I’ve been inspired by Keith’s junkyard series to do some scouting of my own, and decided to explore Auto Heaven, the small lot on the south side of Bloomington, near my house. When the man behind the main counter–the owner, Chuck–asked what part I needed, I told him that I was simply looking for some interesting old cars to take pictures of. He then handed me the keys to his yard and told me to have at it.
Chuck’s yard is unlike most I’ve been to in this part of the country; it’s in the middle of a busy commercial part of town, well within the city limits, and is relatively small. The most interesting pieces are at the back of the lot, along a canal which runs through the center of town. The first car I noticed was this green Honda Z600 coupe. I obviously couldn’t get the best pictures of it with all these body panels in the way, so I moved them.
Much better. The headlamps are missing their bezels, but this car is otherwise very complete and surprisingly rust free. It’s not likely that anyone in Indiana needed parts for one of these, since they were always thin on the ground in this part of the country, but that makes it even stranger that this one has remained here for so long.
I am no expert when it comes to patina or tree growth, but I am pretty sure this has been here for over ten years.
Whoever owned this last was either affiliated with IU or just loved the school, since a tiny H badge would usually sit in this location on the hood.
Lest we forget, this is a coupe.
At some point, this car was fitted with a plexiglass backlite. Maybe finding an actual piece of glass to replace a broken window was too much trouble.
Indiana license plates used to be a lot prettier. Note the 1987 registration sticker.
Here’s an even older Indiana plate, marked 1982.
Other than the broken backlite, this car’s windows are all intact, so its interior is a bit better than some of the others in the yard. Still, not much can be saved here.
Until I got closer, I thought this car was a fuselage-body Imperial, with its loop bumper and concealed headlights. But underneath all that junk (and that hood which looks like it belongs to a Honda N600, but doesn’t), this is a 1969 Caprice.
All the glass is intact on this, too. When I opened the door, the “panty cloth” aping upholstery was all there, but unfortunately, the elements had gotten through to the interior as well.
In 1969, Caprice was in its fifth year, battling with the Sport Fury and LTD.
The owner says this El Camino has a complete 427 under its hood. I didn’t check, nor did I see any marking on the outside of the car, but I doubt the engine’s worth keeping now. How long can an engine sit and still be good?
When I wrote about the third-gen Accord, I complained that I couldn’t find any hatchbacks around to take pictures of, and not many 1986 and 1987 cars at all, for that matter. I should’ve come to this yard; here we have three 1987 Accord DX hatchbacks in Sonic Blue, all right next to each other.
Chuck let me know of his other yard, right outside of town, and invited me to snap some photos there some Saturday when the weather cooperates (which it is not doing, at the moment). Stay tuned…
That vintage ElCamino never had a 427 available from the factory, so it probably wouldn’t have any exterior identification. Depending on how well it was protected from the elements and if it had oil in it, an engine could conceivably sit forever. No pictures of the Caprices interior? Dd the Caprice have fender flags with the engine cid?
The interior was pretty gross, but I did get an eyefull of “panty cloth,” which was appropriately stinky. Sad to see the whole car just sitting there.
Sixties door panels like this are pretty cool. I like what they did with the wood gain and carpet.
The callouts would have been beside the grill over the side marker light. No flags for ’69.
I’m guessing 327 since that was the standard V8 that year.
Get the grille off of that Caprice!!! Hidden headlights on that model year are supposed to be pretty rare.
Can’t say whether or not they’re rare, but there certainly not common (or at least, I haven’t seen many).
That whole setup might have gone home with me had I found it last year – could have been a nice upgrade for the ’69 Impala I had at the time.
I think those hidden headlamps are VERY rare. It was also the last year Chevy offered them. I really like the look, and Perry, you are right, with the hidden lights it does look resemble an Imperial.
That’s true. I think that they were offered in 68-69 only.
Correct. ’68-’69 only. I can recall seeing far more ’68s w/hidden lamps…I doubt I’ve seen any more than a half-dozen hidden-headlight ’69s since they were new. They were featured in advertising though, that’s how I knew they existed.
Were they dealer-installed options or straight from the factory?
The covers were pretty rare. Optional on the Caprice, Impala SS and possibly Impala. Love ’em. Should have been standard on Caprice and SS.
