Diversity: Little Valley Auto Ranch much more than a salvage yard

Story and photos by Ron Kowalke

In personal finances and in business, diversity is often critical for success. Having only one core product or focus invites failure in lean times. This pursuit of diversity has served Dan Barkley and his wife, Dee, well for 30 years as the operators of Little Valley Auto Ranch (LVAR) in Belton, Texas.

The 10-acre property houses 500 vintage salvage vehicles, but also encompasses a restoration shop and a thriving collector car sales outlet. Three times annually (April, July and November), the Barkleys also open the property to vendors and host swap meets on the grounds. Diversity also plays a part in these meets, as Dan Barkley said, “We get a little bit of everything ­from Model T’s to street rods.”

Since the economy tanked several years ago, the multiple facets of business within LVAR meant the company didn’t need to rely solely on the salvage operation to remain profitable.

“The [salvage] business has slacked off the past two to three years. [Because of that], we redefined our operation,” Barkley noted. He said the salvage lot once contained 800 vehicles, but approximately 300 vehicles Barkley described as “low-dollar stuff” were culled out.

“In the old days,there were lots of cars in backyards.” That’s no longer the case. “The salvage business is different today.”

No matter how much the salvage business has changed over time, location is still important. It seems that Barkley nailed that part. LVAR’s acreage is adjacent to Belton’s major thoroughfare, Highway 190, so the collector vehicles for sale and staged in rows out front get plenty of eyeballs every day from passersby.

“I bought this place 30 years ago,” Barkley said, “and started from scratch. Geographically, it’s perfect. It’s in the center of Texas, [no more than] two hours from every major city.”
Barkley has titles for most of the vehicles for sale out front, but if one doesn’t exist, it’s not a problem. Continuing the diversification theme, he added, “I have a title company, so I can [always] get a title.”

Weaning from the salvage business the past few years, Barkley’s restoration shop has become the focus going forward. “We specialize in 1950s Chevrolet restorations,” Barkley said of the business he operates under the banner of American Hot Rodz. “I [also] do a few street rods.”

To feed the need for parts to restore all of those ’50s Chevys, LVAR’s salvage lot has a depth of those cars, primarily four-door Tri-Chevys. The lot also has plenty of 1950s and ’60s General Motors cars (especially Buicks), and quite a few ’50s Willys Jeep station wagons. Most of these vehicles are rust free and offer restoration-quality body panels. Throughout the salvage lot and out front, there are also many piles and stacks of rust-free body panels such as doors, fenders and hoods.

Customers are allowed in the salvage lot, but they must stay on the aisles that run between the rows of vehicles. The lot is flat and vehicles are staged randomly, rather than by any particular make or model. Vehicles are sometimes partially obscured by scrub brush, but overall accessibility is good. LVAR has five employees, according to Barkley, who stressed, “We pull all parts.” He added that shipping parts is also available by appointment.

Car clubs are welcome to tour LVAR with a prior appointment. The business is open year-round, and hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

To view what collector vehicles are currently for sale at LVAR, visit their website at www.americanhotrodz.com. (Additional images also are included below.)

Barkley also admits to having a passion for the variety collector vehicle hobby offers. “I love all old cars,” he said. “I’ve been in [this] business for 40 years and pretty much know everything.”

LVAR
(postal mailing address)
Little Valley Auto Ranch
1151 Wheat Rd.
Belton, TX 76513
PH: 254-939-8548
FAX: 254-933-2877
E: texasexports2000@cs.com

More scenes from the salvage yard:

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Story and photos by Jeff ‘Titus’ Bloedorn

A few months ago, I was in Annandale, Minn., visiting French Lake Auto Parts (FLAP), my favorite junk yard. FLAP has thousands of vintage cars and millions of parts, and the owners are always adding old cars to replenish the stock. In my frequent trips, I have gotten to know Skip Nolan, the owner of the yard. Skip is a second-generation junk yard operator, as FLAP was started by his father, Floyd, in the 1950s.

Skip often tells me about leads on cars he’s buying for the yard’s inventory. On a recent trip, Skip mentioned he was in the process of buying a private collection of cars that numbered in the 250-vehicle range. He had bought some cars from the collector in the past, and now the owner had decided he wasn’t getting any younger and he would sell off many of the cars so they could be saved or parted.

The owner of the car collection had a job that required him to travel, and on his endeavors, he would sometimes purchase cars and then drive them or have them hauled home. Therefore, a lot of the cars were out-of-state cars and good solid projects, not the typical rusty vehicles found in Minnesota.

Skip shared a list of the vehicles that he would be securing from the collector, and there were several very rare and interesting cars. Included in the collection is a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, one of 704 built from 1957-’58. There was also a 1956 De Soto Adventurer with a 345-cid Hemi with dual four-barrels and a 1956 Chrysler 300-B that has documentation to prove it was Jack Chrysler’s personal car. Other rare cars from the collection include a 1956 Continental Mark II, 1962-’63 Ferrari 250 GTE, early-postwar Chrysler Town and Countrys, more than half a dozen Chrysler Airflows plus 1950s Packards, many other finned Mopars, Cadillac Eldorados and other rarities.

