Approximately 30 years ago, Brian Nagel was in the fifth grade when his family moved to Little Rock, Ark., and entered the auto salvage business. Brian is now the day-to-day manager of A-Auto Salvage while his dad, Terry, is semi-retired, but still checks in regularly.

At its start, the business was on two lots separated by a tow yard. The Nagels wanted to combine the lots into one contiguous salvage yard and soon were able to purchase the tow lot. Now all of the yard is joined together. There were several buildings included with the tow yard purchase, and those now house parts and some special vehicles, including a pristine red 1972 Ford LTD two-door hardtop owned by Brian’s mom, a bright yellow Fairlane race car, a rat-rod and others.

A-Auto does not ship vehicles or parts. The salvage yard is a you-pull-it operation, so if you see a vehicle in the photos that might have the part you need, you’ll need to check it out and remove it yourself. Upon request, yard personnel will pull larger items such as engines, transmissions and suspension parts.

Through the years, the business has grown and its services have expanded. Today, it not only offers used auto parts, but it also sells new and used tires, provides mechanical work and sells used cars and trucks.

Counter personnel are Kendra and Kevin. Kendra began working as a tire changer and has moved to parts sales. Kevin is very familiar with the yard inventory and can direct customers where to find vehicles that may have a requested part.

On the warm, early spring morning that we visited, there were a lot of customers roaming the yard and bringing their finds to the office to check out.  We noticed a rotor-and-hub assembly, donut spares and miscellaneous small parts continuously going out the door.  Outdoor yard personnel were busy moving newly arrived vehicles around with a forklift and prepping other vehicles to get them ready for parts removal.

A sizable number of older vehicles are clustered in a brushy area near the back fence. Other oldies are mixed in with newer vehicles. There are a half-dozen or so vehicles locked in a side yard to keep the parts hunters at bay.  Nagel says he would prefer to sell these older cars as a unit, if possible, and that several vehicles have been designated to have absolutely no parts removed from them. When asked, Kendra stated that they used to get a lot more older vehicles than they do now. Lately, they have only gotten two or three a year, but in other recent years, eight or ten would annually enter the yard.

A-Auto Salvage has a web page and a Facebook page. Hours are 9 to 5 on weekdays and 9 to 1 on Saturdays. 

A-Auto Salvage
6623 Colonel Glenn Road
Little Rock, AR 72209
501-562-8862
www.a-autosalvage.com
Aautosalvage@outlook.com

Love looking at diamonds in the rough? her a re a few more salvage articles for your reading enjoyment.

https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/parts-projects-arkansas-reynolds-collection

https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/parts-projects-prout-auto-parts-garage

https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/parts-projects-wyomings-auto-truck-recyclers

If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

Want a taste of Old Cars magazine first? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter and get a FREE complimentary digital issue download of our print magazine.

The post Parts & Projects: Big hulks in Little Rock – A-Auto Salvage appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Down a rarely traveled dead-end gravel road just outside the small town of Centerville, Ark., is what appears to be a shuttered salvage yard overtaken by trees and brush. Appearances can be misleading, and that is the case with this forgotten-looking salvage yard, which has many vintage vehicles and parts available for purchase.

W. L. “Bill” Reynolds started collecting worn-out vehicles when he was a teenager. He loved cars and learned how to work on them and soon opened a garage where customers often brought vehicles for repair. As time went on, the collection of worn-out vehicles increased to the point a salvage yard developed. After Reynolds passed away in early 2022, his wife and their son, Doug, continued to operate the yard on a part-time basis without regular hours. Yard maintenance was put on the back burner except for the access lanes, hence its abandoned appearance.

We found about 200 vehicles in the yard, mostly from the 1950s through the 1970s. There is a row of air-cooled Volkswagen Beetles that would make great parts cars, and there may even be a project or two in the bunch. We found at least two dozen Chevy LUV and early S-10 pickup trucks, including several with four-wheel drive and/or diesel engines. There is a row of a half-dozen 1947-’53 Chevy pickups. Other collectible vehicles noted include a Datsun 280Z, a Bronco, two Camaros, Geo Trackers and a pair of Opel Olympia station wagons that are best suited for parts. A couple of ski boats from the 1960s are in the yard, including one that has a Chrysler 45 outboard motor.

