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down on the junkyard
1949 Ford Takes Wrong Turn, Ends Up In The Crusher's Waiting Room
While I was off crossing mountain ranges in my beater Civic, tipster Douglas shot me an email with a photo of a startling junkyard find back in California. More » -
down on the junkyard
Even Ramblers Are Consumed By The Crusher's Insatiable Hunger!
Maybe you won't shed any tears over the rendering of this '74 Corolla wagon into a tiny cube of China-bound scrap steel, but how about this nearly complete '63 Rambler Classic? More » -
down on the junkyard
This 1974 Corolla Wagon Will Never Get The Chance To Be A Drift King
This series is becoming something of an exercise in masochism for some readers; we've jabbed red-hot pokers into the eyes of Volvo fans and cheese-gratered the hearts of Mercedes-Benz lovers. How about a vintage Toyota? More » -
Cheapskate Tips
Confound Thieves With A Camouflaged Car Stereo For Under $20!
Let's say you park your car in an area frequented by urban entrepreneurs who gather intoxicant-obtainment resources by harvesting car audio equipment from vehicles… yet you still want some tunes in your ride. More » -
down on the junkyard
Some More Salt In The Wounds For You Amazon Lovers!
Just a few weeks ago, many of you wailed and gnashed your teeth over this junked Amazon wagon, and now I've found this Amazon coupe on Death Row. More » -
down on the junkyard
Happy Tailfins And All, This 1965 Mercedes-Benz 190c Is Crusher-Bound
While the W110 Mercedes-Benz is known for longevity, some owners don't care enough to keep theirs alive. At that point, the lucky ones get a shot at racing glory. The unlucky ones? More » -
junkyard find
The Worst— Or Maybe The Best— Custom Van Theme Ever: Kidnapper Van!
Back in the 70s, your vans with Hawaiian Sunset, Mars Base, and Aztec Sacrifice airbrush murals came a dime a dozen. Here's a custom van that must have turned some heads in its time! More » -
down on the junkyard
1966 Volvo Amazon Wagon
A few months back, I heard about a chrome-bumper Midget in a self-service junkyard an hour's drive from me. In need of many small parts for my personal Hell Project, I went to investigate. More » -
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down on the junkyard
Peugeot CinqZeroBajaCamino
Can't find a Dangel Peugeot truck in the States? No prob- just build a 505/Subaru mashup! That's what happened here, but some tragic series of events put this cartruck on the road to The Crusher. More » -
junkyard find
1982 Datsun Voice Warning Box Used Tiny Phonograph Record, Just Like Moon Base Robots
Certain high-end Datsun models of the Late Malaise Era came with a seriously science-fictiony feature: the car talked to you! That's no big deal nowadays- $1.29 worth of silicon- but back then it took hardware.
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down on the junkyard
1963 Dodge 880
The 880 was the top-of-the-line big Dodge for 1963, with the $2,813 price tag for the 4-door 880 sedan edging close to Chrysler Newport territory. This one, however, has driven its last mile. More » -
junkyard find
Super-Clean Miata Seats At The Junkyard... But There's A Catch
One ofcountlessseveral reasons I can't drive my 20R-powered Austin-Healey Sprite on the street is the lack of seats. Junkyard, here I come! Thing is, it's tough to find good driver's seats. More » -
junkyard find
1974 Ford Mustang II
There are some parts that usually disappear within minutes of hitting a self-service junkyard. Ford Granada brakes, for example; everyone knows they'll bolt right onto a 60s Mustang. The Mustang II front suspension is another. More » -
down on the junkyard
In Soviet Russia, Junkyard Gets Down On YOU!
57Sweptside loves junkyards, and not just the ones in his native Southwest. He's found for us this collection of photos shot in a Russian yard packed full of Volgas, Moskviches, and even Tchaikas. More » -
down on the junkyard
Uncounted Treasures Sleep In Desert Junkyards
I shoot most of my Junkyard Find photos at high-turnover self-service junkyards owned by steel corporations, so the cars have usually been crushed by the time you see them. Not so with this yard! More » -
down on the junkyard
Painfully Clean 1980 Civic Not Rescued By Honda Restorers, Faces Crusher
While some vintage Japanese machinery gets preserved and/or restored these days, the early Civic seems to be getting the cold shoulder. When such a car gets sick, the next stop is usually the glue factory. More » -
novelties
Subaru Impreza Takes A Dump Truck Ride To Guatemala
While traveling through rural Pennsylvania doing untold, illicit things, we spotted an all too familiar set of tail lamps sticking out of the back of a dump truck. This is its story. More » -
junkyard find
Striking Black Gold In The Junkyard
You figure it's a special junkyard day when you spot a full-on art car (not like the half-assed kind you usually see), so it came as no shock when I found another cool machine nearby.
