off the beaten path wrecking yards? Have they all dried up now?

[Jim Ratto]

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?

[louisb]

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

[Jim Ratto]

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. 

[danny gabbard]

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.

[Jim Ratto]

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 all 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.

[Lee.C]

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 all 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.

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

[Jim Ratto]

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 all 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.

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?

[louisb]

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

Speaking of the samba, answer your dang email. 

--louis

[danny gabbard]

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.

[Lee.C]

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

Speaking of the samba, answer your dang email. 

--louis

sorry 

[lawrence]

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 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.

[youngnstudly]

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

[kafercup]

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?

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

[Jim Ratto]

yeah nothing there but dust,

[Black Sheep]

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 . 

[louisb]

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

[Jim Ratto]

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. :-(

[danny gabbard]

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.

[Jim Ratto]

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

[lawrence]

what the mothball fleet 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

[danny gabbard]

what-cha got there on bethel island JIM ??

[javabug]

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

[Lee.C]

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

Now thats my kinda place 

[deano]

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

[volksnut]

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.

[speedwell]

junkyard  ....what do you think about this one 

[speedwell]

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

[speedwell]

 

[speedwell]

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