Doug and his mother have recently decided that they would like to dispose of the vintage vehicles. If a part is needed off certain vehicles, and the buyer has the tools and skill to remove it, removal can be completed by the buyer. Doug does not remove or ship parts or ship vehicles.

The vehicles are located on an overgrown prairie that is flat and does not drain well, so removing and loading vehicles after a prolonged rainy period or during some winter months might be impossible. We visited the premises on a late-spring day and found standing water, so if visiting during a rainy period, wear waterproof boots. Be aware that many of the vehicles are hard to access due to the brush and trees that have grown around them, plus some are parked very close together.

The yard is open by appointment only and is closed to un-escorted browsing. Doug advises that if you are found on the premises without permission, you will be asked to leave in no uncertain terms and will lose the chance to purchase a vehicle or parts. “Keep Out” signs are visible from the gravel road fronting the property to serve as a warning.

Call Doug Reynolds’s number below to plan a visit or to inquire about vehicles.

Reynolds Collection
10404 Community Road
Dardanelle, AR 72834
479-264-4269

Love looking at salvage yard cars? Here are a few more articles for your reading enjoyment.

Ever wonder what your classic ride is worth? Old Cars Price Guide is now online! Check it out and join to get the unbiased and real-world pricing on classic cars. You get pricing anytime, anyplace on your phone, tablet or computer.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

The post Parts & Projects: Arkansas’ Reynolds Collection appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Rodriguez said the salvage yard covers about 50 acres and has approximately 3,000 vehicles. There are 300 or so “classics” grouped in their own section. The dry climate has been kind to old vehicles, and while there is plenty of surface rust, most frames and body panels are solid. In this area, annual precipitation averages just 7-10 inches, which has helped the metal remain in relatively good condition.

If you’re looking for old International parts, L & M has a large selection of Scouts and pickups. There were also several big International trucks during our visit. We didn’t count the Corvairs in stock, but it seemed like every time we turned around, another was nestled in the brush. We only saw three or four “Tri-Five” Chevys, yet there are several full-size AMC vehicles in the yard. The Cadillac inventory appeared light, but the yard did have an interesting (but rough) ’67 Cadillac made into an El Camino-type pickup truck. The import car selection is minimal, but there are a few Volkswagens and at least one Porsche.

According to L & M’s Facebook page, visitors are encouraged to walk the yard. It suggests visitors look for parts for non-automotive uses, such as man-cave decorations and furnishings. (Other salvage owners have reported that many customers are buying old vehicle parts for decorative purposes.) On the business’s Facebook page are examples of auto parts that have been re-purposed into couches, beds, bookcases, light fixtures and more. Indeed, doors and vehicle noses make great wall-hangings, and wheel covers can make great clocks. An old hulk makes great yard art or flower-garden art that can be decorated according to the season, and an old rusty and decrepit vehicle parked in front of a business with the business name on it will get noticed and perhaps bring in new customers.

Un-escorted browsing is allowed, and visitors can remove parts. Rodriguez says the business will ship parts to anywhere in the United States. The salvage yard also sells new and used tires and will mount them for customers.

The yard is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

L&M Auto Salvage
Address: 8451 Rd 8 S, Alamosa, CO 81101
Hours: Mon. – Fri. 8am-noon, 1pm -5pm, Sat. 8am-Noon
Phone: (719) 589-3604

If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

Want a taste of Old Cars magazine first? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter and get a FREE complimentary digital issue download of our print magazine.

The post Parts & Projects: L&M Auto of Colorado appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Having had a father who dragged home Pontiac and Buick parts cars when he was a kid, it’s not surprising Old Cars reader Chad Ehrlich eventually made the parts business a career. Always being around cars while working with his dad eventually led Ehrlich to start a yard in Great Bend, Kan., in 2011, which goes by the unique name Nobody Else’s Auto. Until she recently left for college, Ehrlich’s daughter, Addie, was also a big part of Nobody Else’s Auto, making it a three-generation hobby.

