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almost 12,000 cars on 110 acres
Yep. Read that correctly. What gearhead would not want to visit this old yard???
After first hearing about the place last week and making contact, a plan was hatched. I was initially told that there were a couple '59-'60 Cadillac hearses/ambulances and two '60 Superior Pontiac there. That was enough for me! The yard owner claimed off the top of his head '61, '62, and '63 Pontiac coaches - then '61 and '63 Cadillac. Plus "several others".
Yesterday was the day. Awoke at 4am excited for a good field hunt and arrived after a short 3 hour journey when the place opened at 8am. There was a rather detailed waiver/contract to enter the yard. A portion read "no cameras or other picture taking devices". This about killed me!!! Begrudgingly, I agreed and signed off. It's taken over 30 years to implement the inventory structure. The entire place is gridded with clear section signs. A master 'legend' in the office breaks down cars present, assigning them a 4 digit number. With photocopied yard map in hand, visitors are left to their own devices decoding. Ingenious concept and the most organized I've come across to date - let alone a place of this magnitude. The 'legend' was fair game for pictures. This will provide an idea:
Pretty much everything within reason is in the yard. 40 miles to the closest highway. Tucked away enough that decent catches remain. As recently as 5 years ago, a '59 Cadillac Eldorado Biarittz was still in the yard. A Swede flew in to view after hearing of it. He ended up purchasing a little over 100 American cars - mainly '50s convertibles - and shipped them all to Sweden.
Location is not in TX. Rust becomes a key element. After trekking about 30 acres over mountainous terrain and traversing several miles, I came across 10 old ambulances and combinations. Not a single hearse. Most are best served as parts vehicles, couple should be saved. With the ability to take pictures stripped away, I relied heavily on taking notes. Here they are:
'55 Pontiac ? 'truck' - Clapped out conversion that appears to have been completed in the early '60s. Cab was all metal. No doubt countless hordes have walked right past through the years assuming cut down wagon. Recognized the length of side doors and quarters immediately. Only a hint of the former life remains: Partition left intact and a few toggle switches mounted directly to dashboard. Couldn't find a coach builder's mark anywhere. My guess? Ex-ambulance.
'61 Superior Pontiac high top ambulance (white over maroon) - BAD: Broken glass includes from C pillars forward (cracked windshield not commercial, sides flat), front fenders rusty. Missing items: engine, transmission, hood hinges, both front fender trim spears, lights on front and rear of high top portion, rear loading door outer skin(?). GOOD: All trim from A pillars back present, glass from C pillars back good including 3 piece curved rear, attendants seats and cabinet present, main body tub is not rotted, bumpers/grill straight, cast aluminum(?) light 'pods' on sides of high top still present.
ID plate on firewall is stamped Model 2617, the 2 is throwing me for a loop. Restorable? Borderline yes, given rarity. With a better set of fenders, this ambulance would look more palatable. (There are 5-6 passenger '61 Pontiac in the yard that I haven't checked out yet.) Then again, the rear loading door skin is still problematic. I view not having an engine as a means to a reasonable unit price.
'61 Superior Cadillac Royale limo style combination (black) - BAD: Everything ahead of the firewall is gone, as is windshield, windshield trim, steering wheel, and dash pad. GOOD: Other than a softball size area of rot ahead of the passenger rear bumper end, the rest of the tub is pretty good however. Rest of glass is good, rear compartment looks decent, jump seats present, '61 CC only rear bumper very straight, albeit driver condition chrome.
'61/'62 and '63/'64 CC front clips are difficult ($$$) to find. For that reason alone I say this is a parts car.
'62 Superior Pontiac limo style combination (black) - BAD: Missing steering wheel, dash pad(?), passenger front fender trim spear, radiator, air cleaner assembly, and headlight surround. Driver's front floor rotted, windshield and 1 flat door glass cracked. Front seat torn. Couple small dents. Passenger front fender off another car and has rust. GOOD: With all glass intact, the interior has survived pretty well. Rear compartment once cleaned would be usable as is. Jump seats present.
This one should make for a decent entry level reasonable project. Alternately, great pairing for the next coach.
'63 Superior Pontiac landau combination (dark green) - BAD: Landau irons, interior sconces(?), headlights, and headlight surround gone. Some light surface rust. Rather large tree grew between passenger front tire and fender before being cut and a significant chunk left in. GOOD: All glass good, all trim present, doesn't appear to have any real rot, interior is effin' amazing. Quite upscale - blue tinged dark gray with light gray embroidered snowflake design! Even the jump seats. Incredible. More impressive that it was used in a Pontiac to boot. (*Please* post a picture of this fabric of you have one.) Entire interior should clean up well. Must have had a skeleton rack as there have never been rollers mounted.
