Photos from the Cohort by canadiancatgreen.
Whenever I went to a junkyard and came across really vintage iron, I inevitably always wondered: From what barn/remote field did they drag this from? And who finally decided to let go of the old rotten heap?
I’m talking about those wrecks that go way beyond the 15-25 years of most vehicles in a yard, so not your usual 1996 Escort or 1992 Pontiac Grand Prix. But instead, those with fifty-plus years on their rotten bodies. Of course, some yards were more specialized in such old heaps, which was all the more amazing. A whole row of 1960-50s Detroit? Point the way and I’ll go check it out!
With that in mind, here’s a collection of vintage iron found in Canada with at least half a century of age. Taking into account their condition, model names and years are well, approximate. Most are taken from the yard’s info on the cars.
The first of the collection is a ’53 Chevy Bel Air in the lede pic.
1946 (?) Packard Clipper.
1950s Cadillac.
1960 Auto-Union.
1960 Vauxhall (looks like the old car row in the yard!).
1962 Oldsmobile.
1963 Dodge Van.
1969 Chevy truck.
1972 Chevrolet Vega.
Blimey, that Velox has practically no serious corrosion, which is remarkable considering that Vauxhall fitted rust on the production line. (The PA is a notoriously awful ruster).
My theory of old cars turning up really late to the junkyard party is that a field or a shed or a garage gets cleaned out after the owner’s earthly roadworthy certificate has expired for the last time, and, even if the car is vaguely viable (like the Velox), there’s just no-one left behind who’s got the skill or interest any more.
The ’62 Olds photo has we wondering if it was built like Canadian Pontiacs. Chevy running gear under the body. Or were Oldsmobiles even built in Canada? Anyone know?
Some Olds body styles were built in Oshawa at that time, while others were imported from the US. They used Olds frames and engines and were essentially identical to US models, although there were likely upholstery and trim differences due to Canadian domestic sourcing.
The green Chevy , in the leader pic, is like the one I rode home from the hospital in.(the week after I was born)
I’m not sure if our car was the “Belair”, or the “210”. My brother thinks it was a “Belair”, he’s seven years older then me. Would a been “6.5” , when i showed up.
The Chevy got traded away in “62”.
I road home in a 52 belair medium blue atomatic born in fall 52
I’m not sure how many are out there now, yet I’m sure there certainly are “junkyards” that do specialize in cars that are 25 – 30 years old and older. I do remember that circa 1999/early 2000 finding one such place online. It was somewhere out in California, and it specialized in Cadillac (my favorite marque)…they didn’t have anything newer than the early – mid 70s. The place was called Gilly’s if I remember correctly.
Don’t know when the pic was taken, there’s a “curious , lot” of the “Vega” standing.
I used to love going to our junk yards here in Southern California. I would make a day of it. I would try to figure out how some of the cars got there. The yards specialized by the brands of American cars. They kept them separated by brand once you got in. But by the early 2000s, most of the American cars were gone. The yards had mostly foreign cars in them, which was to be expected because no one was buying big American cars anymore. But I do remember being on road trips across the country and seeing huge yards in Nebraska and Eastern Colorado. The yards were huge and they were all American cars. I always wanted to make the time to check them out, but I never did. Now it’s too late.
As William sates, the Western junkyards tended to lean mostly American and for man decades they had perfectly good old cars in them that simply needed $200 +/- worth of basic repairs and no one wanted to $pend that on “old cars” .
In the late 60’s and through the mid 1980’s the local self service yards charged MORE for imported car parts, what a line of crap .
I still see some really nice older vehicles that were clearly someone’s pride and joy but no one wants the hassle of the average idiot buyer wasting their time so off they go to the LKQ yards scattered across America .
Many were garage kept and well worth saving but they no longer want to sell complete vehicles at all .
Motocycle junkyards seem to all be gone too, another sad thing .
If not rusted out / crashed / ruined by endless son burn many oldies are well worth resurrecting .
-Nate
It’s probably well known on here that I’m not one that likes to see when someone keeps an old car in the elements and lets it slowly disintegrate from those same elements. I always feel like there would be someone who could use that same car to restore or for parts or just keeps as-is to enjoy a drive once or twice a month.
On the flip side of that, I do enjoy seeing these articles of old cars in the junk yards. It’s still sad in a way, but I like that these are cars that have at least become organ donors to help other old cars live on. Kind of a fine line, but a distinct one at that.
The A100 vans started life in 1964, using lessons learned from Ford and GM. Tough to tell the year unless there are side marker lights (68 – 70), or from the serial number.