Vintage Ford Heaven at the Salvage Yard
FTE member takes us on a stroll down memory lane. But be warned: You’re going to want to buy a lot of this stuff!
For most of us, trips to the local salvage yard aren’t all that exciting. There are plenty of newish cars and undesirable stuff. And if you’re lucky, maybe an old truck or two. But when FTE member df85732 stopped in to check out a salvage yard out in Nebraska, he hit the proverbial jackpot. And luckily for us, he was quick to share his score (and loads of pics) here in the forums.
“Last fall I stopped at Watts Salvage near Wymore, NE, but it was way too muddy to take a look around. Yesterday I revisited between my morning and evening duties as Deer Slayer. I took a lot of pictures so I am sharing them with Google Photos. I hope it works for you guys. Please let me know. Of course I limited my search to Ford trucks, late 40’s through mid 50’s. I know I probably missed a few because the yard is not very well organized. Since I’m new around here and not real familiar with the F1, F2, etc, let me know what you think.”
Of course, our membership was immediately enthralled with the find. And more than just a little bit curious.
“Wow, that yard is awesome,” said abe. “Don’t you get much rain in Nebraska? Old stuff in yards around here just rusts away! Did you buy anything? Or do they charge high prices? The long running boards on that F-350 look in great shape. Plenty of good hoods, doors, tailgates, trim.”
But the OP was so excited at what he saw that he understandably didn’t bother to ask too many questions!
“You know Abe, I was so overwhelmed and was just enjoying the moment (2 hours). There is rust, just in various stages. I was mainly looking for F-350 rear wheel hubs and a rear axle for backup if mine fails me. Also, saw a lot of mirrors, just haven’t decided what I’m going with yet. Never asked about prices at this time. They let you pull it and negotiate. The town is about 60 miles away and is the same place my parents are from.
This place is old school junk yard by definition. Been there for many years. No website, no parts inventory, just pull ‘um in the back and let ‘um sit. I think they finally set up a Facebook page if you use that.”
Aside from finding this treasure trove of potential parts, most shared our sentiments that simply seeing a yard like this gives you the feels.
“That place is like a time capsule,” said Old51f3. “All those old trucks. Would love to visit a yard like that.”
“Thanks for posting this,” added Gertie-The ’49 F2. “Waaayyy too cool. Just don’t see yards like that around here anymore.”
“WOW! Good thing I don’t live near there or for sure I would be heading to divorce court,” admitted Mr. Ed.
Maybe the fact that yards like this one don’t seem to exist anymore is a good thing for all of our marital statuses. But if nothing else, these images conjure up fine memories for folks like edzakory.
“One of my most cherished memories was searching through the vast number of junkyards in southwestern PA when I was a teenager. I was able to identify the make of a vehicle with just a glimpse, since many of the ‘40s and ‘50s vehicles were distinctive. That was before Lady Bird Johnson’s Beautify America program put the kibosh to many of the boneyards. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.”
This thread is just another example of the many awesome finds our members share on a daily basis. Be sure and check out the entire thread (and all the pics) by heading over here!
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