To commemorate Junkyards

[Greg Myers]

Ok, just have to share this with you. It's from "Just a Car Guy"  http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/08/to-commemorate-junkyards-really.html

[Gramps46]

That is amazing, though kind of sad.

[Greg Myers]

Not so sad considering the source https://www.facebook.com/groups/729293520543134/permalink/1155881791217636/?__tn__=CH-R

Edited August 22, 2018 by Greg Myers

[cobraman]

Cool idea and nice presentation. 

[Chuckyg1]

reminds me of this

[Phirewriter]

Jeez, that makes me weep a little.

[dshue76]

1 hour ago, Chuckyg1 said:

reminds me of this

I grew up with a junkyard behind my house and that was a common site. It was our playground. We had a huge fort complex in the tire pile, and the car stacks were our tree houses.

[Motor City]

one several miles from me had them stacked 6 high, which was nothing compared to this!

[misterNNL]

inspired use for trashed out models. Neat concept. Thanks for sharing

[Joe Handley]

2 hours ago, Phirewriter said:

Jeez, that makes me weep a little.

At one time, those were all throw away cars.

[Atmobil]

Cool display, I want one on my wall

And, yes, all the cars where just massproduced consumer goods that had reach the end of their servicelifes. Just like today....
Where does modern cars go to die?
Will people 50 years from now weep when they see a 2003 Everyday-econobox crushed and stacked like that?
The human vanity is strange, we spend all our time and resources on designing, constructing and producing a product only for it to be "out of date" tomorrow.

[rel14]

seeing old cars like that,  puts a tear in my eye, and makes me sad and mad,  beautiful history down the drain,   the story some of them cars could tell you if they could speak,,, To me its like burning down a museum because the stuff in it is old,,

Love the display,, it like walking through a grave yard..

[vamach1]

Nooooooooooooooooo

[Greg Myers]

and time marches on . . . 

[Tom Geiger]

As romantic as we want to be about old cars, they really were poorly built and designed to last only a short time.  When I got my license in 1975, a 10 year old American car had visible rust holes in the body and was likely not to have much left of a floor.  The interiors were in tatters and they were lucky to make 100,000 miles.  I remember many cars me and my friends had that fit that bill.  The junkyards were full of five to ten year old cars.

A tri-five Chevy rusted out above the headlights in 2-3 years. Note that JC Whitney made a chrome cover to hide this. It was likely to need engine work in the 30,000 miles range.

A 50s or 60s car going 75 was shaking like a space ship leaving the atmosphere. You were lucky to get 10-15 miles per gallon. And God forbid if you got into an accident in one of them!

Today,  I have a 2015 Hyundai Elantra that delivers 32 miles per gallon. It's a basic appliance with more comforts than a fully loaded 60s car.  I can be going 90 on the Turnpike and not notice.  I've driven it 48000 miles without a whimper.  It's designed to crumple itself to protect me. None of my 2000s cars, even at 200,000 miles has any body rust or interior tears.  We view the good ole days through rose colored glasses!

[Greg Myers]

and for those of you that didn't scroll down and read the description . . . this is . . . 

"A model Diorama artist picked up bunch of bad built models from lady that was trashing her late husband models years ago, and came out with this junkyard shadowbox idea.

 These are plastic 1/24 and 1/25 scale models cut front and back, of most, and cut some at angle with  then paint and weathered them."

[Phirewriter]

Oh, I have no illusions that cars were/are disposable and the photo is just a situation of the times. I think every generation will have "their" cars that will generate the same reaction.

As a kid growing up up in the early seventies, 50's and 60's iron were the norm in junk yards and I thought nothing of it, looking at it now however...

Besides by the time I was starting to work on my own cars the yards were stacked up with all varieties of old muscle cars. 

Edited August 23, 2018 by Phirewriter

[Rob Hall]

There are still plenty of 10 yr old cars and trucks with rust on the road.  I didn't see it in Arizona, but definitely see them in NE Ohio.   But they probably have more than 100,000 miles.     

[THarrison351]

3 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

As romantic as we want to be about old cars, they really were poorly built and designed to last only a short time.  When I got my license in 1975, a 10 year old American car had visible rust holes in the body and was likely not to have much left of a floor.  The interiors were in tatters and they were lucky to make 100,000 miles.  I remember many cars me and my friends had that fit that bill.  The junkyards were full of five to ten year old cars.

A tri-five Chevy rusted out above the headlights in 2-3 years. Note that JC Whitney made a chrome cover to hide this. It was likely to need engine work in the 30,000 miles range.

A 50s or 60s car going 75 was shaking like a space ship leaving the atmosphere. You were lucky to get 10-15 miles per gallon. And God forbid if you got into an accident in one of them!

