Mopar Salvage Yards - Another Man's Treasure

It seems nowadays you can't pick up a car publication without reading about a junkyard crawl. Unfortunately, that's how auto trends go. One day restomods and g-machines are all the rage, the next day it's rat-rods, old school gassers, and pump-gas, 10-second street machines; next month it'll be something else. That's the game we play in the magazine business-keep it fresh, stay on top of the trend, and make it appealing to your readers.

Unlike some of those nancy-boy car-show types who pay to have their spark plugs changed and tires rotated, we Mopar guys do it all ourselves. We find the car, tear it apart, build the drivetrain, piece it all back together, and go thrash it out on the streets and do gnarly burnouts. That's what being a Mopar guy is all about. And since we're Mopar guys, we're focusing our sights on some of the best Mopar-specific salvage yards in the nation. you might not have heard of some of them, which is good, because more often than not, it's the little guys that are going to have that ever elusive piece of grille trim, marker lights, or interior switches that nobody in the aftermarket has thought of repopping.

Space is one of the biggest issues with salvage yards ("junkyard" has a really ugly connotation, while "salvage yard" has a hint of nostalgia to it and looks better on a business card). Another issue is to have a location that won't reduce your inventory to lumps of metal flake and oxidation. The northern and midwestern states are brutal on sheetmetal as salted roads and freezing, wet weather can eat up the body, frame and all.That's why it's common to find a greater percentage of salvage yards in the drier, hotter climates. The Southwestern desert's arid landscape might not look too appealing to many of you, but for an ailing Plymouth A-Body or retired Dodge B-Body, it's pretty much ideal. So it's no wonder that two of our featured yards hail from Texas, one from Oregon, and another from Alabama. Land is ample, the population is sparse, and the selection is vast. The best thing about these salvage yards is you can pick up a car or just the odds and ends that your project Mopar needs. The Internet has been beneficial to thousands of enthusiasts, but sometimes it takes more than just sitting in your underwear late at night in front of a computer screen to make a project a finished machine.

Wildcat Auto Wrecking

Many haven't heard of these guys because they are not the usual brand of pull-your-own-part yards. this secluded supply and salvage yard is off the main drag, so much so you might have to borrow your buddy's 4x4 just to get back there. Dealing in '79-and-older cars and trucks, Wildcat is loaded with '60s and '70s musclecars, as well as a good amount of '50s automobiles and even a few '40s. the oldest car resting in the yard is a '29 Chrysler.

Wildcat Auto Wrecking was started in the summer of 1989 when Ed and Phyllis Yost purchased the 7.65-acre property in the foothills of Mount Hood, just 9 miles east of Sandy, Oregon. The property had been a wrecking yard since the '60s, named after the Wildcat Mountain Drive it is on. Ed had been dealing with Mopars since the early '70s as a hobbyist; all Ed and Phyllis drove were Mopars. It continued to serve as a wrecking yard with a penchant for Mopar iron and grew over the years with cars coming in on a weekly basis. In 1993, Wildcat became a Mopar-only salvage yard. It expanded even more through the '90s with the help of a crew of Mopar-loving employees-George Hetrick, Dennis Beard, and Randy Ashley. A new building was added with an office, an upstairs dry inventory, and a shipping department in 2001. The addition of a web site increased their national and international customers. Since that time, Wildcat has supplied parts for clients in Sweden, England, Australia, and Canada. Today, Wildcat boasts over 1,000 Mopars on-site, including over 100 vehicles worthy of becoming a project vehicle, plus a massive supply of individual parts in stock.

Dr. Mopar

The brainchild of Wendell Smith many years ago, Dr. Mopar functions as an appendage of A to Z Auto Crusher, out of Niederwald, Texas. In September 2005, Wendell left the country, leaving his yard and thriving business. Now owned by Reynell Smith and her son Robert Huff, this family-operated business has made a name for itself with online shoppers and web forum regulars. Due to the large volume of internet requests, Dr. Mopar was forced to open their doors to the public by appointment only. Operating on a computerized inventory system, Dr. Mopar features over 300 cars in the yard and another 10,000 square feet of warehoused parts. Robert says, "We don't sell new or aftermarket items unless they come in the cars we purchase off the street."