The inventory of Nobody Else’s Auto contains nearly 2,000 vehicles, mostly vintage and mostly ranging from the 1940s to the 1980s, but there are many vehicles from the 1920s and 1930s, as well as 1990s and 2000s. Cars and trucks are neatly arranged in rows spread over 20 acres. The yard is not open to browsing, but much of the inventory can be seen on Ehrlich’s YouTube channels (Nobody’s Show) and Facebook page (Nobody Else’s Auto). If a customer sees a part they need, they must call him by phone to complete their purchase and verify their part need.

“There are so many variables with these old vehicles that a short phone call is the only way I can ensure you are looking for the right part you need,” Ehrlich says.

Customers calling with a part request must identify their car’s year, make, model and body style, and the specific name of the part they need. In addition to parts sales, Ehrlich also sells whole cars and trucks.

Besides his phone sales, Ehrlich sells many parts on eBay with as many as 1,400 items listed at one time. As a result, he’s well equipped to ship parts to customers all over the world.

Ehrlich also hosts a popular weekly YouTube video program that provides further insight into his business, as well as the hobby in general.

Nobody Else’s Auto
522 Morton St. (mailing address)
322 N. US Hwy 281 (physical address)
Great Bend, KS 67530
https://www.youtube.com/c/NobodysShow
www.facebook.com/nobodyelsesauto
620-793-3557
620-786-4428 (mobile)
cse2@yahoo.com

If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

Have you ever wondered what your classic ride is worth? Old Cars has you covered with the Old Cars Report Price Guide. We are your source for unbiased and real-world pricing. Subscribe today and find out what your car is really worth! CLICK HERE to subscribe.

*As an Amazon Associate, Old Cars earns from qualifying purchases.

The post Parts & Projects: Nobody Else’s Auto appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Add Reedsburg Salvage to the lengthy list of yards that have fallen victim to urban sprawl.

The 10-acre property comprising the salvage yard and scrap metal business, located on Main Street (Highway 33) in Reedsburg, Wis., has been sold, according to its current owners. Once the yard’s inventory has been cleared out this summer, the property will be divided in half. The south parcel will become a bypass road to divert semi-trucks from traveling on Main Street. The north parcel will have a franchise gas station/convenience store built on it.

Owned and operated by the Steinhorst family since 1966, Reedsburg Salvage—a.k.a. Jake’s Junkyard Auto Salvage—is believed to have been started in the 1950s, according to Korrie Steinhorst. He, along with brothers Brente and Traye, took over ownership of the business after their father, Roger “Jake” Steinhorst, passed away several years ago.

The yard actually began operation across the street from its current location. It was moved in 1972, and grew to an inventory of 1,200 vehicles, according to Steinhorst. Of that total, he estimated 25 percent is vintage, going back to the mid-1940s. He added that crushing vehicles to clear the property is already underway. Currently, the most damaged/stripped late-model cars and trucks are being compacted, while the vintage inventory will go last to give old car hobbyists time to visit the yard and get what’s needed before it, too, is gone.

Steinhorst explained he would like to sell the rare and/or complete vehicles as whole, but there’s no shortage of parts-donor cars and trucks. He said there are no titles for vehicles, and those sold whole would be done on a bill of sale. Also, the yard has the equipment to load vehicles on trailers.

At this time, Steinhorst said, there is no shipping of parts available. Customers are allowed in the yard to look around, but parts removal is by permission only.

The yard’s inventory includes some rare stock. Among the most desirable are a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad hardtop station wagon (without drivetrain), ’55 Pontiac Star Chief Custom Safari hardtop station wagon (without drivetrain), ’70s Lancia Fulvia Rallye coupe, ’67 Chevy Impala SS convertible with a 396-cid V-8 and four-speed transmission, ’70s AM General Postal Jeep with right-hand drive, ’58 Chevy Delray two-door sedan and ’55 Chevy One-Fifty panel delivery.