Today,  I have a 2015 Hyundai Elantra that delivers 32 miles per gallon. It's a basic appliance with more comforts than a fully loaded 60s car.  I can be going 90 on the Turnpike and not notice.  I've driven it 48000 miles without a whimper.  It's designed to crumple itself to protect me. None of my 2000s cars, even at 200,000 miles has any body rust or interior tears.  We view the good ole days through rose colored glasses!

Depending on where you live, this is still true. Ask someone from the rust belt, or most Canadians. The drive-trains are almost bulletproof today, but all the metal bits still succumb to mighty tin worm

[ChrisBcritter]

11 hours ago, Chuckyg1 said:

reminds me of this

Big difference being that you'd have to shell out lots of money and do some scratchbuilding to duplicate many of these cars!

[HotRodaSaurus]

9 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

As romantic as we want to be about old cars, they really were poorly built and designed to last only a short time.  When I got my license in 1975, a 10 year old American car had visible rust holes in the body and was likely not to have much left of a floor.  The interiors were in tatters and they were lucky to make 100,000 miles.  I remember many cars me and my friends had that fit that bill.  The junkyards were full of five to ten year old cars.

A tri-five Chevy rusted out above the headlights in 2-3 years. Note that JC Whitney made a chrome cover to hide this. It was likely to need engine work in the 30,000 miles range.

A 50s or 60s car going 75 was shaking like a space ship leaving the atmosphere. You were lucky to get 10-15 miles per gallon. And God forbid if you got into an accident in one of them!

Today,  I have a 2015 Hyundai Elantra that delivers 32 miles per gallon. It's a basic appliance with more comforts than a fully loaded 60s car.  I can be going 90 on the Turnpike and not notice.  I've driven it 48000 miles without a whimper.  It's designed to crumple itself to protect me. None of my 2000s cars, even at 200,000 miles has any body rust or interior tears.  We view the good ole days through rose colored glasses!

Great post Tom.
 People are always crowing about how great they are Tom, Me too. But if we saw a dozen 1957 Chevrolets popping down the road every day of half a dozen Corvairs, or 56 Fairlanes, would we really notice them. We only put on those glasses when we see that wonderful old Cadillac that dad drove to work because they are so rare. Its the same with steam locomotives, we forget the over crowded carriages and cancelled trains back in the 'Golden era' for those very reasons we moan about the newer rolling stock.

What I do find amusing was here in the UK as a kid, back in the 1960s and 70s Harley Davidson motorcycles were so rare I made a scrap book up of every picture i found in a magazine or old toy box. I think I only ever sat two in a year if I were lucky. Now if one if heard coming from behind its just another Electra Glide Road King dresser, I usually see at least 2 a day

[oldnslow]

 A fantastic artists perception of an american junkyard , now I know what to do with all my glue bombs . 

Now on another note , 

 It's been my experience that cars are a reflection of their owners care for them . Many are subjected to harsh environments and not cared for properly . Tom mentioned the 55 headlight rust , a common problem because dirt and debris would collect above the headlight from the tire , but simply hosing it out when washing the car would alleviate much of the effect . I know , that's what I do with my 55 , I've owned it since '95 , my brother-in-law bought it in '75 and started the rebuild , no rust then either . It was fun to drive , but had terrible brakes , got about 10 miles to the gallon if I was light footed (302 , tunnel ram , 2 holleys and a 4 speed ) and steered like a truck . All those things were up graded to newer technology and have served us well . The rusted out newer models were probably due to the heavy salting of the roads up north in the winter , another problem that could be slowed down buy cleaning the auto regularly and hosing off the bottom . Many of us just see their cars as Tom said , an appliance , to get us to and from our destinations and that's sad . Anything we own , we spent money for , should be accompanied with the respect and appreciation for the benefit it provides . But that's just my opinion , it and a couple of bucks might get you a cup of coffee . 

Edited August 23, 2018 by oldnslow

[Tom Geiger]

Thanks guys!  Keep in mind we all love old cars.  We forgive them because we love the design and are nostalgic for the part they played in our lives.  I will forever have a shelf of models of them!  

But I wouldn't want one as a daily driver, especially on my 180 mile round trip daily Turnpike marathon!  I'd much rather be cruising at 90 mph effortlessly listening to satellite radio in air conditioning as my little Hyundai delivers a trouble free 32 mpg.  

Awhile back there was a cover story in the Studebaker Drivers Club Journal, Turning Wheels. Some guy gave his beautiful 16 year old twin daughters each a butt ugly 1960 Studebaker Lark as their first cars. He was quite proud of himself!  We know better today!  Chances are that one of them will have an accident in their first year of driving.  If you saw that video where they crashed a 1959 full size Chevy head on into a modern Malibu, it was annihilated!  And even that perfectly restored car gave a huge plume of rust upon impact.  When my daughters started driving I made sure they were in modern, crash ready cars with airbags.  And I kept my collector cars for fun rides.

[Tom Geiger]

Edited August 24, 2018 by Tom Geiger