Scrapyard Memories

[I am not Diesel]

There was quite a few scrapyards in Scunthorpe when I was a youth. Eva Bros. was the main one and there was another couple on Midland Road but I can only remember Waggys. There was a few scrappies down the pit bottom too, but they never really had a lot. Eva’s had cars piled 3 high and segregated by manufacturer. I used to go most weekends looking for parts to improve my Mini and root through the other cars looking for trinkets. I found a half decent penknife in a Jag once. My Dad had a haulage business and it was always a treat to go to commercial breakers Fred Winters near Hull. As a kid it seemed massive with infinite trucks scattered around. I used to nab whatever badges I could. Then Philbreak got big in Scunny so we used to go there. I think it’s gone now but back in the day they had loads of scrap lorries but I haven’t been back for a long time. The nearest car scrapyard to me now is in Thurston. I only went once looking for some trim for my Mk2 Golf and the yard was like a lake. There wasn’t much there and I haven’t been back.

[DodgeRover]

We had quite a few locally thinking back.
The one I was at all the time as a kid was Goodwin's at Brimington, my dad used to buy a lot of salvage so he used to get the pick of stuff in the big shed that was coming clear - IE the insurance had paid out on. They used to give away Calendars to the regular customers, it's still a surprise not to see one on the wall by the phone when I go back to my parents although they must have been closed 20+ years now.


Deatons at Staveley used to facinate me as he used to have all sorts of wierd and wonderful stuff in the yard - there was once the steam engine they used in the railway children in there. Used to really annoy me as they had a strict no kids policy so I had to wait in whatever vehicle we had gone done in.

Mick Hills used to have some old stuff stacked at the back of the yard on a bank.

Hardy's in Chesterfield was a small yard that was stacked 3 high in most areas.

[bub2006]

I think dearons have gone now. Maybe last year they went?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

They have, land sold for HS2. Geoff Deaton is/was looking for somewhere else though.

They could be expensive though and I stopped going regularly 10 years ago. Geoff could be a funny bugger as well.

[mercrocker]

I think I know where those scrapyard pics are and it won't be a quick job - up in the attic.

Anyway, here are some that I've taken since then of other yards....

Can't remember the name of this one, only that it was in Corfe Mullen, Dorset. Bloke who owned it had a decrepit W123 in that dog-dick pink they did. Fantastic Dosset accent and he regaled me with tales of the ones that got away, such as a Red Label Bentley (proper 3 Litre not the cruise ship celebrity ones). This was taken about 1999....

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Canada now, Hearse Corner at Dom's Auto Parts near Toronto. 1983.

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British Car Row (you'd think it be a lot fuller than this shot conveys!) Rare early Devon there with the small headlamps - 7 inch were required in USA but not Canada....

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Also Canada, this is a yard whose name I forget but it was in the township of Brooklin (where the expensive diecasts were named for) Ontario.
L-R - '39 DeSoto, '47 Mercury, 46 Ford. Again, this was on a 1983 visit.

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Garfields, Bishops Waltham, Hants c.1985. Got some bits off this Zephyr 6 for mine - it was the same colour but had a different interior and in the event nothing colour-specific was any use so I just bought a load of small bits of chrome and some bracketry....

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France - Casse-Auto Crouzilles near Poitiers around 1998ish. In some parallel universe a French AS colony is going apeshit...
I was in here looking for a radiator for my Mk3 Granada before it became blindingly obvious that it had actually shit the cylinder head as well.

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Last one is back in Blighty, again I forget the name of it but there was a cluster of yards in Sipson, West Drayton that had Yank gear in them.
I'd been in here a week or so before looking for a new front end for my '79 Pontiac after I biffed a Cortina with it (looking at a bird's legs when the lights went red....). He said he couldn't help me but on the way out I saw a bit of familiar trellis-work poking out of a skip and there it was - the whole front grille and headlamp assemblies with just a couple of cracks! Anyway, I spotted this '57 Imperial looking rather complete so three of us went back up for a look and possible purchase but none of us went through with it....That's my late mate Chris on the right whose Chrysler I now own. And, no, I'm not the one in the fucking hat - I took the picture. Sometime around 1993/4 I reckon.

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[DodgeRover]

They have, land sold for HS2. Geoff Deaton is/was looking for somewhere else though.

They could be expensive though and I stopped going regularly 10 years ago. Geoff could be a funny bugger as well.

He was always ok with me, John was always the bloke in the stores to see to pay, everybody else was expensive!
Wonder what will happen now HS2 isn't going ahead?

[DodgeRover]

Just remembered another one, Warren Metals in Onehunga, Auckland, used to sponsor quite a few racers at Waikaraka Speedway, ended up going in regularly and scrounging bits for the shit Holden VJ? Comodore wagon, then Sierras, Marinas and the Starlet we had, going off to try and find a photo now

Nope can't find a picture, as the name would suggest it was mainly a recycling yard but they had a decent car section and were very sensibly priced and happy to chat.

[AMCrebel]

Bub’s done mine - I spent loads of time at Albert Looms. My most recent visit there was for a parcel shelf and the plastic support for that red Mondeo we both owned.

I scored a GT steering wheel for my mk1 Escort van from there, got some H4 lights for it too.

I kept them when I flogged the van and later put them in my 1600E, along with numerous other bits including my own home made alternator conversion from a later Ford.

I used to get the flasher units from Audis or VWs as they were fancy electronic ones rather than the bimetallic ones.

I got a plastic shield for the front of my MK1 1500 Maxi from there after a harrowing night on the M1 when every time I tried to overtake a lorry the fucker cut out due to spray being ingested into the grill and shorting the HT leads.

Also liberated and fitted a rev counter from an Arrows Humber Sceptre - which just showed how the thing was stupidly low geared even though it had 5 speeds. I got a hazard warning light switch from a Triumph of some kind and wired that into the Maxi which lacked them. I still have that switch and aim to fit it to the AMC.

When I was a nipper me Dad took me to Journey’s end on Alfreton road to get some bits for our Ford Classic.

[mercrocker]

About the time I was 14 there was a bloke in the local Youth Club we frequented who had a Herald. One or two of us were entrusted to drive it around the local gravel pit - he had a tacho with a moveable redline that he used to set at about 3000rpm and we weren't to go over that....

Highlight of the month was when he got paid and used to take one of us (usually me) down the scrappy to see what goodies he could get. The Herald ended up with Spitfire carbs and manifold, Vitesse door pockets, a little chrome trim on the steering wheel and some aftermarket dashtop crash padding amongst other things. He had an Anglia van too which got progressively added to. It had a plywood bulkhead inside which was almost completely studded with those little Ford ovals from front wings.....

[Hooli]

The local one I used to use was Adversane near Horsham. They were lying fuckers at times, ring up for a rough price, go strip the parts off and they'd want three times what they said on the phone.