Hidden 1,000-vehicle junkyard heading for the crusher?

Just east of Austin, Texas, sits 1,054 old American cars from the '40s, '50s and '60s, rusting in the elements and infested with rattlesnakes. Sometime today, a deal may be struck to crush what's not pure oxidation already.

http://m.jalopnik.com/5775744/hidden-1000+vehicle-junkyard-heading-for-the-crusher

I know this yard, though I've never been in it. About 10 years ago I worked for A/C Authority in Round Rock and we had a 57 Fairlane from Washington State with a cracked block. Need a new block and was told about this place. At the time you called the owner, an older guy, and made an appointment, and he'd walk you out there. From what I understood he was pretty eccentric.

I left messages but never could get the guy to call me back. I need to take a road trim out there and see if I can find this place. Always meant too back then, but eventually forgot about it.

-Mike

 

Looks like it is south of Taylor off of 95 a few miles.
Map coordinates are: 30.462947,-97.335593

600 County Road 464
Coupland, TX 78615

 

Man talk about hidden! I looked this up on Google Maps and it looks like this place sits WAYY off the road. You'd have to know it was there to find it.
Really cool how the plowed field goes right up to these. Man I'd love to go out there!

 

Texas i'd bet they are not totaly rusted out.

No paint left but restorable compared to the north.

 

Copied from the Mopar site:

The guy said there were rattlers and to be careful. Mostly Early 50's to late 60's cars. A deal is supposed to be struck Thursday to bring the Mobile car crusher out and destroy most of them. Most of the cars have a lot of rust for being sitting for 30+ years but there was millions of dollars in salvageable parts.

I got the doors from a 79 300 to perform the conversion to power windows on my Magnum.

You need to bring a shotgun and a pistol with you there to pull your parts. Some of the biggest Rattlers I've ever seen, everywhere under cars on that property. went out there to look at a specific car he had, but walked the field. It was almost sickening to see some of the cars that were just ruined.

If you look at the green arrow when you paste in 30.463581,-97.33366 That is two of the Old Thunderbolt Fords like run NSS.

30.462747,-97.335383 Is a 1955 Dodge Royal Lancer Two Door hardtop. That at one time was a beautiful car. It had 1966 License plates on it and came from a dealer in Lockhart Texas.

30.463624,-97.335472 All under these trees were 40"s and 50's trucks Studebaker, Larks, Buicks Pontiacs fords.... All rusted to crap, surface rust that ate to the core. If the guy would have put some of the cars on blocks they could have been saved...

It's just a shame.............My heart would have stopped for a Bubble top Ventura.

The guy showing me around said he had to do the count and they had 1054 Cars back there (he also had another field that was going later)

Anyway 1054 cars at $200.00 in weight wholesale that's $210,000, that's IF he is only getting $200 a car. The guy said they were bringing a mobile crusher to crush them on the spot and then load them up unto 18 wheelers to get the to the metal yard.

 

One of the guys on my Cutlass group that lives in Bastrop drove out and was allowed to look around this place. He's only posted four pics so far, but it gives you a good idea of what the cars look like in person. Will post more as he sends them.




About what I thought, the sun burns off the paint and cars get surface rust, but still stay pretty solid. Would LOVE to go look around myself...it's only 20-mins away!
-Mike

 

I love that chrome siren on that one truck's fender.
Man he's only getting $200 per car to crush those. That hood on that old Chevy from Watson Feed is worth $200 on Ebay alone. Imagine if you had a was to part those out and ship the stuff up for the Carlisle or Hershey swap meets. You could make a mint!

 

A few weeks back going price was 11.5 cents per pound for scrap.A 4000lbs car would bring $460.

 

Some people just have no idea what value is left is a rusty car

this car still had over $900 worth of parts in it.

rust can = gold

 

that'll buff out!

 

LOL, maybe a little rubbing compound.

 

Read mah lipz mike

AH DON'T DO SNAKEZ NOT EVEN WHILE WARIN' STEEL UNDERWARE AND LEGONZ:banana:BTW, CRUISE DOWN TO LA GRANGE AN SEE IF THAT YARD ACROSS FROM THE CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP ON SR71 IZ STILL THERE. HE HIT AH 1000 IN THE HEAD IN '97 AND THAT ONLY LEFT ANOTHER 1000 THAT HE HAD NO PLANS TO SEND TO CHINA. I LEFT 'BOUT 3 DZ '68-'70 MUSCLE MOPARS WHEN I LEFT THAT LOOKED LIKE THEY COULD BE DRIVEN OUT AH THE PLACE......AN AH NEVER SAW AH SLITHER CRITTER W/TEETH TIMEZ WAISTIN' FER THAT YARD THO'. ANOTHER MONTH AN THE WEEDZ'LL BE UP SO HIGH YOU'LL NEED TAH TAKE AH BRUSH HAWG WITH YAH JUST TAH SEE 'UM

 

Man, some of the trim still seems spotless on some cars... And indeed although the paint has been burned off, a lot of the bodywork is still solid and well, always a lot better than having nothing!
I hope there's something that can be done to save this immense treasure trove. It seems to me like a good investment! Scrap what is worthless, and catalogue and store the rest. Hm and do something about the rattlers ofcourse (glad to be living in the Netherlands in that respect, no poisonous critters at all!), have the snakes relocated or something.
Ah, if I had the money...

 

From the google earth picutres, the yard looks pretty organized. From the 4 shots, a lot of parts look like they are in pretty good shape, as mentioned. Any word of anyone selling any parts before the crusher gets them? There maybe 1/4 to 1/2 million in scrap money there, but I bet there is 3 million in parts!! I'm wondering if the snakes hibernate during the winter there. It would be worth the wait. I bet he has about 100 Chevys I could use. Way too far for me though.

Bill

 

UPDATE! Cars SAVED!

Good News! Classic Salvage yard cars saved from the crusher.

Those vehicles are not going to the crusher after all. They're going to auction in Bastrop TX on two seperate dates. 50+ years of collecting vehicles from the 30s to the 80s. Those old trucks are part of the second auction. The first auction will have some really cool stuff too.

The following links are a work in progress so they're missing some info.

Pics of vehicles in first auction on April 30th; http://s1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa379/bastropcarauction/

some pics of the second in May; http://s1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa379/bastropcarauction/second%20auction%20in%20May/

This is the official link with pics of tools, vehicles, parts and other stuff for sale; http://clydeclardy.com/

The first auction has a 79 W30/442 and another cutlass

Not pictured in the second auction are two cutlass's and a 78-79 4door lemans. One of the cutlass's has tinted windows and has excellent interior (for Texas) except for the dash.

-Mike