles on my '70 Scab Bus searching the corners of Nothern Calif for W-decklids, oval fuel tanks, radio block offs, heart taillights, all kinds of crap. Does anybody remember Coddington north of Clear Lake, CA?

Finding and roaming junkyards, especially old ones, is one of my favorite past times. Unfortunately, with all the law suits, it is almost impossible to find a yard that will actually let you walk around. I have found so many neat project cars int he back of some of these yards. One I knew about was actually owned by the grandfather of a good friend of mine with I was a kid. Years later I went by there and the guy let me go back and walk around. I found a 40 ford and 4 door early 30s Chevy and several 40 - 50's cars and trucks. Few years later I went by again and the place was closed and all the cars were gone. Probably scrapped is my guess.

--louis

I bet the EPA cracked down too. I bet the soil where these cars rotted away glows in the dark now. The place I mentioned above... the plant life where the heaps used to be looks "off" compared to the surrounding areas.  :o

When your talking good sheetmetal, Yes it is drying up. In hisperia CA. There is a place called small car connection, and they always have something cool setting around. And a place called inner state auto wrecking in san deigo county I heard was pretty good. I hate to say it, But the samba in pretty handy sometimes for getting odd stuff or NOS parts. Some stuff is pretty spendy, But when you compare the same part on a new car, Its not so bad for a 40-50 year old part in my opinion.

I like dealing with Chris @ Small Car Connection. Good guy.

Have to agree thesamba.com is pretty handy - I often wonder why people complain about prices :-\ Where else are you gonna find this stuff  :)

that may be true, but where's the adventure in clicking a mouse and using paypal? Some of my best memories are from rolling around in the weeds under some black widow infested early Bus trying to fight the front beam out in some hillbillie's wrecking field. In fact one time my buddy and I were driving back after an all day jaunt, to buy Bus parts, we're goign along in my Bus, in Napa, CA and I feel this itch on my belly. I lift my T shirt and find a big old fat blood sucking tick embedded under my skin.... now you can't get that on Samba. Can you?

Speaking of the samba, answer your dang email.  ::)

--louis

You guys are right on both accounts, There is nothing better to go out and find some treasure setting some where. And The samba is so fricken easy to find some of the parts that we all seek, When you are limited on time all so often.

sorry  :-*

I have never been to an aircooled or VW specific yard, but I always have fun going to pick-your-part. I found some great stuff for my 86 gti and I always got my entrance fee worth by stuffing my pockets full of misc. small parts ;D Oh, on one trip to pick-your-part my buddy and I stumbled upon a late model that had been involved in a front end collision. It had a complete engine . All he wanted was the cylinder heads so we pulled the engine out and tore it down to a short block on a piece of cardboard in the dirt. We should have taken the entire longblock though because after we got the heads off we noticed that the pistons were brand new. The engine had never been run.

Nothing like the feeling of finding that rusty old VW with the rare empi gauges, or steering wheel, or 5 spokes. Everytime I spot something with vintage cal-look parts (at the local mechanic shop, a random parking lot, or swap meet, etc) my heart skips a beat or two. I love that feeling. Especially if you get the opportunity to buy something. ;)

Andy

The yard by Yosemite is gone now???  That's sad..... :(

yeah nothing there but dust,

Most of the good yards were killed off over here by heath and safety rule's and the internet . I too had some great memories and top finds in old yards , there are a few still about way off the beaten track .
 I must go on a recky and see whats still about .  ;)

Any of you like to drive around back roads or industrial areas and look for old cars? That's another thing I like to do, especially if I am in a new area. I just drive aimlessly around looking to see what is poking out of an old barn, shed or woods. Found some really cool cars that way. My wife is always fussing at me for rubbernecking while driving trying to spot some old car.

--louis

I'd say 40K of the 77K miles I put on my Fiat X19 in 1990-91 were accumulated doing the same thing.

There is a very old yard about 2hrs. drive from my house that still has a large number of antique and obscure cars left.
I own a Corvair Greenbriar and a friend mentioned he saw one there that had a lot of rare accessories, so I went to investigate !
The Corvair didn't have as much as I had hoped, but I did find a few trinkets.
While searching for it I found lots of Model T's, Model A's other cars from the 30's that were completely overgrown with foliage, even a Triumph Mayflower of all things.
As hard as I looked, I couldn't find any vintage VW's or Porsches. :-(

I love driving around old neiborhoods and commercial properties looking for old treasures. I went and put a note on the door of a house in a town called dayton by my shop two weeks ago for a 58-59 bug convertable. I went back a couple days later, The front gate was chained up. I had my hopes up, It was a original paint and super dry car that the body was setting on saw horses and rolling pan setting next to.

anybody ever go see the stash on Bethel Island, near Stockton CA?

what the mothball fleet ;D Seriously though, Jim, what's on Bethel Island. Driving the back way from bugorama across the levy roads and 680 is always fun.

I see some stuff on google maps, but I bet Jim has a tale or two

what-cha got there on bethel island JIM ??