The inventory’s single category depth is most apparent among 1955-’57 Chevys, including many two-door examples; post-’75 pickups; ’70s Chevy Novas; early Mustangs; and “barge size” General Motors sedans spanning the ’60s and ’70s that are craved by the demo derby crowd.

Walking among the yard’s wide, dirt aisles, vehicles of same manufacturer are somewhat grouped together. The problem now until the yard ceases operation is the thick weeds and brush growing around many vehicles that hampers all-around viewing unless going into “jungle safari” mode.

While touring the yard, Steinhorst pointed out the property’s tall, corrugated steel “beauty” fence while reminiscing about he and his family’s 56 years of ownership of Reedsburg Salvage.

“That (fence) was paid for by the government. It was part of the Highway Beautification Act,” the 1965 brainchild of Ladybird Johnson, the wife of then-President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Summing up all his years spent working at Reedsburg Salvage Steinhorst stated wistfully, “It’s going to be hard,” adjusting to the yard’s closing.

To contact the yard, morning phone calls are encouraged, Monday through Friday, at 608-524-3612 or use mailing address: Reedsburg Salvage, 1690 E. Main St., Reedsburg, WI 53959.

If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

Want a taste of Old Cars magazine first? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter and get a FREE complimentary digital issue download of our print magazine.

The post Urban sprawl strikes again! appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Ronnie Ramsey of Newport, Tenn., began collecting junk cars and trucks when he was in his early twenties. Since then, he has amassed an amazing inventory of more than 500 vehicles, mostly from the 1940s to the 1980s. During that period, he also worked at a tire recapping shop in Newport, and did mechanic work.

We arrived at Ronnie’s Old Cars & Trucks on a foggy and mild late-winter morning and spent more than five hours trekking through the yard. We accomplished viewing just 70 percent of the yard. We even skipped lunch to photograph as many vehicles as possible in the time we had, so a return trip may be warranted. Ronnie, who is in his mid-seventies, accompanied us every step of the way and gave a running commentary on the vehicles we were photographing. Ronnie loves to talk about his old cars and trucks and has a great memory of where and when he acquired most of the vehicles. He can even remember the odometer reading on some of them. One unidentifiable, rough carcass of a vehicle was described by Ronnie as a ’40 Ford coupe modified with a truck bed and used by a local moonshiner.

If you’re into big trucks, there are several General Motors and Ford cab-overs from the 1940s and ’50s for sale. If you’re interested in Tri-five Chevys, he has several that can be bought as projects, and others from which parts can be removed. There are three Corvettes in the yard, and Ronnie says his oldest vehicle is a 1922 model. Several vehicles were bought at out-of-state auctions, some as far away as Detroit where Ronnie has frequently driven to buy vehicles. Some vehicles will only be sold as complete units.

The yard is dotted with old buses, motor homes and mobile homes, and all are crammed full of loose parts. Ronnie knows which parts are where and how many he has of certain hard-to-find parts. In the back of a pickup, we peeked under some tarps and saw at least four or five engines. Some bigger parts such as doors, trunk lids and hoods have been removed and are stacked alongside vehicles, ready to be picked up. Ronnie says if needed, he can probably ship smaller parts. If you want big parts or a whole vehicle, you’ll need to pick them up in person or arrange shipping.

Yard rules include that no parts can be removed by a customer. Cars are crushed only when every usable part has been removed. When asked about yard hours, Ronnie replied “24-7.” Ronnie and his wife live on the premises and are there most of the time. Ronnie suggests that you call before visiting the yard to make sure they are home.

Like many yard operators, Ronnie has vehicles that he will not sell and that includes a nice rust-free, California-built ’57 Chevrolet Bel Air station wagon and a 1936 Ford panel truck that he plans to restore. Another keeper is a Model T Ford that he “almost has running.”

Ronnie’s Old Cars & Trucks
1075 Golf Course Road (physical)
P. O. Box 681 (mailing address)
Newport, TN 37822
423-608-3764

*As an Amazon Associate, Old Cars earns from qualifying purchases. 

The post Parts & Projects: Ronnie’s Old Cars & Trucks appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

When out exploring parts yards in Texas, I have learned to expect the unexpected.

