5 Insanely Cool Muscle Car Junkyards!
Every hot rodder loves a good junkyard, but as we've reported time after time, junkyards just aren't what they used to be. Today's junkyards are largely a source of cheap steel for offshore foundries, not old parts and project cars for local repair shops and home DIY guys. Environmental laws have also put the squeeze on salvage yards, which catch a lot of grief for soil and water contamination, meaning most cars can't afford to languish in yards that are the most convenient for car crafting city dwellers and suburbanites.
Serviceable junkyards with vintage cars and parts are dwindling in size and number, but our network of barn find experts and the crew of Roadkill's Junkyard Gold are on the case. Here are five amazing junkyards for finding muscle cars and other antique classics below, plus the links to more detailed info and some fascinating galleries from those locations. Let's take a look now!
Mopar Graveyard Hidden In The Carolina Hills
For good reason, barn find experts like Ryan Brutt often keep the source of their finds a secret. Since many old car junkyards are on private property and not considered commercial ventures, their owners like to remain anonymous and their whereabouts unknown. All Ryan tells us about this Mopar dream world's location is that it's in the hills of North Carolina (the locals call it the Piedmont area), and fortunately for you, I grew up there, just a few miles from Richard Petty and a few miles the other direction from Herb McCandless—both Mopar standard bearers. Ryan says a significant number of cars, parts, and memorabilia are from Petty, including the ill-fated 43 Jr. 1965 Barracuda that's the unrestored twin to the one at Petty's museum in Randleman, North Carolina.
Michigan Junkyard With Buried Muscle Car Treasure
Detroit is the center of the automotive world, and when auto archeologist Ryan Brutt traveled to the area a few years ago on business, his compass naturally turned to hunting old junkyards for muscle cars. This private yard north of Detroit held some spectacular finds, and most unusually, they were not limited to mostly one brand. You can just about hear Ryan's heartbreak here when he describes finding a '69 Mach 1 Mustang sitting on top of a bus with a tree growing through it. While most of the cars were beyond restoring, the trip to see them was well worth it for the stroll down memory lane.
Colorado Junkyard Selling Off Collection
Not all junkyards with gold are off-limits to the public—some even want you to know about them, such as Colorado Auto and Parts, an average pick-a-part, with a twist! Some time ago owners Gary and Alice Corns had segregated the older, more interesting cars from the late-models and put restrictions on their use to ensure that they weren't destroyed. For instance, a customer isn't allowed to destroy a whole door just to snag a door handle.
Why so many older classics? The yard has been in the family since 1959 and some of the classics have been around since the beginning. Mustang lovers take notice: There looks to be an abundance of Mustangs from the muscle car era, so after checking out Elana Scherr's original story with 134 photos here, you can go to the yard's website at coloradoautoparts.com.
Stephen's Performance In Anderson, Alabama
When staffer Jordon Scott got a hold of a batch of photos from Roadkill's Junkyard Gold hosted by Steve Magnante, he leapt into action with a neat Dodge Charger historical overview. The Junkyard Gold team found themselves at Stephen's Performance in Anderson, Alabama, looking at 58 acres and more than 3,000 cars—a good portion of them B-Body Mopars. If you're a Charger guy or gal, you likely already know about Stephen's Performance, but in case you don't you'll be glad to have a look at Jordon's original story here.
Browne Auto Salvage In Sunset, Texas
About 85 miles northwest of Dallas is the village of Sunset, Texas, and 38 acres of magical machinery at Browne Auto Salvage. Once again, Steve Magnante and the production crew of Roadkill's Junkyard Gold were on hand to document an amazing assortment of Studebakers. Well preserved in the dry West Texas steppe, one can only marvel at their pristine condition.
Far away from prying eyes, it takes some real effort to see Browne Auto Salvage, but considering the desirability of antique Studebakers and other vintage machines, this yard is bound to be around for a long time!
SOURCE: HOT ROD