This coach is pick of the litter. Rear loading door has old faded Shriner logo and 'Magnus No 3 Alex VA'. I'll assume this coach was actually cared for longer than others here which makes sense given the condition. Front passenger fender may need replaced after tree chunk is removed... Not many landau combinations have survived.
A friend may buy this '63 based on the interior alone.
'63 Miller Meteor 48" Volunteer (white/red/white) - Ex-Montgomery Ambulance Service. BAD: Everything firewall forward gone, heavy lower rot, windshield & passenger front door glass cracked. GOOD PARTS: Rest of glass (including etched) & moldings, very nice exterior set of '59-'64 CC windshield stainless, jump seats, cabinet, cot hook, both ambulance embellishments on D pillars (need replating), rear license plate surround.
'66 Miller Meteor Classic 42 (red/white/red) - BAD: Front hit SO hard it must have been a train or semi. Buckled roof past C pillar! GOOD PARTS: Side ambulance etched glass & molding, rear door glass & moldings, jump seat (maybe 2?), skirts.
'67 Miller Meteor Classic 48 (red) - BAD: Heavy rot. Missing grill, bumper, headlights, headlight surround, windshield & molding. GOOD PARTS: Various cot hooks, bars, etc., side ambulance etched glass & moldings, rear door glass & moldings, front door glass moldings, jump seat (again, maybe 2).
'71 Miller Meteor Volunteer (white/red) - Ex-Oxon Hill Rescue Squad, Prince George's County. BAD: Heavy rot. Windshield and door glass x3 broken. Front clip sheetmetal poor. GOOD PARTS: passenger rear door glass, glass C pillar back, all glass moldings, roof moldings, front door mounted spotlights. (Forgot to take notes of rear compartment.)
'72 Superior 54" Ambulance (white/red/white) - BAD: Hood missing, rest of front clip fubar'd, passenger rear quarter pushed in, heavy rot, windshield cracked. GOOD PARTS: Beltline moldings and every molding above them including windows & roof, all side & rear door glass, amber glass lenses on front of high top. (Also forgot to take notes of rear compartment.)
I submitted a parts list requiring prices on about 45 pieces and 3 of the coaches on today's exploratory run. Plan is to return next week and fill a truck with 'em. I'll try for permission to take pictures of at least the above mentioned cars and also cover more acreage next trip.
Damn good day in my book.
Keep in mind I am not selling anything here. If you can use any of the aforementioned parts, get with me in the next week. The yard is cash & carry only; self pull; no shipping. Not received pricing yet but seeing other items for sale firsthand leads me to believe everything will be quite reasonable.
After first hearing about the place last week and making contact, a plan was hatched. I was initially told that there were a couple '59-'60 Cadillac hearses/ambulances and two '60 Superior Pontiac there. That was enough for me! The yard owner claimed off the top of his head '61, '62, and '63 Pontiac coaches - then '61 and '63 Cadillac. Plus "several others".
Yesterday was the day. Awoke at 4am excited for a good field hunt and arrived after a short 3 hour journey when the place opened at 8am. There was a rather detailed waiver/contract to enter the yard. A portion read "no cameras or other picture taking devices". This about killed me!!! Begrudgingly, I agreed and signed off. It's taken over 30 years to implement the inventory structure. The entire place is gridded with clear section signs. A master 'legend' in the office breaks down cars present, assigning them a 4 digit number. With photocopied yard map in hand, visitors are left to their own devices decoding. Ingenious concept and the most organized I've come across to date - let alone a place of this magnitude. The 'legend' was fair game for pictures. This will provide an idea:
Pretty much everything within reason is in the yard. 40 miles to the closest highway. Tucked away enough that decent catches remain. As recently as 5 years ago, a '59 Cadillac Eldorado Biarittz was still in the yard. A Swede flew in to view after hearing of it. He ended up purchasing a little over 100 American cars - mainly '50s convertibles - and shipped them all to Sweden.
Location is not in TX. Rust becomes a key element. After trekking about 30 acres over mountainous terrain and traversing several miles, I came across 10 old ambulances and combinations. Not a single hearse. Most are best served as parts vehicles, couple should be saved. With the ability to take pictures stripped away, I relied heavily on taking notes. Here they are:
'55 Pontiac ? 'truck' - Clapped out conversion that appears to have been completed in the early '60s. Cab was all metal. No doubt countless hordes have walked right past through the years assuming cut down wagon. Recognized the length of side doors and quarters immediately. Only a hint of the former life remains: Partition left intact and a few toggle switches mounted directly to dashboard. Couldn't find a coach builder's mark anywhere. My guess? Ex-ambulance.
'61 Superior Pontiac high top ambulance (white over maroon) - BAD: Broken glass includes from C pillars forward (cracked windshield not commercial, sides flat), front fenders rusty. Missing items: engine, transmission, hood hinges, both front fender trim spears, lights on front and rear of high top portion, rear loading door outer skin(?). GOOD: All trim from A pillars back present, glass from C pillars back good including 3 piece curved rear, attendants seats and cabinet present, main body tub is not rotted, bumpers/grill straight, cast aluminum(?) light 'pods' on sides of high top still present.