Stephens Performance

In 1975, Ted Stephens wrapped his '68 Super Bee around a telephone pole. As a 17-year-old, Ted wasn't in the position to dish out the cash needed to fix it, so he was forced to part it out to recoup his investment. His initial venture into auto salvage came at the cost of his first car. And from that time on, Ted has nurtured his salvage business into one of the largest vintage Mopar salvage operations in the world. Unlike some of the aforementioned yards, Stephens Performance happily sells new, used, and reproduction parts for all '62 through '74 A-, B-, C-, E-, and F-Body models. Licensed by DaimlerChrysler as a distributor of reproduction parts, Stephens is able to provide their customers with the same performance products as most dealers.

Stephens Performance provided the lion's share of Mopar iron for the latest Chrysler musclecar craze in the film industry. Most recently, Stephens pitched in for the The Fast and the Furious series and last year's remake of the The Dukes of Hazzard, sacrificing several Chargers in an effort to bring the orange General Lee to celluloid. In addition, they were licensed in the mid-'90s to manufacture and distribute apparel and collectibles for both Vanishing Point films. In gratitude for their participation in the filming of the second installment, Stephens was awarded one of the Challengers used in the movie. television appearances on Motor Trend TV, Car and Driver, and Horsepower have also helped to spread the word about Ted's business.

Dealing mostly in used parts with some N.O.S. and reproduction items mixed in, Texas Acres was one of the first to offer new A/C and heater cores for '66-'70 B-Bodies. The small family-owned business has dealt with customers' worldwide thanks to a successful advertising campaign and a strong internet presence. A large world map in Ron's office is loaded with red dots indicating where parts have gone. Ron says, "We've sent transmissions to Katmandu, India, starters to South Africa, and the complete rear half of a '69 Charger to Germany. Many times during the year we entertain foreign visitors that stop in while on vacation here in the States."

Texas Acres

The proprietor of Texas Acres, Ron Stitt, is a Vietnam veteran, involved in the local police and fire departments, as well as in several city and church groups. After returning home from the Vietnam conflict, he made a career out of repairing major collision damage for 33 years. As it is with all Mopar guys, there always was a project car in the works, causing extra parts to accumulate. People began seeking out Ron for cars and parts on a regular basis, so he began selling the extras to locals in the '70s and at swap meets in the '80s. Realizing that there was a need for a full-time Mopar salvage yard, Ron decided to open up the Harker Heights compound, but not without a cost. Ron says, "in 1991, to purchase the current location of Texas Acres, I sold a collection of Mopars: a red '71 'Cuda, a white '66 Charger 383, a yellow '68 Charger, a red '65 Barracuda, a '65 white Sport Fury, a black and white '57 Belvedere, a red '55 Plymouth Savoy, and a black '36 Plymouth sedan."

Services surpass simply scavenging usable bits and pieces from discarded Mopars; Texas Acres sends out scouts looking for cars and parts from old wrecking yards and individual homes and properties. Non-restorable vehicles are completely dismantled and the non-perishable items are stored in rows and sections according to body type on the property. The perishable parts are stored in two warehouses. Inventory changes weekly as things are always coming and going.

But what about all the unused, unwanted parts and cars? Ron explains, "Many items are sold to core buyers, or if not useable, they are loaded into huge scrap containers kept on-site. Once filled up, the containers are swapped out for empty ones by a local scrap company, and the contents are recycled. I recycle more than just auto parts. The boxes and packing used to ship parts are supplied by a local retired gentleman. He gathers boxes and pallets from the local businesses by the truck load, and I buy them. We also keep paper shredders busy to recycle any and all paper for packing parts to ship." This process isn't the easiest way to do things, but it is the most eco-friendly. He continues, "Oil and antifreeze are sold to recyclers. All A/C-equipped cars are checked, and the Freon is collected by a licensed A/C company." Old tires are picked up for recycling into fuel, road coatings, or athletic tracks. Texas Acres strives to find new ways to make every item off the vehicles useful.