Ron J
Active member
Junkyards, now mostly called "Automotive Recyclers" were more common while i was growing up. A playground full of bargains.... I mentioned in other posts, cars were a major part of my life,since i was 12 or so. Started with plastic model kits, AMT, XMT etc. Got my first car at 15, a 54 Mercury,two door sedan, for $25.00 from Fay Studebaker in Beverly Mass. Didn't have a license yet,nor a driveway or yard big enough to drive it. kept it parked in an old garage,just big enough for it to fit in. That did not stop me and my younger brother from trying to spin the tires off it,from inside the garage! 
The back of the garage had an extended wall, only half as high as the garage. That way the car fit inside,with the trunk area in that section. More than once,i would back up to fast,and push that section a foot or so from the garage! We would get out there with hammers,and whack it back into place before my Dad got home,or we were gonna get it! You didn't want to "GET IT!" Either! On top of that,the car may disappear before i got my license!!
Well getting sidetracked from the subject. There was and still is a very large junkyard in Salem. Its located of what was a back road, but that "backroad" is quite a busy road nowadays! This particular yard has survived today,mostly because its out of sight! You need to drive up a dirt road about 1/2 mile through a wooded area.
In case you don't know what a junkyard is, its a place that will haul your dead car away,leave it on their property,and let you pick any parts you may want or need for your car,for a usually very good price. Could be a nose (frt fenders/hood/grille etc.) starter, or tires. Whatever, for the do-it-yourselfer. Place's like this are disappearing, but are needed, for recycling. Depending on the price of scrap metal,they may pay you a small stipend,$50 or more,or charge YOU $50 to take it from your own yard!
Well anyway,this particular yard, was also known as far back as the sixties, to be the place to drop off your stray dog,or cat. The few times had visited this place in the last 35 yrs,as you pulled up to the house,acting as residence/office, you would be greeted by at least a dozen or more barking dogs! They did not need camera's or guards here! There were usually so many dogs,you would be scared to get out of your car!
There were always cars stacked up 3 or 4 on top of each other. Most of the piles like that were picked clean,before being stacked. You had to be careful walking between the row after row,not cause they were gonna fall on you,but because of yellowjackets and hornet nests!
There are two particular experiences i had here,and one experience my best friend Tom had when he was a Young kid "picking" with his Dad. First experience i had was onetime i was walking up one of the "roads" between the cars,looking for particular yrs and model. I was walking with an older friend,Paul C. and we heard some kind of snorting. Don't know how to describe the snorting,but it sounded like something i didn't need to meet! Remember, I'm kinda a city boy,but no farmer or hunter.
The snorting got louder,and as we walked closer,off to the left was the biggest damn Hog,i ever seen,other than at Topsfield Fair! This thing looked like a cow with four inch legs,and lets say if it were a woman,it would need about 8 bra's so it could walk without dragging some personal limbs on the ground! My Buddie Paul and i looked at each other,and stepped up the pace, as we didn't want to disturb the beast. Hell, this thing looked like it could dent fenders,if it got up too quick.
We went about our business,got what parts we needed,and was heading back down the same area again. Approaching a curve, again we heard the snorting! We kind of forgot about this,as we were pleased we got our parts we had came for! We slowed the pace,as we were closer to the corner,and sure enough,here it was, wobbling side to side,approaching us. Don't remember if it had the vampire teeth sticking out of its jaws or not,but we jumped on the nearest fenders,and hood of the closest car we could find!
I Don't know if it could of hurt us,or was looking for a pat on the head,didn't matter. We just stood on the hood of that car while the beast waddled on by out of sight.
The second time i had an experience at the same yard was years later. A friend had been there a couple of weeks prior,and told me there was a 68 or 69 Goat there! (a Pontiac GTO). I was heavy in to GTO's at the time,and couldn't wait for the weekend to get over there!