I noticed a 1935 Ford coupe on the list and mentioned to Skip that when he purchased the vehicles, I’d be interested in it.

A few weeks went by and I didn’t hear from Skip. Another month went by and still nothing. Finally, I made another trip to FLAP in search of parts for my wife’s ’59 Olds, and on that trip, I asked Skip if he had heard anything on the collection. There was indeed some news — Skip had a more sound deal worked out and had arranged to start loading the cars in two weeks. I reminded him of my interest in the ’35 Ford.

A couple weeks later, Skip called.

“Hey, if you wanna look at the ’35, you’re welcome to come out.” Naturally, I hooked up the trailer to drive to the collection. Upon arriving, I was astonished at all the neat and amazing cars that were being staged in a field for loading. I couldn’t get too nosey, because the owner didn’t know me and was recently turned off by people. He had encountered theft from his collection, which I learned was another reason he wanted to let go of some cars.

I met up with Skip’s friend Mike Carrols, who was helping identify and number the cars. Carrols walked me over to look at the ’35 coupe and then told me they found another coupe body in the collection. I looked over the cars and made a deal to purchase both.

The drive wasn’t too bad, so after I unloaded the first Ford at my house, I went back for my second prize find. When I returned to the collection, I came upon a few semis waiting to be loaded. Saying that you’re buying 250 cars and then figuring out the logistics of transporting them is two different things. Skip has made purchases of car collections before, but nothing on this scale. It was a huge undertaking: first, all the cars had to be tagged so he knew which were staying and which were going. Then, he had to get the machinery to the location to remove and load the cars. Since the location of the collection is in the Midwest, and this was March, there was snow and ice with which to contend. Fortunately, some cars were stored indoors and they were easier to move.

Skip had planned 14 days to complete transporting the car to FLAP, but the project took just 10 days. The cars are all now at FLAP and are offered for sale. They are moving fast, as Skip has been offering the cars at very reasonable prices. Those cars already on the sold list include a 1956 De Soto Adventurer, which is going overseas, and a 1960s Ferrari. In addition to the 1935 Ford coupes I purchased, I also brought home a 1959 Buick convertible that I plan to fix up as a driver.

If there’s anything that sparks your interest, contact Skip at FLAP without delay:

French Lake Auto Parts
3531 County Road 3 NW
Annandale, MN 55302
320-274-8497
www.frenchlakeautoparts.com

More treasures pictured below:

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Story and photos by Ron Kowalke

Hands-on-type old car hobbyists know the value of having good neighbors; those next door who understand, or at least tolerate, an occasional parts car in the driveway and hammering and grinding noises coming from the garage. This type of understanding is vital to a hobbyist’s ability to get fully immersed in restoration projects while keeping the peace in the neighborhood.

While having good neighbors is vital in residential areas, they are also essential to business success for salvage yards. There have been countless yards done in by urban sprawl. The yards began in the middle of nowhere, only to eventually be surrounded by hard-to-please homeowners who make life impossible for the yard owners.

That hasn’t happened to Manthey Salvage, located on the fringe of Mauston, Wis. Bob Dziewror has been a customer of the 100-acre yard for 25 years. When he decided to build his home on property adjacent to the yard, Manthey Salvage owner Jeff Manthey told him: “Good. You won’t complain about the yard.”

Beneficial relationship

Manthey Salvage existed in its current location long before Dziewror built his house. According to Dziewror, Jeff Manthey’s father, Jerry, started a scrap metal business on what was his father’s farm property during World War II. He expanded the scrap business to include a late-model salvage yard in the 1950s. Jerry, now 83, retired 10 years ago, and Jeff and his wife, Ann, took over the business.

Manthey Salvage has eight employees. Jeff runs the scrap metal business while Ann handles the late-model salvage and office operations. Due to time constraints, up until eight years ago, vintage cars that came into the yard were crushed. This had been the policy since Jerry Manthey initiated the yard business in the 1950s.

“Jerry and Jeff were basically in the scrap metal business, and nothing got saved,” Dziewror explained.

It was during one of Dziewror’s parts hunts in the yard eight years ago that the policy to crush old cars got revised. Salvaging a “nailhead” V-8 from a doomed Buick for a hot rod project he was working on, Dziewror said the guilt stemming from his preservationist nature compelled him to confront Jeff Manthey about the importance of saving old cars. “I told him it’s a shame to crush these cars,” he said.

In a be-careful-what-you-ask-for moment, Dziewror said Manthey immediately challenged him by replying: “I don’t have the time or knowledge to deal with vintage cars, so if you want to do it, fine.”And that became the moment when Manthey Salvage again expanded to include a section of the property devoted to saving old cars. That area now numbers close to 250 cars and is managed by Dziewror.

Education and restoration

Prior to becoming manager of Manthey Salvage’s vintage inventory, Dziewror’s frequent visits to the yard as a customer stemmed from his need for parts to complete his project vehicles. His devotion to restoring old vehicles was an outlet from the pressures of his job as an art teacher at Mauston High School for 34 years up until his retirement two years ago.

“I loved art, and I loved old cars,” Dziewror said. “[But] I had a teacher when I was in high school who warned me against making my profession my hobby. So I taught art during the day and worked on old cars at night.”