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down on the junkyard
Groovalicious Purple Princess Of Peace Art Car Falls On Hard Times, Faces Crusher
As a general rule, I'm not a huge fan of the "glue random crap all over a generic vehicle" school of art car creation. Still, it's sad to see such a car in the junkyard. More » -
racing
A Celebration Of Legendary Rental Cars: The 12 Hours Of Sebrings!
A few weeks back, while hanging with the perpetrators of the 24 Hours Of LeMons Gator-O-Rama, I found that an offhand comment from one of our esteemed commenters had totally colonized our minds. More » -
junkyard find
Who's Writing This Script? Stoned VW Bus Hugs Tree, Now Awaits Crusher
As we all know, the Tercel wagon long ago replaced the VW Transporter as hippie transportation of choice. Still, some traditionalists stick with the Volkswagen. This one, however, has departed Shakedown Street forever.
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retro
Junkyard Hero Mike Bumbeck Lowers The Internet's Property Values, We Rejoice: Clunkbucket!
Ex-Jalop Señor Bumbeck is twice the wrench and three times the photographer that I'll ever be, so weekend Jalopnik readers oughta be overjoyed to hear that he's back in action with a new site: Clunkbucket! More » -
junkyard find
Pick-N-Pull: Buy This MGB-GT Today Or We'll Feed It To The Cruel Jaws Of The Crusher!
Someone always screams "SAVE IT!" when we post shots of some lovable old car in the junkyard, and now self-service junkyard chain Pick-N-Pull is giving you a chance to do just that!
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junkyard find
Half Price Sale Day At The Junkyard Means It's Time To Stock Up On Hell Project Parts!
Now that the rain has finally stopped, I'm able to get some work done on the 20R Sprite Hell Project. The steering wheel problem is solved, but what about the wiring?
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junkyard find
Jaguar XJ12 Wheel Adds Touch Of Class To Sprite Hell Project, Keeps Budget Low
What do you do when you've got a project car that lacks good junkyard parts availability, yet you want to keep the budget within reach of 24 Hours Of LeMons qualification? Parts interchange! More » -
down on the junkyard
1969 Saab 99 Surrounded By Jaguars On Death Row
Our last Junkyard Find was a classic Detroit machine, but California junkyards get plenty of decades-old imports as well. Today we'll be checking out an old Swedish car that's reached the end of the line. More » -
down on the junkyard
Oldsmobile Jetstar 88
This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. Our last junkyard Olds was quite a while back. More » -
junkyard find
Another Massive Secret Vintage Junkyard Comes Under Fire
Situated in Kaufdorf, Switzerland exists a peaceful junkyard, holding over 500 classic machines hailing from the 1930s through the 1960s. The government wants it paved but locals want to preserve this history. Mega gallery inside. -
junkyard find
Junked BMW E30s Provide Cheap, Easy Way To Trunk-Mount Your Battery
Moving your race car's battery to the rear of the car helps reduce the nose-heaviness problem inherent in most front-engined designs, but heavy-gauge battery cable is mighty expensive stuff when you're on a tight budget. When you're trying to squeeze under that $500 limit at the 24 Hours Of LeMons, you won't be buying any new cables… but your friendly wrecking yard has the solution! -
junkyard find
First-Ever LeMons Junkyard Scavenger Hunt Won By Huey Newis And The Lose!