As i approached,even though it was years later,same ol thing, dozen dogs or more,greeting me. Oh Brother! This again? Deja vu! As i got out of my car, a rather heavy chick appeared and asked what i might be looking for? She informed me to enter over there...I entered what was a kitchen at one time in the house/office. Packed with misc. car parts,thrown everywhere,and stacked almost to the ceiling. There were three or four birds standing on perches.One was a parrot! This place never changed!
Behind the counter,was an even larger chick,and she asked me what in particular i was looking for. I informed her of my interest in any GTO she may have in her graveyard. She clued me in,about the car i had heard about.She gave me some rough directions,pointing "that away" down the road,around this and that trucks etc. I pursued my dream parts car,and while walking near an old Chevy van,i noticed the side of it cut open,with a small corral surrounding it. Out of the van,came what looked to me was a worn out horse. Reminded me of the one i saw as a kid,on the 3 Stooges! With its back real low in the middle. Looked like a mean thing to do,raise a horse here? But i realized it was housed,although in an odd looking "barn",and being taken care of.
I continued to find the GTO,and walked around it to see what goodies it may left on it. A Wood accessory Wheel! Yea! Knew that was worth a deuce or more at the time,they were getting scarce. I walked back to the office,and asked how much? The woman stated an amount,which i felt this was gonna be a gift! I informed her okay,i'll take it! She asked if i had tools,and proceed to show me how to remove it! (believe me,i know how,but let her continue) She showed me how to remove the 3/4 inch nut,and take a hammer,and put it horizontal behind the wheel,and pull/rock back and forth to loosen the wheel from the hub. She knew her stuff,no doubt! But i wouldn"t ask her for a date!
I did get the wheel,and was happy to have it. Know its time to tell you about the experience my buddy Tom had. When he was younger,14 or 15,he visited this same yard with his Father. Tom had been leaning over a fender,removing an engine part,when his Father called him,"Tom! Look-up!" Tom told me when he looked up,suddenly he couldn't see a damn thing! Something had jumped out of a tree,and was hugging his face,and head,it was hairy,and wouldn't let go!! Tom didn't know what had him,and was scared $heetless! Finally his Dad,pulled the thing from him. It Was a Monkey! His Dad had seen it in the tree,and thats when he called Tom to look up! His Dad had one hell of a laugh at this, and every time Tom tells me this story,i can't stop laughing! If you knew Tom,you could realize this could only happen to him! We only wish they had mini-cams back then! Rj
The back of the garage had an extended wall, only half as high as the garage. That way the car fit inside,with the trunk area in that section. More than once,i would back up to fast,and push that section a foot or so from the garage! We would get out there with hammers,and whack it back into place before my Dad got home,or we were gonna get it! You didn't want to "GET IT!" Either! On top of that,the car may disappear before i got my license!!
Well getting sidetracked from the subject. There was and still is a very large junkyard in Salem. Its located of what was a back road, but that "backroad" is quite a busy road nowadays! This particular yard has survived today,mostly because its out of sight! You need to drive up a dirt road about 1/2 mile through a wooded area.
In case you don't know what a junkyard is, its a place that will haul your dead car away,leave it on their property,and let you pick any parts you may want or need for your car,for a usually very good price. Could be a nose (frt fenders/hood/grille etc.) starter, or tires. Whatever, for the do-it-yourselfer. Place's like this are disappearing, but are needed, for recycling. Depending on the price of scrap metal,they may pay you a small stipend,$50 or more,or charge YOU $50 to take it from your own yard!
Well anyway,this particular yard, was also known as far back as the sixties, to be the place to drop off your stray dog,or cat. The few times had visited this place in the last 35 yrs,as you pulled up to the house,acting as residence/office, you would be greeted by at least a dozen or more barking dogs! They did not need camera's or guards here! There were usually so many dogs,you would be scared to get out of your car!
There were always cars stacked up 3 or 4 on top of each other. Most of the piles like that were picked clean,before being stacked. You had to be careful walking between the row after row,not cause they were gonna fall on you,but because of yellowjackets and hornet nests!