It’s evident that Dziewror’s meticulous nature and attention to detail gained from decades of teaching art have carried over to his restoration skills. He does all his own restoration work, including interior rehabs and finish paint work.

His high school teacher’s advice to find a hobby outside of the art world was the catalyst for Dziewror’s first project acquisition, a 1959 Volkswagen Beetle with a rollback top. While a “Bug” would have been an economical choice of transportation for a young teen-ager, Dziewror had other plans for the car.

“That Beetle got cut up to make a dune buggy,” he recalled. “It didn’t mean anything to me at the time, but it was a rust-free car.”

The dune buggy remains part of Dziewror’s current car collection, which also includes of a 1935 Ford Tudor powered by a Chevy 350-cid V-8, a ’48 Chevy pickup street rod and an almost-completed ’34 Ford pickup street rod that houses the aforementioned Buick “nailhead” V-8. Possibly to atone for chopping up the rust-free VW in his youth, Dziewror also has a 1930 Chevy heavy-duty truck that was in Manthey Salvage and destined to be crushed. It was too far gone to be restored, so Dziewror parked it on his front lawn as yard art.

New direction

In defiance of his high school teacher’s warning not to mix business and pleasure, Dziewror now spends his days managing Manthey Salvage’s vintage inventory and his nights restoring his project vehicles. Two years into his retirement, though, the “all old cars all the time” lifestyle seems to be working fine.

One of the ways Dziewror finds balance is to allow customers to view the Manthey Salvage’s vintage collection by appointment only. Customers showing up unannounced or calling Jeff or Ann Manthey to gain access to the vintage section of the yard will get referred back to Dziewror. Once an appointment to visit the yard is made, Dziewror will accompany customers into the yard to answer questions and help with navigating the property. The vintage vehicles are neatly staged in rows separated by wide aisles, but in no particular grouping by manufacturer. Having Dziewror along to point out what’s what is a definite time-saver.

During the warm weather months, the yard property is in full bloom with thorny vines and tall weeds. Wearing long pants is recommended, and bringing a garden shears along is a necessity to get decent looks at the undersides of vehicles.

Parts aplenty

Having spent time on the winter-salted roads of Wisconsin, much of the vintage iron in Manthey Salvage has suffered the ravages of rust. The majority of vehicles in inventory are parts cars. There are no titles to any of the vintage vehicles in the yard. Any whole cars purchased are done so on a bill of sale. Dziewror also mentioned that the yard currently has no muscle cars or 1932-’36 Fords.

What Manthey Salvage’s inventory lacks in muscle and rust-free examples, it makes up for in variety. Included among the rows were three Kaiser sedans, three Lincoln-Zephyrs (one sedan and two coupes, all missing engines), a handful of first-generation Ford Mustang hardtops (no fastbacks, but one equipped with the rare four-speed manual transmission), several 1961 Fords in various body styles and many Ford trucks of various body styles, dating from 1947 to ’50. Also in abundance were station wagons (several two-door models) and convertibles from a variety of manufacturers.

While Dziewror pointed out that most of the vintage inventory of Manthey Salvage was of parts-car quality, exceptions exist. Among the solid, restorable models are a 1961 Dodge Dart Seneca two-door sedan, ’61 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 sedan whose interior is as tidy as the day it left the dealership, a “barn find” ’51 Nash Statesman Super two-door sedan and a rare (only 1,535 built) ’63 Chrysler 300 Sport Series convertible.

There is also one vehicle that defies logic. Someone invested much time and money to completely restore an early-1950s International L185 Roadliner wrecker, and then abandoned it in the yard. It features a diamond-plate front bumper extension that accommodates a winch, a diamond-plate tow boom bed and every imaginable siren and safety light in place. Needing only some spit and polish to regain its post-restoration luster, this is a project vehicle needing minimal work.

Keeping it safe

Dziewror cautioned that he does not offer shipping. “I’m a one-man crew,” he explained. He previously offered parts shipping, but “there were too many hassles, and too many bad outcomes” to continue.

What the yard does offer is the equipment to properly load vehicles on customers’ trailers. Customers can bring in tool boxes, but parts can only be removed after both getting approval from Dziewror and coming to an agreement on a price. Any torching can only be done by yard employees, and there is no smoking on the yard property. Any hoods, doors or trunk lids opened when searching for parts must be closed when finished. This is a rule about which Dziewror is adamant. “All I ask is that customers show some respect for the vehicles when removing parts. Just so the next guy has a chance.”

As I was was preparing to leave, Dziewror concluded by saying, “Jeff is doing a real service to the hobby by saving this vintage iron when he could be crushing it and making money. Most guys I bring over are very thankful to have this stuff available to them.”

To make an appointment to visit Manthey Salvage’s vintage collection, contact Bob Dziewror at 608-547-7794. Available appointment times mirror the yard’s hours of operation, which are year-round, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.

The postal mailing address of the yard is: Manthey Salvage, N3584 Townline LL Rd., Mauston, WI 53948. The phone number for the scrap metal or modern salvage operations of the yard is 608-847-2202.

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