Traveling on Highway 87 south of Shamrock, Texas — home of the famous restored art deco Conoco station on Historic Route 66 — we pulled into Wellington and found Owens Salvage Co. Inc. Greeting us was “Flat-top” Bob Owens, who basically grew up on this property. In 1964, two years before Bob was born, his father opened a combination automotive and light commercial repair station and parts yard. As a kid, Bob learned the ins and outs of the industry and really took a liking to all things mechanical. By the early 1990s, his father had spawned another successful business dealing with the sales and salvage of major industrial vehicles ranging from bulldozers and road graders to large pieces of farm equipment. As that end of the business grew, the day-to-day operation of the original yard was turned over to the son.

More than just a parts yard kid, Bob is a genuine enthusiast and on the side, he does a bit of building and some restoration work for which he has won nation-wide acclaim. He still loves vintage cars and enjoys meeting and talking with like-minded enthusiasts. After checking in and finding out the history of his business, Bob handed us the keys to the yard truck, a very tired but dependable Chevrolet Tahoe. We needed it. Spread out across 40 acres are about 1500 vehicles. Many of these cars and trucks were here when his father started the yard more than 55 years ago. Bob doesn’t believe in crushing cars, even when the price of scrap iron goes sky high, so there’s plenty of vintage iron.

“Back when the yard was just starting and into the 1970s, we did have a crusher come to the yard,” Bob said. “That is how that one car got parked out front, the blue-and-white ‘cube!’”

Bob explained that car had could not be fitted onto a load of other cars taken to the “mill,” so it has been kept around as a souvenir ever since. There are other memories from Bob’s past in the yard. We drove past a twisted and mangled wad of sheet metal and iron encased in the remains of an old oak tree. On my third pass of this wreck, I finally recognized a part: a 1958 Edsel dashboard! Getting out, I looked in amazement at how this heap of steel had gotten that way.

“The Edsel was parked in front of our house in 1969,” Bob explained. “Over the years, the oak tree kind of grew up next to the car and over the years it kind of expanded into the Edsel. I thought it was a work of nature’s art and was going to leave it like that until about 10 years ago when a tornado came to visit, hit the tree and took it and the Edsel with it! At that point I just loaded it all up and brought it to the yard where it will probably remain for decades to come.”

A few years back, Bob and his wife relocated to custom living quarters right at the parts yard. Behind the façade of junked cars they have a beautiful home, and his attached workshop is decorated and stocked with what Bob really loves: custom-built rods and a fantastic display of memorabilia. The best part for Bob is that his commute to work is just steps away.

The variety of vehicles at Owens Auto Salvage is pretty complete with a few 1940s, a good number of 1950s, plenty from the 1960s and a growing population from the 1970s and 1980s. Most of the cars come from the dry climates of the Texas Panhandle where surface rust is about the worst corrosion you might find. Over the years, many of the vehicles have been stripped clean, but as “Flat-top” Bob estimates, for every car in his yard, there are four to five others with parts from his yard that are still on the road. However, there are plenty of good parts still to be found and yes, our tools did come out of the box. And yes, we did buy a few parts for our own projects.

In addition to the cars in the field, there is rack upon rack filled with complete engines and transmissions and other sub-assemblies. “Flat-top” Bob has also acquired a large amount of NOS parts and you never know what treasures you might find here. We also checked the outdoor racks that held complete front clips (hoods, fenders, grilles, etc.) as well as complete vehicles destined for project cars.

Prices were reasonable, especially considering they are becoming harder to find, and Bob is fun to deal with. His customer base comes from around the world with daily shipments going all over the United States as well as to patrons in Europe and many of the Pacific Rim countries such as Australia, New Zealand and even Japan.

Now, about the unexpected. Sharing the field with the vintage cars are several head of cattle. At one point we spotted a mama cow making a lot of commotion. Her young calf had become entangled in a chain-link fence. My friend and I are city slickers and the only way we like our beef is medium rare. But knowing this little guy was in trouble, we set about freeing the calf. (He was a bit too rare for our taste.) Mama wasn’t too sure of our motives, but once her baby was free and able to join her, the two wandered off and we are sure she was scolding her baby about going into strange places.