They look seriously kickass on a ’69 Kingswood Estate.
Indiana changes its’ license plates FAR too often, so of course there’ll be good and bad ones.
Back in the 60s we got new plates every year. And yes, we have had our share of stinkers, especially once we went to plates every 4 years or so. Everyone wants to treat them like some kind of art project.
I was living in Indiana when they started that “Wander Indiana” campaign.
I really, really wanted to get personalized plates (no, make that plate, as no front plate was required) that read: “OUT OF”
;<)
I remember when “Wander Indiana” was getting all the blowback as a stupid slogan. Well, our newest one is “Honest to Goodness Indiana.” Someone locally suggested that it’s because “Golly Gee Whiz Indiana” must have already been taken. Anyhow, it is making me nostalgic for “Wander Indiana” again.
What the hell was wrong with Wander Indiana? It’s gorgeous!
So is that hood on the Caprice off of a TR4?
Nope, TR4 has a flat spot outboard of the headlights and rises again to meet the fender curve.
AMC Matador coupe?
No, I think it was too small for that.
“How long can an engine sit and still be good?” I was wondering that about the Caprice, the whole car. It seems to be holding up well and is barely rusted. I thought that was rust on the rear quarter panel by the molding but on closer inspection it looks like a thick growth of lichens. Great shots!
Yes – and a coupe, no less! Like any restoration it’d be a chore. But from what little I can see, I’d deem it worth a closer look. (Wonder if there’s much roof left under that vinyl top?)
As I mentioned to Perry earlier this week, it’s nice to get to see the world of junk beyond my usual haunts. Especially with winter in full swing, going back week after week to the pool of pictures I stockpiled last fall gets a little boring for me (there’s no surprises – I’ve seen them all already!).
Hopefully we’ll get to see more Junkyard Outtakes from people other than me in the future.
That Caprice nameplate brigns back memories. Does any model still use script for their name? Seems like all block letters these days.
I imagine glass for the Honda Z600 was unobtanium by about 1974.
Nice photos .
It looks like sunlight on the firewall of the El Camino , are you sure it still has an engine ? .
-Nate
If Chuck is willing to part with it,and the price is fairly low, I’d gladly give that Caprice a good home. Being a top-of-the-line Caprice with the hidden headlight option, and the apparent lack of rust, that car is definitely worth saving. Companies like Classic Industries, National Parts Depot, Late Great Chevys, and Year One make and sell a ton of repro parts for these things- right down to window glass and vinyl tops.
I’ve got my summer vacation coming up in July, and my diesel F250 fears no mountain or trailer. I’ve been wanting to take a road trip- all I needed was a good excuse 🙂 .
I’d gladly sell my ’75 Corvette and use the money from the sale to restore that Caprice. Does that make sense, or am I being stupid?
I may be wrong, but 1969 was the fourth year of the Caprice, which started in ’66….
1965 was the first year. Mid-year intro, actually.
You’re both right. Caprice was a high trim level Impala in ’65. A full fledged model in ’66.
“How long can an engine sit and still be good?”
I’ve wondered about that since I started reading Hot Rod in the 1960s. The restore-the-junkyard-car cable TV shows would have us believe that, unless frozen, it’s no big deal, but I’d love to hear from someone with first-hand experience. Also, do junkyard manual or slush-box transmissions last fairly indefinitely (as compared with engines)? Inquiring minds want to know…
You will have to drain the fuel system, maybe clean / rebuild the carb. But with fresh gas, an oil change, and a basic tune up there’s no reason why the engine shouldn’t run- unless water has gotten into it.
Thanks to my elderly parents’ ongoing home and garden projects, and my own health-related disruptions, it looks like I’ll reluctantly be putting that theory to the test.
My experience with cars that have been sitting a long time is that it is a crapshoot. Sometimes you just have to clean the thing up, do a basic tune-up and it’s ready to go. Other times, especially if it’s been sitting for years, you better off just tearing the thing down and finding out exactly what is there. You could replace all the fluids, belts, hoses, etc and still end up with an engine that either doesn’t run, barely runs or runs until who knows when.