What could be more fun than spending a Sunday afternoon digging through the contents of junked cars in a search for heavy metal cassettes, silverware, Magnetti Marelli electric motors, V12 intake manifolds, or pornography? Searching for those things (and even more harebrained items) in order to win a Gerald R. Ford Memorial Pardon Certificate for your 24 Hours Of LeMons team, of course! That's what happened at a certain East Bay self-service wrecking yard yesterday… -
junkyard find
3-Banger Or V12, The Crusher Does Not Discriminate: BMW 750i Checking Out Of This Life
I was scoping BMWs at the Half Price Sale at a local self-service wrecking yard on Thanksgiving weekend, looking for a good long battery cable from a trunk-mounted-battery model (so's I could get the race car rigged with the battery cutoff switch now mandated by 24 Hours Of LeMons rules), and something about this one jumped out at me. Hey, that engine has way more cylinders than most! Yes, it's a BMW V12, and it was working well enough to drive the car to its final wreck. Someone needs to put this powerplant in a Chevy Nova!
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junkyard find
December 7th, A Day Which Will Live In Infamy: The LeMons Junkyard Scavenger Hunt!
With the 2008 Arse Freeze-A-Palooza 24 Hours Of LeMons race coming up in just a few weeks, all 100 or so teams are fully locked intototal panicfinal-stretch mode,frenziedly thrashingworking onevery last goddamn thinga few final details to get their ironheapssteeds ready for racin' action. Naturally, all the teams will be spending a lot of time at self-service junkyards, scrounging up bargain-priced components in ahopelessheroic attempt to meet the deadline, and so LeMons Chief Perpetrator Lamm has found a way to add to themiseryfun: the first-ever 24 Hours Of LeMons Junkyard Scavenger Hunt! -
junkyard find
Pair Of Jensen-Healeys and Alfa Romeo GTV Provide A Change Of Pace For The Crusher
I haven't hit the wrecking yard for a while, but Alameda-based reader Chris went last week and spotted two Malaise Special Jensen-Healeys and a fairly complete-looking Alfa Romeo GTV, right there among all the ho-hum Corollas and Excels in the import section. Whoa, does one of them have a small-block Chevy V8 under the hood? Make the jump for all the photos and Chris' description.
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classic ad watch
El Pulpo Shows Us The Dangers Of Smoking In The Junkyard
¿Necesita partes? ¡Entonces necesita El Pulpo! Yes, the Pick Your Part chain of self-service junkyards is so big that it has its own TV ads in Southern California, complete with fast-talking spokesman El Pulpo (The Octopus). As far as I know, El Pulpo doesn't do any English-language ads, but that's only a matter of time… someday he'll be more recognizable than Ronald McDonald! -
down on the junkyard
Over 1,000 Vintage Mercedes-Benzes Await The Cruel Jaws Of The Crusher In Kentucky
Schm writes in to inform us of a wrecking yard in Falmouth, Kentucky, that appears to be in weeks away from sending between 800 and 1,000 older Mercedes-Benzes to The Crusher. A new owner is taking over, and she's not interested in keeping these cars, which go back to the 1950s or maybe even earlier. The guys on Benzworld are pretty worked up over this, as you might imagine; make the jump to see some heartrending photos and get the rest of the story. More » -
junkyard
Remember When You Could Find Ford Comètes At Pick Your Part?
It's tough to say exactly when this mini-documentary about the Pick Your Part self-service junkyard in Sun Valley was filmed, but the vehicles on the yard appear to be mostly early-to-mid-70s models. My junkyard-scrounging experiences says that indicates a late-80s/early-90s timeframe. Some pretty cool cars may be seen, from an AMC Javelin to a Ford Comète… and what's the story with that tandem-axle chopped Cadillac wagon? Make the jump to check it out. More » -
junkyard find
Yes, Even Citroëns Go To The Crusher In California!
Since we had a DOTS Traction-Avant this morning, let's stay in a CitroĂ«n state of mind by checking out this ID19 I found in an East Bay self-service junkyard over the weekend. Belvedere Adrian ran across this 47-year-old French wagon while scavenging for parts for the race car and figured I'd be interested. Interested? I was on the Nimitz Freeway about 45 seconds later! More » -
junkyard find
1975 MG Midget Will Serve As A Light Snack For The Crusher
Even though the black-bumper Midget was a cruel parody of the ridiculously fun pre-Malaise version, it's still saddening to see one among all the Hyundai Excels and Geo Prizms in my local self-service wrecking yard. This one has the dusty, bleached look of a car that spent a decade or three rotting in a back yard prior to its final ride behind a tow truck. Look at all those good parts! Doesn't anyone want Midget parts these days? More »


































