I'm curious to the availability of old iron in the different parts of the country. I am sure old tin is getting harder to find in all areas because there was a finite number of vehicles made but up here in the upper midwest, I'm in SE WI , useable tin is getting impossible to find. The main reason is because of all the salt we like to dump on our roads during the winter months. Also, in my immediate area every little burg is being taken over by yuppie busy bodies that pass junker ordinances that rid us of the old guys who have old iron sitting behind their sheds and barns. I still occasionally stumble on a vehicle by meeting someone who know someone who an old truck sitting in a shed somewhere. Usually these fines are just rusty hulks the owners have confused rust with gold when it comes to the price they want for it.

When I get together with other car enthusiasts the conversations always turns to going “down south” to get our dream rust free car or truck. This is a very common thought among us rustbelters. From what I have been seeing on the net lately, there seems to be a shortage of rust free tin “down south”. Is it still down there? If it is, I am assuming you have to get away the major population areas to find it. Recently one of our board members from Texas was willing to bid on truck on eBay located a few miles from me. I had to warn him, and others, of the condition of this rust bucket. I would have assumed a nicer truck could have been had for a few bucks more, a lot closer to home. Also, from what I have been able to surmise from watching eBay, a lot of good tin is out in the upper NW US. I have seen quite a few good, solid trucks either sell cheap or not at all out in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. When I Google the places the trucks are located they’re usually out in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles from the nearest big cities.

My question is; What is the supply of solid vehicles in your area?

 

Around here there are a few F1s sitting around that I am aware of, but 53-56 F100s are a rare comodity. The price of scrap iron and a few junk dealers who ride around and agressively buy anything that will bring a dollar at the scales has just about depleted the supply of old iron in these parts.
A friend found my parts truck, it had been sitting in a barn for over 20 years. The 53 that I'm building I found sitting on the side of the road for sale.(it had only been there 1 day) 2 other people pulled up to buy it as I was loading it up.

 

There are still quite a few vintage trucks up here in Saskatchewan. They are generally the bigger trucks since Saskatchewan's mainly farmland. They are mostly solid with just the usual rust areas (like fender reinforcements). They never really started to use salt until like 20 years ago. Now they use potash scraps which is worse than salt.

If you wanted to drive down every back road in Sask you would put 1 million miles on your odometer.

 

Yeah, I forgot to mention this fact too. In the last twenty years we had two waves of high scrap metal prices. The few junkyards around here that had vintage tin clean out anything over ten years old. There was a lot of nice vintage iron going into the shredders This has affected the entire country.

 

well as far as older trucks there are a few around out here in the booneys of wyoming. now if you want a 70s model there everywhere some are solid some are trashed but there usally cheap. i found my 59 and i discovered another stash of stuff where theres another 57-60 along with who knows what else. still have to stop and see whats up with um.
I know what you mean about the stupid ordanances that are crushing all the valuble tin, but the ones enacting them are driveing brand new mercadies and hummers so what do they care. so far the rules that say a car cant be sitting is convined to the city limits but there trying to expand it out. glad i live a half hour out in the hills.

 

The major ordinance problems here is all of the Beemer and Hummer set is leaving the major city, in my case Milwaukee, and moving into all of the outer communities that up until fifteen years ago were small rural farming towns where everyone knew each other and there was a lot of open land with small farms. Now every house they build around here is 3000 sq ft plus, costing $300-400K. If you build a house like that you don't want to look at the farm next door with a couple of old tractors and a truck or two sitting behind the barn. IMO, it's none of their business, but again, that my opinion.

