One Sickening '50 Imperial

[William Parker <parkerw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Carmak wrote:
> 
>     The lesson here is to inform your local scrap haulers that particular
> old cars are worth more to you than the scrap yard and then follow through
> whan they find something. Most haulers will drop a car off at a location
> (your house or a local repair shop) and come back and pick it up a couple
> days later for some cash or for filling the car with scrap metal.
> 
>     I know most of the local haulers and the parts cars most often find me.
> Once the car has made it inside the gates of the scrap mill it is too late.

     I have "arrangements" with several of the local wrecker
services and also the primary scrapping yard (as opposed to
junyard where they intend to part the cars out).  With one
operator who I've known for many years, we have a standing
arrangement, I can have any RWD Mopar, he'll bring it to my
place first, I part it out, he'll pick it back up and
dispose of it.  I agree to pay a minimum price, even it is
something I'll only get a few pieces off of, and special
vehicles cost more.  I also get choice on FWD if I need
something, but it isn't an automatic deal like the RWD. 
Now, I get something about 3 or 4 times a year, as RWD
Mopars just aren't that common any more and of course this
particular operator doesn't get to all of them first.  
        My most recent pickup at the salvage yard was a '72
Challenger.  I'd seen it out in the back of a local factory,
and found out it belonged to the company owner, but I
couldn't get him to talk to me about it.  Then suddenly it
appeared at the salvage yard.  I had to go $200 to get it,
and it was definately number 5-minus condition, but I got a
later model non-running 360, 727, 2 14X6 and 1 14X5.5 Rallye
wheels, some glass, one disc brake spindle, adaptor, and
rotor (the other had already gone somewhere) and a few other
odds and ends out of it.  I kept the fenders but they are
too rusty to try to use whole. 
        The key is to cultivate the relationships with these
folks in advance, as you said, so they know when they see a
RWD Mopar that they can get a bit more than salvage value
before adding it to the crusher stack. 

Bill Parker, South Central Indiana
'60 Chrysler Saratoga; '62 Plymouth Max Wedge; '64 Dart
Convertible (Kathi's car); '65 Imperial; '65 Barracuda \6
(Kathi's other car);'68 Barracuda Fastback 340-S; '69
Barracuda Fastback now 360 (20 y.o. son's car); '72 Cuda 340