I was searching bing maps on Bethel Island and saw some junkyards, but it was mostly boats.   :D

"While searching for it I found lots of Model T's, Model A's "

Now thats my kinda place  ;D

Don't forget Interstate VWs in Lake Elsinore, CA. All VWs, all the time. Been around for years.

When I lived in North Carolina I found a local yard in the sticks called "Town & Country" had lots and lots of old cars, lots of corvair vans, turbo convert vair too....Oh and saw a 58 ghia on top of a heap of cars...tons of stuff.

junkyard  ::) ::)....what do you think about this one  ;D ;D

found this in my old vw mag
vw junkyard in socal
may be some of you are remembering this old place ???
still exist today ?? the report was in april 89

 ;)

another report from another socal  junkyard "durgin cars  & parts" at bellflower

 ;)

another junkyard (http://www.bigbluevw.com/2009/08/vw-yard-near-flamingo-heights-yucca.html)

One time about 20 years ago I was in a yard and found two ragtop sedans that had been there for decades.  The cars were shot, but the roofs were pretty good.  I returned with a truck, a hacksaw and a fistfull of blades.  Took forever to decapatate those poor old cars!  :)

can someone please go and drill out the boot floor on one of those cars for me  ??? ;) :)

Oh yeah and cut out the section under the rear window  :D

A buddy of mine found an old yard up in Wyoming - We checked it about a month ago, the owner said the Cali boys had already swooped all the good stuff.
I was able to snagged this 56 though.....

That just needs a motor & brakes - good to go! 8)
Cheers,
Kev

Fortunately the windows are intact and it had 2 repaints, so its rust free.
Came with a running 36hp, only rust is in the battery tray.

Their still out there, just getting harder and harder to find every year.

Fortunately the windows are intact and it had 2 repaints, so its rust free.
Came with a running 36hp, only rust is in the battery tray.

Their still out there, just getting harder and harder to find every year.
[/quote]

Much harder when you live in the north of Scotland though ::)
Cheers,
Kev

Much harder when you live in the north of Scotland though ::)
Cheers,
Kev
[/quote]

The cars may rust quicker, but you have The Macallan to keep you warm ;D

The cars may rust quicker, but you have The Macallan to keep you warm ;D
[/quote]

A fair point well put ;D ;)

That's Bug Doctor Don's place in Laramie!! I was scoping out that oval when I was living up there in '05-'06. I think he has asking $2500 for it at the time, and to me that might as well been a million dollars! That '67 next to it was very cool- factory black with red interior! There was also a Dove Blue '66 Double Cab in BAD shape, a couple 58-59's... a yellow baja ragtop with a pancake type 3 motor. Wish I wasn't poor! :D He did set me up with a couple odds and ends for the GTV right after I found it. I got the 010 that's on my car from him. I'll try and post some pics later.

So cool that you picked up that oval!! Good job!

You nailed it Zach!! Thats crazy, small world ;D
I just couldn't let that oval sit in that field for another winter - It'll be garaged now!

Looks like a complete find, Tom. Was the decklid included?

Did someone say Macallan ;D

Yep W decklid & a running 36hp! I just got a Macallan 18yo for my birthday - cheers 8)

Sorry to Hi-Jack your thread Jim.... back on Topic

There's several junk yards tucked away here in central Ca. I'll make it a point to check them out when I get close.

Re: The MACALLAN, tonite is when I pull the cork again on my 18 yr. old (bottled 96') and toast my dear departed.
The finish you could say, is bitter sweet.....Cheers!

Yeah, there is some but remember this.... there are a lot of long time VW people around here that have raided the yards years ago.

Here's that same oval about 4 years ago, the black '67 next to it, and some others...

Cool pics Zach!!
a lot of cars from this place are back on the road now.

in the day around 77-81 two good bone yards still stick in my mind was wrecks west on 5th and rait and national on 1st. wrecks west was more fun they would let about anybody KIDS go in back up on theys old buildings high with parts everywere and pidgon poop also. alot of t 1 parts back then. BIG rodger craford and big jim gaye worked there back then old bug in postars hanging in the front counter and a picture of rodgers bad company also .  they were always cool even when i was using 5th street as a drag stripe . young and STUPID  back then. both nantional and wrecks west were usaly full to the gills with t1 goodes.NOT NO MORE . thoes were the days . UD .   

Sad, some of those cars shown in those wrecking yards are in better condition than what we see at today's shows pawned off as "rat rods"....

And what's even more sad is that some of the rat rods are deliberately butchered to make them look "cool". Why would anyone think that bare metal is a good idea? And especially taking the paint of with a grinder?! Morons.

This is for you Zach.....

After 28 years, the 56 got pulled out of the field yesterday!

We aired up the tires, and it practically jumped onto the trailer, She wanted out of there!!

cool

VERY COOL!! Good to see that car getting rescued!

Ohh man that reminds me,  we've got some very funny politically incorrect things to say about Bug Doctor Don! I'll have to tell you sometime ;)

This is setting in a back yard about 10 miles from my house

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=973685

It might as well not exist.  The dreamer wants more than what it's worth after it's restored.

Yeah, I'd like to hear the stories.....