Bound for the CRUSHER

[izzy_Britton]

I wanted to start a new topic. A very sad topic. I work as tow truck driver for a auto recycler/wrecker. On occasion we get a call to pick up a car or truck that is just not something that should be towed to the wrecker. I sometimes express interest to the boss that i would like to buy one of these cars or trucks. It is ultimately up to the boss what happens to the vehicles that i tow in. Some i am able to buy, most that are worthy of reviving or rebuilding go to other employees, many end up in the crusher, pancaked.

Some examples of cars that i was not able to rescue are:

About 2 weeks ago at a neighboring yard there was a 67/68 shortbed 4x4 that was just being loaded in the crusher. I was not able to stick around and get photos...

74 MGB (complete and original just needed paint)
77 Mercedes SL450 roadster (needed tires)
70 GMC Blazer (complete, sat forever)
72 C-20 (complete less motor/trans)
77 C-20 4x4 (prev. owner drove it in to us)
91 C-10 burb (drove in)
91 C-20 burb 4x4 (drove in)
77 C-30 crewcab (drove in beat up and ugly logging company truck)

and today, this beauty.



78 c-10 short bed, 350/350, dual tanks. seems complete with the exception that the motor is in pieces in the bed and the trans was in the bed as well. needs paint. The boss will likely send this one straight to the crusher

If any of you are in a similar circumstance as i and can post up some lost souls please do so.

-Izzy

[meatwagon83]

there is a local yard i go to for square parts and a couple of weeks ago i go in and they have this nice 77 or 78 one ton flatbed there, i mean it looks like it drove in there!! i go there last week and i see it in the back on its top, they didnt take a part off of it!! i almost cried!

[rusty76]

I wish that thing had been closer to me. I'd snag the whole front clip! Man......

[azjaeger]

look at those sport mirrors....want!

[86swb]

And a short bed at that.

[J.C. Corbett]

The slots......please tell me you managed to save the slot mags!

[izzy_Britton]

Originally Posted by J.C. Corbett

The slots......please tell me you managed to save the slot mags!

NOT YET! but what is with the slots? they are hideously ugly in my opinion and beyond old school. I cannot believe the reaction of people on this thread about the wheels...

what is the story here? what am i missing? my brother has a set off his old square, 6 lug just been sitting in the backyard for 5-6 years, we were going to take them to the scrappy for beer money.

obviously they are worth more to others than to me, WHY?

-Izzy

[J.C. Corbett]

Originally Posted by izzy_Britton

NOT YET! but what is with the slots? they are hideously ugly in my opinion and beyond old school. I cannot believe the reaction of people on this thread about the wheels...

what is the story here? what am i missing? my brother has a set off his old square, 6 lug just been sitting in the backyard for 5-6 years, we were going to take them to the scrappy for beer money.

obviously they are worth more to others than to me, WHY?

-Izzy

Sorry dude, we don't all want 20" wheels. I enjoy them period correct, and if you'll do a bit of research, you'll find more trucks and vans of all makes wore slots in the 70's and early 80's. I like the day two look. If you don't like slots, that's fine. I'll take them all.

[izzy_Britton]

Originally Posted by J.C. Corbett

Sorry dude, we don't all want 20" wheels. I enjoy them period correct, and if you'll do a bit of research, you'll find more trucks and vans of all makes wore slots in the 70's and early 80's. I like the day two look. If you don't like slots, that's fine. I'll take them all.

And see, that really is all that is important. we are all individual, with different like and dislikes. I for one can appreciate that.

[71maligreen]

Originally Posted by izzy_Britton

NOT YET! but what is with the slots? they are hideously ugly in my opinion and beyond old school. I cannot believe the reaction of people on this thread about the wheels...

what is the story here? what am i missing? my brother has a set off his old square, 6 lug just been sitting in the backyard for 5-6 years, we were going to take them to the scrappy for beer money.

obviously they are worth more to others than to me, WHY?

-Izzy

because some of us children of the 70`s remember seeing all types of cars/trucks sporting slots and can appreciate the look of it!!!
if you were closer i would be all over those wheels!!!!

[86swb]

Well, anyway it makes the Government happy. It just is not right! Why destroy it if someone can restore it or at least use parts off of it. MO

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Both bound for the crusher but saved by me.
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[csdineley]

Every time I go to the junkyard I find something I wish I could save. For that matter, about once a week I also find something on Craigslist I'd like to save as well. Last week I found a late 70's Big Ten in pretty good shape. Just sitting in the back of the yard. Away from the other full sized trucks and behind the S10's and Ranger's. Also saw a longbed stepside chevy from the 60's. And that extended cab I posted a while back. On CL a few weeks ago I found a nice 87' suburban 3/4 ton with 454 for less then $1000. Just needed a transmission. Wife said no on that one.

[J.C. Corbett]

There 'ya go. Different tastes is what makes the hobby fun. Though the big wheel combos are the trend, and I must admit, they look great, it's cool that a few of us are building them the way they looked back then. It makes a great contrast at shows. My cars are all period correct, but building something with modern handling and braking is very tempting....