As for used transmissions, again, it’s all about how long the unit has been off the road and where it was stored. A good place will pull and stock all this kind of stuff, making it much more valuable, since it will not degrade in storage. When you are getting to 200,000 km or more on any vehicle, there is a good chance the transmission is going out anyway, so rebuild the one in your car.
THIS ~
Re purposing drive line units is what I do and even with So. Cal. units it’s always a crapshoot when they’ve been sitting .
it it’s stuck , never pay over scrap value although you *may* get lucky .
In auto trannies you’ll _always_ have to replace at least the input and out put seals plus basic service & filter .
Manual trannies are better , you can remove the cover and peer in ,if there’s water i there they’re going to be noisy at best , usually junk .
-Nate
That Indiana Wander plate was somewhat controversial at the time from what I have read. Amazing how well the plate has held up since reflectorized plates are not as durable, but then I remember that license plate has spent most of its life attached to a non-moving car. Is that a safety inspection sticker on the Honda’s windshield?
15Q.net
We had safety inspections for a few years in the 70s, but the law was repealed around 79 or so. So, this car would have been around during the inspection era.
If some of the sources I’m seeing on the web are correct, the Plymouth VIP was still around in 69 to battle in the same market with the Caprice and LTD. I think it disappeared in the following year.
When I left IN in 72 the state had the most consistently dull license plate designs in the country. Things sure changed later on.
I recall that IN safety inspection stickers meant nothing when the program first began in the late 60’s. I bought a new VW in summer of 69. As it was being backed out of the car wash stall at the dealership for me to take the wheel, one of the back-up lights was not functioning but the car had its nice new “inspection passed” sticker on the windshield. My dad’s friends bought the stickers at filling stations for beaters that had no brakes, etc. I hope that has changed. Amazingly, CA still has no required vehicle safety inspection program, only a smog inspection program.
I had to do an inspection in 77 or 78. It was done at the service station of a buddy’s uncle. I wanted him to fail my muffler on my 67 Galaxie so that I could justify to the parents a new Thrush muffler, but he couldn’t go there. That was my once and only inspection.
I grew up in Kentucky and we had annual inspections for several years in the late 60’s/early 70’s. My experience was the other way around, I was always trying to slide my used up car past the inspector so I could keep it on the road. Fortunately for me a friend of the family ran a repair garage on the side and finally acquired an inspection license. I won’t say that he cheated but he may have let some minor faults slide from time to time. As was the case in Indiana the Kentucky inspection law was repealed because it universally unpopular and wasn’t doing much good anyway.
Yes, I think it became a way for unscrupulous garages to sell parts. I recall a story that Mrs. JPC tells, her father ran a repair shop. He did an inspection on a car with a burned out light bulb. He put a bulb in, then passed the car. Then the owner refused to pay for the bulb, and insisted that the old one be put back in. I don’t believe that this worked, I think that the guy gave in after some pressure.
CA had an annoying “surprise” roadside safety inspection program in the ’60’s, kind of like DUI checkpoints now. Reagan thought the Highway Patrol should patrol and not use officers for those roadside inspections and stopped it. If you passed, you got a windshield sticker good for about a year. Almost every car failed headlight aim, making business for the licensed lamp adjusting shops. I had a VW with the glass covers, so they couldnt check with the machine.
Our license plates were the most generic of any state until the ’80’s, no slogan, no reflective coating.
Ohio used to have those roadside inspections back in the day too, performed by the Highway Patrol. Got stopped twice in two different vehicles, failed both times.
My dad bought one brand new; light gold metallic, black vinyl roof with a 2BBL 396. I recognized the grille, didn’t know that was Caprice only. With that little carb, all it did when you floored it was to make a lot of noise and not much else. It was a reliable car, I don’t remember it ever getting towed or into the shop. He had it for 10 years.
Fantastic shots. Great trio as well.
I just wonder how it was legal on that honda back then to have 2 licence plates on top of each other? It looks like they both have 53 as the county number.
And that I dont understand NEVER HAVE, but I dont live in Indiana I live in the South Central US, but I have seen IN plates down here in Texas. I dont get the whole point of county coding. 53 R 3840, as that honda had on it.
Honesly,I thought when IN’s blue tags came out they were fake.. LOL I saw one of the 200 YEARS OF STATEHOOD the current ones down here on the highway a couple weeks ago.
Christopher
chris@marlows.org