Saving the Classics: Everett’s Auto Parts
As many of you know, I have been scoping out junkyards and salvage facilities for years, reporting back here on my findings. I have been visiting a yard called Everett’s Auto Parts in Brockton, Mass., for a while now, and I recently saw on their Facebook page they are setting aside vintage vehicles as whole project cars, a great idea and worth promoting. You can check out the full album here on the Barn Finds Google Drive, which includes cars like this awesome Bricklin SV-1!
I have encountered yards that keep a separate lot with potential project vehicles safe from the you-pull section, but they are few and far between. It’s great to see cars like this big Cadillac coupe safe from hungry parts hunters, especially if there’s a potential buyer out there who would consider restoring this car whole. I love pick-and-pulls, but it can be hard to watch solid projects get torn to shreds. Aside from some rust bubbling on the fender, this Caddy looks clean.
I’m 99% certain this is a Packard Clipper, and I have my suspicions that this is an older restoration that’s fallen on hard times. The clean white walls, the polished wheel spokes, shiney chrome on the front bumper and side trim – it looks too nice for a car that hasn’t had at least some money spent on it in the last few years. The missing windshield is unfortunate, however.
Next to this Cadillac is one of my favorite cars in the lot, a cheerful Mercury Bobcat. A twin to the Ford Pinto but seen far less often, this Bobcat appears very complete but I’m not sure if that paint is original. The blacked-out wheels look tough on this economy car, and if you’ve been looking for a Pinto project but were put off by the lack of special or rare models, a Bobcat could be a way to scratch your itch while still standing apart from the crowd.
Finally, when it a Jeepster project not in style? Flip off the factory hardtop and enjoy open air beach cruising or keep it locked on and use it for plow duty (wait, don’t do that – just take it out and rescue stranded motorists when the snow starts to fly, or better yet, keep it in the garage away from road salt). You can find all of these fine vehicles and the rest of the project cars in the photo album at Everett’s Auto Parts, so give them a yell if you want to save an emerging classic from the scrap pile.
Auctions Ending Soon
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now2 days$333
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now3 days$4,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now3 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now4 days$10,500
1974 Datsun 260ZBid Now6 days$200
Comments
Wouldn’t the windshield from the other Packard 4-door fit, along with a lot of the parts? I think at the right price it would make sense to purchase both of them, although that’s somewhat defeating to the idea of all of these cars being restorable. Wow, I sure wish there was a yard like this near me!
Jamie, I know of at least 3 or 4 yards like that near us in Idaho, Oregon, Ut and Montana…….you need to get out more.
Dave, Jamie doesn’t live in Idaho. He’s on the other side of the country. If you’d like to share the locations of these yards with me and Jesse though, we wouldn’t mind going and taking a look at them. We are still fairly new to these parts and haven’t managed to find all the good parts yards yet.
Dave, I can tell you here on the East Coast, this type of yard is maybe one of four I’ve found like it after years of scouring from Maine to New York. Good on you for having a climate and culture that keeps them available; here in the progressive republic of New England (and the East Coast in general), anything rusty and with poor fuel economy is considered offensive to the sensibilities of the elite and discarded accordingly.
Dave, I’m in North Carolina. There’s only one old yard left near me, and they charge WAY too much for anything. Everyone else has cleared out their older cars. I found one a while back and wrote it up for Barn Finds, but it’s nearly two hours away.
2 hrs is nothing in the west……..my wife is doing her monthly commute tomorrow from SAN Francisco back to our ranch in Idaho……750 miles and 10 hrs. We go 2 hrs for a good restaurant……………….I actually counted 6 yards like this in my head. I am sure I will remember more. Bought my clean 75 scout from one last year in Burns Oregon for 600.00
It should fit. I would want to see both cars before I would part out one.
Theres a real good yard in south of me and has lots of treasures and they supposedly sell parts but Ive heard the owners are a bunch of hillbilly nut jobs and just mess with people.It dosent get good reviews.A shame because if I had that yard I would be a millionaire! Thats the kind of stuff they got but ignorance is bliss!
Does anybody else hear a banjo with this yard?
I go to Everetts almost weekly for about 50 years. Couldn’t be a better place to find parts and help at more than reasonable prices. You may be surprised at just how low cost these projects are as well. I’ve bought a number of cars from them over the years with no problems.
“A Bricklin in Brockton” sounds like the title of a book I would have read in high school English class.
Somebody call Ben Affleck! New Boston crime movie!
I am truly addicted to exploring old junk yards. Have even bought a few lock stock and barrel. One was given to me because of the cost of environmental remediation in California…..one of the sides of my business. Bought my 55 speedster for 100.00 out of one in eastern Idaho a few decades ago. Just as an example. When we fly around, we always watch for farms and the like with groups of cars. There are great yards most anywhere out of California, the state there has been on a witch hunt for 40 years to get rid of them with threats of large fines over oil and fluids on the ground. Otherwise, I know of yards all over the west. Everywhere from southern Arizona to northern Idaho and Montana, rattlesnakes, scorpions, lizards, and all. For years it is what I did for fun when I had free time and I made a few bucks at the same time.
Theres one by Pittsburgh, PA called Roads end. Just as the name states there are several yards on the road and this yard is at the end. I bought tons of firebird and trans am parts there in the 90’s and interior parts for a 68 galaxy convt also. I would drool at the old iron dating back to the 30’s in this place. I assume its still there anyone know? Its worth checking out
@Greg. “Roads End” is a great name for a bone yard, not only for the location, but for the last journey for many of the relics that reside there.
I’m in MN and there isn’t any good yards left at all. They got rid of them all to build malls and other stores. There are some yards with newer cars but all there parts are computer invitoried. I really hate yards like that. I like to head out in the morning with a tool box and a cooler and explore without being asked what I’m looking for.
I’ve bought parts from this yard for decades, starting in the mid 70’s. Always a top notch professional place. Very organized and able to help. I hadn’t been there in years but a couple years ago went to look for a part and was amazed at the further changes. the inside of the front building is more like a new parts store with sales people helping and taking orders. There’s actually three or four fairly big organized yards right in a row in this area, wondering if Jeff visited any of them. Good to see them not crushing everything.
I don’t think the Packard is a Clipper. It looks like a senior car to me. Maybe even a 400…
I’m 10 minutes down the road from Everetts but also there’s several other junk yards right alongside of Everetts…..Brockton auto, RC Truck sales, Foreign auto, Reagle Auto…..Now I got to go check this stuff out!
Bill, I’ve been to them all…Foreign Auto I was a few years too late, as they crushed all the older Euro stuff I like. Brockton Auto…well, you take your life in your hands in that yard. Not much had changed the last few times I’ve been there. Reagle is a pretty limited yard these days, I only looked in once and haven’t been back. Everett’s is head and shoulders above them all.
Everetts bought regal last year and uses it for late model cars that the public doesn’t get access to. The best part about Everetts is the entire yard turns over every couple of weeks.
Anyone know if they still have that Bricklin? Sure, I *could* call them, but that would require real world human interaction.