[bigd65]

As much as I hate to see these LOST SOULS go to the crusher... Imagine how much more our trucks will be worth in the future. I mean FOR GODS SAKE.. Did y'all see the SS CHEVELLE they tore up in the movie JACK REACHER.... I think I actually cried... The Black Camaro, although very nice as well, was spared and they total the SS CHEVELLE ?
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[86swb]

Yep, I saw that and also about cried. They do not care about saving these classics. I guess to them it is just an old car or truck.

[bigd65]

Well it should be ILLEGAL for them to destroy these cars that have been restored. I can understand the ones that are just earn out with cancer rust... Or beat to crap... But that was just SACRELIGIOUS to do that to that CHEVELLE....
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[izzy_Britton]

You must consider the source when thining about jack reacher and that chevelle. It was a nice car, wish i could have something remotely that nice...

Tom Cruise is a left wing nut job, like all left wingers and liberals they believe that global warming is real, cause by humans, and thus any car that is not a prius is a gross polluter. Most of hollywood is in this boat, leftists or liberal. and since it is hollywood they have the cash to destroy these cars that we all want to own simply because they can, personally i believe they do these things in the movies just to show you that they CAN. that movie would not have been any worse if cruise would have been driving a modern pickup truck, hot rodded as you could imagine. or even a reproduction car like a classic cobra or even a viper, pick any car that could have been substituted (and likely someone elsewhere would say the same about sacrilegious destruction of that vehicle).

Not to turn this discussion into a political one, but again, consider the source of the sacrilegious destruction you guys have mentioned.

-Izzy

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by izzy_Britton

You must consider the source when thining about jack reacher and that chevelle. It was a nice car, wish i could have something remotely that nice...

Tom Cruise is a left wing nut job, like all left wingers and liberals they believe that global warming is real, cause by humans, and thus any car that is not a prius is a gross polluter. Most of hollywood is in this boat, leftists or liberal. and since it is hollywood they have the cash to destroy these cars that we all want to own simply because they can, personally i believe they do these things in the movies just to show you that they CAN. that movie would not have been any worse if cruise would have been driving a modern pickup truck, hot rodded as you could imagine. or even a reproduction car like a classic cobra or even a viper, pick any car that could have been substituted (and likely someone elsewhere would say the same about sacrilegious destruction of that vehicle).

Not to turn this discussion into a political one, but again, consider the source of the sacrilegious destruction you guys have mentioned.

-Izzy

In my experience most of the movie cars are not that nice. They usually have one "hero" car - for up close/detail shots - and then several shoddy glommed together rust buckets glued together for the rest of the footage. You can often see continuity errors as they cut between the different cars if you watch closely.

I have a friend here who was the local representative for Carl Casper auto shows. He used to round up old Mopars and convert them into General Lee's, for use in the midwest region auto shows and then to be shipped out west for filming. By the end of the Duke's of Hazzard's run most of those cars were pretty nasty bondo'd up hoopties. He used to comment "...if you see a pink cloud of dust after the jump you'll know it was this car".

K

[dieseldawg142]

^^so true! my brother inlaw had a piece of crap '69 charger he was trying to restore, put a new fuel tank in it & got it running. a car scout then bought it for $12,000. my b.i.l. now has a framed picture from the studio of his charger jumping out of the back of a semi. (not the Dukes of hazzard)

[izzy_Britton]

And here is another that was more than BOUND for the crusher, it was actually in the mouth of the beast when the dude in the picture asked if he could have the headlight buckets and the grille before it was pancaked.



This is the reason for the guy wanting the headlight buckets and grille.. LOL



YEP! That is an 86 elco/chevelle headlamp mounting panel and all relevant parts slapped into the stock hole of his "baby". Looks like his truck swallowed a chevelle...



I had to get a photo of this, it was hard containing my laughter when talking to the guy. Later her thanked me for saving the headlights/grill for him. Never mind the fact i had nothing to do with it as this was at a recycler that we are not affiliated with, guess he was just happy to have the proper headlights for his truck, even if they were mounted upside down.

-Izzy

[izzy_Britton]

Originally Posted by izzy_Britton

...This is the reason for the guy wanting the headlight buckets and grille.. LOL



YEP! That is an 86 elco/chevelle headlamp mounting panel and all relevant parts slapped into the stock hole of his "baby". Looks like his truck swallowed a chevelle...

So I am thinking that this must be a fairly common mod on these trucks? adding the chevelle / elco front headlamp panel to the front of these? Today while driving home from a somewhat short road trip i seen another one. WTH?

-Izzy

[andrewmp6]

Its a el camino/malibu 78-81.

[bigd65]

IZZY, I surely agree with your point of view
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[KrazyRay]

If you can't save them from the crusher the next best thing is to extract all of the good parts to help the other trucks on the road to keep going.