 

go to NM. i got my 55 for $500 there are photos of it in my gallery. but yes it is the place to go. in NC i never found old trucks. and if i did. they had sentimental meaning to the family and it was absolutely not for sale. another option is go for a helicopter ride. the first time i went i was amazed at how many old cars i seen in peoples back yards. it is an easier way to search for cars, deffinetly

 

I travel alot and live up on lake Erie,and still find some old tin around.I also go to Florida alot and there is practically nothing cheap to buy.I visit junkyards and they have beeb cleaned out.I went to Georgia ,and the farmer that had my 56 for 48 years,actually started crying when I showed him pictures of the restoration of ''old ticker''-that was his name for her!!He loved that old truck-but scrap men made him a visit 1 day and took anything they could get their hands on---including ''old ticker'',and realizing a solid old 56 was nice---sold it on epay to me for 600.00
I almost bought another 56 from a guy in Ohio that trucks old tin in from N.Dakota,S.Dakota and says that is where the old ford trucks are!!!!

 

They are cleaning out the New England area, There was Curboys in Sturbridge Mass, About 8 miles from me, they closed on Jan 31, and is crushing everything, Luckly Chuck from Chuck's Trucks got up there and got many parts from an F-8 and some F-5's and 6's along with 60's area mustangs!
Gates Salvage in New Hamphsire, HAD about 16 acers a year ago, now 3.
Scrap prices are too high, stuff that has been sitting undisturbed for 30 years has been violently up rooted to the crusher.
This is why I was excited about my find of the '37 Ford 1.5 ton only 1 town over with the "FORD" scripted Dump Rack body. Now Chuck is telling me to pull the flathead and keep it/sell it.
The guy I got the '37 from told me he pulled off the grille, fenders and hood and stuffed them in the basement 30 years ago. those are mine too.. got to go get them.

When I when to the local towing company to haul it home, they know the owner of the '37 and said "how the &^% did you get that from him. For years many have asked with no result".
Things are not looking good around here.
Reamer

 

I found my 51 in mid northern ohio in Amish Country. When I went down to look at it, I was amazed at all the old stuff sitting around behind barns and in the back yard. I can't wait to go back in the spring and just look around. Seems like the Amish are not prone to all the "civilized" rules all the rest of us are suffering through.

 

A few years back I used to do a lot of traveling betwen USAF Bases from Ohio, Montana, Colo, New Mexico, Tehas, Ok. Miss.
If at all possible I went straight line 2 lane roads.
My dream is to travel these same rds with a car carrier picking up all the tin I saw.
As far as in my current local, NW PA, you have to get more than and hrs drive from a Starbucks, 2 lane, smell Cow Crap and you will start seeing tin. A lot of rust but parts is parts.

You also got to know how to hunker and spit.

 

Out here in NW Washington is getting pretty picked over also. We don't use road salt just a lot of rain. Things rust from the top down. There is one '50 f1 for sale by the hiway on my way home. That has been there about three months. Looks good from the road. I haven't looked at it, to tempting and I enjoy being married. That is the only 1/2 ton I have seen in years for sale. Bigger trucks got ran hard and into the ground by loggers. Parts and pieces only and usually only small pieces that haven't been used for target practice.

 

Dick,

I have notice on uPay a lot of items from PA, parts and whole trucks. It seems like 30% are from PA, 40% from the western, upper midwest, UT,WY,CO and the rest scattered all over.

 

I have a buddy in Ohio that 20 yrs.,ago started hoarding mopar muscle car parts.I went with him and he bought over 200 cars and a whole lot of spare crap.I always heard guys wanting him to sell pieces off those cars,and he would'nt part out anything but to me and a few others.
NOOW--he has some of the most precious parts that these mopar guys are killing each other over,and he just is raking it in.
Are there any FORD TRUCK GUYS like this?I heard out in CALIFORNIA there is a lot of old ford trucks,but are now pricey.

 

Out here in Southern California there still seems to be "pockets" of guys that have alot of old parts that are pretty rust free or need little work. But I haven't found anyone that doesn't have a catalog from at least one of the parts dealer to look up what the parts are really worth... I've also seen some real good,nearly rust free trucks that are sitting in back yards or lots that are not for sale unless you want to pay a fortune. The owners usually say "I'm going to restore it", but it will still be sitting in the same place 3-5 years from now.