There are two particular experiences i had here,and one experience my best friend Tom had when he was a Young kid "picking" with his Dad. First experience i had was onetime i was walking up one of the "roads" between the cars,looking for particular yrs and model. I was walking with an older friend,Paul C. and we heard some kind of snorting. Don't know how to describe the snorting,but it sounded like something i didn't need to meet! Remember, I'm kinda a city boy,but no farmer or hunter.
The snorting got louder,and as we walked closer,off to the left was the biggest damn Hog,i ever seen,other than at Topsfield Fair! This thing looked like a cow with four inch legs,and lets say if it were a woman,it would need about 8 bra's so it could walk without dragging some personal limbs on the ground!
My Buddie Paul and i looked at each other,and stepped up the pace, as we didn't want to disturb the beast. Hell, this thing looked like it could dent fenders,if it got up too quick.We went about our business,got what parts we needed,and was heading back down the same area again. Approaching a curve, again we heard the snorting! We kind of forgot about this,as we were pleased we got our parts we had came for! We slowed the pace,as we were closer to the corner,and sure enough,here it was, wobbling side to side,approaching us. Don't remember if it had the vampire teeth sticking out of its jaws or not,but we jumped on the nearest fenders,and hood of the closest car we could find!
I Don't know if it could of hurt us,or was looking for a pat on the head,didn't matter. We just stood on the hood of that car while the beast waddled on by out of sight.
The second time i had an experience at the same yard was years later. A friend had been there a couple of weeks prior,and told me there was a 68 or 69 Goat there! (a Pontiac GTO). I was heavy in to GTO's at the time,and couldn't wait for the weekend to get over there!
As i approached,even though it was years later,same ol thing, dozen dogs or more,greeting me. Oh Brother! This again? Deja vu! As i got out of my car, a rather heavy chick appeared and asked what i might be looking for? She informed me to enter over there...I entered what was a kitchen at one time in the house/office. Packed with misc. car parts,thrown everywhere,and stacked almost to the ceiling. There were three or four birds standing on perches.One was a parrot! This place never changed!
Behind the counter,was an even larger chick,and she asked me what in particular i was looking for. I informed her of my interest in any GTO she may have in her graveyard. She clued me in,about the car i had heard about.She gave me some rough directions,pointing "that away" down the road,around this and that trucks etc. I pursued my dream parts car,and while walking near an old Chevy van,i noticed the side of it cut open,with a small corral surrounding it. Out of the van,came what looked to me was a worn out horse. Reminded me of the one i saw as a kid,on the 3 Stooges! With its back real low in the middle. Looked like a mean thing to do,raise a horse here? But i realized it was housed,although in an odd looking "barn",and being taken care of.
I continued to find the GTO,and walked around it to see what goodies it may left on it. A Wood accessory Wheel! Yea! Knew that was worth a deuce or more at the time,they were getting scarce. I walked back to the office,and asked how much? The woman stated an amount,which i felt this was gonna be a gift! I informed her okay,i'll take it! She asked if i had tools,and proceed to show me how to remove it! (believe me,i know how,but let her continue) She showed me how to remove the 3/4 inch nut,and take a hammer,and put it horizontal behind the wheel,and pull/rock back and forth to loosen the wheel from the hub. She knew her stuff,no doubt! But i wouldn"t ask her for a date!
I did get the wheel,and was happy to have it. Know its time to tell you about the experience my buddy Tom had. When he was younger,14 or 15,he visited this same yard with his Father. Tom had been leaning over a fender,removing an engine part,when his Father called him,"Tom! Look-up!" Tom told me when he looked up,suddenly he couldn't see a damn thing! Something had jumped out of a tree,and was hugging his face,and head,it was hairy,and wouldn't let go!! Tom didn't know what had him,and was scared $heetless! Finally his Dad,pulled the thing from him. It Was a Monkey! His Dad had seen it in the tree,and thats when he called Tom to look up!
His Dad had one hell of a laugh at this, and every time Tom tells me this story,i can't stop laughing! If you knew Tom,you could realize this could only happen to him! We only wish they had mini-cams back then! Rj