ID plate on firewall is stamped Model 2617, the 2 is throwing me for a loop. Restorable? Borderline yes, given rarity. With a better set of fenders, this ambulance would look more palatable. (There are 5-6 passenger '61 Pontiac in the yard that I haven't checked out yet.) Then again, the rear loading door skin is still problematic. I view not having an engine as a means to a reasonable unit price.
'61 Superior Cadillac Royale limo style combination (black) - BAD: Everything ahead of the firewall is gone, as is windshield, windshield trim, steering wheel, and dash pad. GOOD: Other than a softball size area of rot ahead of the passenger rear bumper end, the rest of the tub is pretty good however. Rest of glass is good, rear compartment looks decent, jump seats present, '61 CC only rear bumper very straight, albeit driver condition chrome.
'61/'62 and '63/'64 CC front clips are difficult ($$$) to find. For that reason alone I say this is a parts car.
'62 Superior Pontiac limo style combination (black) - BAD: Missing steering wheel, dash pad(?), passenger front fender trim spear, radiator, air cleaner assembly, and headlight surround. Driver's front floor rotted, windshield and 1 flat door glass cracked. Front seat torn. Couple small dents. Passenger front fender off another car and has rust. GOOD: With all glass intact, the interior has survived pretty well. Rear compartment once cleaned would be usable as is. Jump seats present.
This one should make for a decent entry level reasonable project. Alternately, great pairing for the next coach.
'63 Superior Pontiac landau combination (dark green) - BAD: Landau irons, interior sconces(?), headlights, and headlight surround gone. Some light surface rust. Rather large tree grew between passenger front tire and fender before being cut and a significant chunk left in. GOOD: All glass good, all trim present, doesn't appear to have any real rot, interior is effin' amazing. Quite upscale - blue tinged dark gray with light gray embroidered snowflake design! Even the jump seats. Incredible. More impressive that it was used in a Pontiac to boot. (*Please* post a picture of this fabric of you have one.) Entire interior should clean up well. Must have had a skeleton rack as there have never been rollers mounted.
This coach is pick of the litter. Rear loading door has old faded Shriner logo and 'Magnus No 3 Alex VA'. I'll assume this coach was actually cared for longer than others here which makes sense given the condition. Front passenger fender may need replaced after tree chunk is removed... Not many landau combinations have survived.
A friend may buy this '63 based on the interior alone.
'63 Miller Meteor 48" Volunteer (white/red/white) - Ex-Montgomery Ambulance Service. BAD: Everything firewall forward gone, heavy lower rot, windshield & passenger front door glass cracked. GOOD PARTS: Rest of glass (including etched) & moldings, very nice exterior set of '59-'64 CC windshield stainless, jump seats, cabinet, cot hook, both ambulance embellishments on D pillars (need replating), rear license plate surround.
'66 Miller Meteor Classic 42 (red/white/red) - BAD: Front hit SO hard it must have been a train or semi. Buckled roof past C pillar! GOOD PARTS: Side ambulance etched glass & molding, rear door glass & moldings, jump seat (maybe 2?), skirts.
'67 Miller Meteor Classic 48 (red) - BAD: Heavy rot. Missing grill, bumper, headlights, headlight surround, windshield & molding. GOOD PARTS: Various cot hooks, bars, etc., side ambulance etched glass & moldings, rear door glass & moldings, front door glass moldings, jump seat (again, maybe 2).
'71 Miller Meteor Volunteer (white/red) - Ex-Oxon Hill Rescue Squad, Prince George's County. BAD: Heavy rot. Windshield and door glass x3 broken. Front clip sheetmetal poor. GOOD PARTS: passenger rear door glass, glass C pillar back, all glass moldings, roof moldings, front door mounted spotlights. (Forgot to take notes of rear compartment.)
'72 Superior 54" Ambulance (white/red/white) - BAD: Hood missing, rest of front clip fubar'd, passenger rear quarter pushed in, heavy rot, windshield cracked. GOOD PARTS: Beltline moldings and every molding above them including windows & roof, all side & rear door glass, amber glass lenses on front of high top. (Also forgot to take notes of rear compartment.)
I submitted a parts list requiring prices on about 45 pieces and 3 of the coaches on today's exploratory run. Plan is to return next week and fill a truck with 'em. I'll try for permission to take pictures of at least the above mentioned cars and also cover more acreage next trip.
Damn good day in my book.
Keep in mind I am not selling anything here. If you can use any of the aforementioned parts, get with me in the next week. The yard is cash & carry only; self pull; no shipping. Not received pricing yet but seeing other items for sale firsthand leads me to believe everything will be quite reasonable.
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