Owens Salvage Co. Inc. is open six days a week. From Monday to Friday, the hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Time. On Saturday, “Flat-top” Bob likes to sleep in, so the doors are open from 9 a.m. and usually close around 1 p.m. He likes his evenings free so he can hang with some of his friends, a rather notorious group known in the Wellington area as the Road Rockets. This is kind of a throwback group that really loves their cars and loves driving them on Texas’ wide-open highways.

When he’s not enjoying time behind the wheel with his fellow Road Rockets, “Flat-top” Bob is active on Facebook and maintains the yard’s website at www.owenssalvage.com.

Owens Salvage Co. Inc.
3725 U.S. Hwy 83
Wellington, TX 79095
800-798-2581
flattopbob32@gmail.com 

*As an Amazon Associate, Old Cars earns from qualifying purchases.

The post Texas Iron appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Back in the mid 1970s, a 15-year-old boy followed his brother to a local Spokane parts yard and helped him get some needed items for a Ford Model T restoration. There was an immediate fascination with this magical yard, and now more than 45 years later, Tom Carnegie is still mesmerized by the Antique Auto Ranch.

The yard’s original owner saw something in that young kid and asked him if he would like to come to work at the ranch. Then, when the original owner decided to retire in the mid ’80s, he asked the young Carnegie if he was interested in buying the business. The answer was “yes” and ever since, this spot has been the go-to place for Model T Fords. In addition, there’s a wide assortment of other old cars on the property.

Antique Auto Ranch was first established in 1964 on the ground of what had been a large chicken farm. Many of the cars in the yard have been here since the ’70s and if you’re willing to dig around, you never known what you will find. In the back of the lot sits a long-abandoned house that used to be the residence of the chicken farmer. Today, this ramshackle abode is home to thousands of parts such as generators, carburetors, starter motors and other unsorted and uncataloged mechanical items. The building most likely provides shelter for some wildlife, too, which limited our own exploration interests.

For Carnegie, the parts yard operation is really a sideline; his real interest is in the restoration and preservation of the Model T Ford, and his expertise is known around the world. Customers often seek out Carnegie’s skills and that keeps him pretty busy.

For Carnegie, Ford’s T isn’t just a job, it is an all-consuming passion and he is really at the top of his game, especially when it comes to the famous Montana 500, a three-day endurance race for Model T Fords. There are specific criteria on how the cars in this race are set up with only minor modifications being undertaken. Being a timed event, speed isn’t the most important factor, but reliability and driver stamina is. For the 60th run of the Montana 500 ending on June 24, 2020, the winner was Tom Carnegie. This was his 24th year of competition dating back to 1975 and his 8th overall first-place win. His older brother Rick is also a regular competitor with his first entry being back in 1972!

During our recent visit to the Antique Auto Ranch, we found Carnegie working diligently on the restoration of several Model T engines and their novel planetary transmission. Most of his business today comes from rebuilding these venerable engines and other mechanical components. He also provides quite a few Model T reproduction and replacement parts, and his customer base comes from nearly every continent.

Another facet of the Antique Auto Ranch is its Monday night get-together that Carnegie hosts for local Model T owners. It is a chance for those who share Carnegie’s passion to come and learn from the master. Several of the regulars are also participants in the Montana 500 race.

While exploring the yard, we found some very old parts including a stack of original Model T frames, engines, rear axles and other items to form the basis of a restoration, or the next Montana 500 contender. The mix of parts also includes vehicles built well after the Model T Ford. Other vehicles we spotted ranged mostly from the late 1940s to the mid 1960s with nothing newer.

The eye candy isn’t just in the salvage yard or even in Carnegie’s shop. Parked in the yard during our visit was a Model T roadster pickup that Carnegie says he uses to run parts around the Spokane Valley. He also has several cars that he rotates as daily drivers and not surprisingly, they are all Model Ts. He runs them year-round, and it can get mighty cold in Washington State’s eastern region with temperatures often running well below zero degrees.

Now comes the tricky part: setting up a visit to the Antique Auto Ranch. As stated earlier, Carnegie spends most of his days working on the restoration and rebuilding of engines and other components. Like any craftsman, he relishes in the solitude that he finds in that labor. For that reason, Antique Auto Ranch is open just two days a week for customers to visit: Carnegie welcomes visitors each Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On rare occasion, an out-of-town customer can call ahead and make an appointment to visit.

Today, most of Carnegie’s parts business is handled through the internet and he does have an assistant that helps package and ship parts to eager customers around the world.

Antique Auto Ranch
2225 N. Dollar Rd.
Spokane Valley, WA 99212
509-535-7789
www.antiqueautoranch.com

*As an Amazon Associate, Old Cars earns from qualifying purchases.  

The post Model T Heaven in Washington appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

The attached pictures from 1988 show a junkyard that my car buddy, Tom Kitchen, and I were able to buy some neat cars out of. I had a rollback wrecker back then that made it very easy to drag the cars out.

This yard was located in West Dayton, Ohio, and had more convertibles than any I was ever in. Ernie, the owner, was at a point that he would not sell any parts off the cars, so Tom and I bought four complete cars. Tom even got a 1964 Ford Fairlane “K code” Sport Coupe with factory four-speed. I fondly remember a 1962 Thunderbird parts car with factory air and a 1966 Fairlane that I bought from the yard.

By the early ’90s, the yard was cleaned out and gone.

*As an Amazon Associate, Old Cars earns from qualifying purchases.  

The post Bygone Junkyard appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Throughout many years of road tripping through western Arkansas, I would pass a body shop/used car lot with an old car or two out front. The business is located on the northeast corner of the intersection of State Highway 22 and State Highway 109, which is also the location of the Arkansas Champion Western Soapberry tree. Designated by a plaque at its base, the Soapberry tree provides much-needed shade on the lot during hot Arkansas summers. More often than not, I would stop at the shop and further explore, usually finding a couple more salvage cars, parts cars or builders behind the body shop. In the last year or so, the old car inventory has increased by about tenfold and most of the old vehicles are now parked across the highway in a previously vacant lot.

Mark Varnell says he’s been in business for 31 years at this location. He used to work on customer cars in the body shop, but has retired from those duties. Varnell now uses the shop to work on some of his own projects that include a 1947 Ford sedan, a ’66 Ford truck and an ’86 Chevy pickup that he’s turning into a hot rod. During my visit last year, Varnell said he would like to slow down, sell everything and completely retire in the near future.

Even though some of the collection of old cars appear to be salvage cars, Varnell says no parts can be removed from any of them. He will sell the complete vehicle either as a parts car or a project car. If you need your purchase shipped, you will need to make the shipping arrangements.

When asked how and where he acquired the old vehicles, Varnell says several of them came from local people who just wanted to get rid of them. They would load them up and bring them by and Varnell would make an offer to buy them. Others came in a package deal. A few of the vehicles are failed projects because the previous owner ran out of money or interest. Some of those failed projects appear to have needed work that far exceeded the skills possessed by the owner.

The old vehicle inventory does not lean towards any certain make or model, but does include a wide variety of cars and a few trucks. There are about ten imports available; the oldest vehicle is a 1920 American LaFrance fire truck. Some of the vehicles were driven in and parked, but they haven’t been started since. Others will run and drive, and among these projects is a straight 1956 Lincoln Capri that is loaded with options including factory air conditioning.

The business is located at 13201 State Highway 22 in the small community of Midway, which is six miles west of New Blaine and six miles east of Subiaco (hence the name Midway). Business hours are 8 to 5, Monday through Friday. Note that Varnell’s mailing address is different.

Mark Varnell’s Auto Sales

Physical address:
13201 State Highway 22
Midway, AR 72651

Mail address:
11057 Old Military Road
Subiaco, AR 72865
Phone: 479-970-3690

*As an Amazon Associate, Old Cars earns from qualifying purchases.  

The post Arkansas Projects appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.