They’re talking classic Chevrolet models that include abandoned iconic Bel-Airs, rusted previously-durable Impalas and a few other predominantly Mopar classics. The only thing they have in common with that L.A. district is that they’re also totally old-school in one mondo field find that’s worth a lengthy gaze and little more, since these relics are not for sale.
A Field Of Mopar Classics
Locals in this part of rural Texas call this rusted landscape the Bowtie Dream Yard, in reference to Chevrolet’s dapper logo and the fact that visitors will find hundreds of the automaker’s classics — particularly Bel-Airs and Impalas — populating almost every grassy square foot of property. Several of the Bel-Airs hail from the 1955-57 production period, although a few later models dot the premises.
Ditto for the Chevrolet 210, a cheaper version of the Bel-Air, although patrons require more observant eyes to distinguish between those two models in heavy states of oxidizing decay. Even telling early-model Impalas from the Bel-Airs can be an optical exercise, largely due to the similarities of their tail-fin designs. Sometimes folks have to resort to checking out the badging to confirm which is which.
That wasn’t an issue for one Heart of Texas member named Thomas, who said he’s visited the site on a couple of previous occasions, hoping to purchase something deemed salvageable, but the owners weren’t home. Inexplicably, the owners don’t seem to want to part with any of these vehicles, given their reluctance to sell any of them when prodded. “He might sell something,” said Thomas. “He’s not like what you would call a motivated seller.”
Rusted Chevys Heavily Stripped
But at least Thomas received permission to wander through the scrapyard, where the experience is comparable to a kid gazing at goodies in a candy store. The self-guided tour conjures a last-man-on-Earth vibe, although Thomas didn’t seem to mind. “I don’t have that lonesome feeling anymore,” he said, strolling from one rust bucket to another. “I’m here with all my best friends.”
Besides, he’s pretty occupied and enthralled with identifying all his metallic buddies. With a keen eye, he noticed two 1957 Bel-Airs nestled next to each other, one of them a four-door and the other with two. Thomas also came across one rusted and heavily pillaged Chevy, which he immediately identifies as a Bel-Air. He pointed out that the rivet holes that once helped secure a strip of chrome from the tail-fin all the way to the rear window was one manufacturing trademark of that classic vehicle.
He was especially taken aback with what might have been a law enforcement vehicle with a beacon still on top, but missing a front end. That omission provided Thomas with a good look at the motor. “It’s a souped up, chromed out motor,” he said about the engine. “That’s extra, you know it is.”
Landscape of Bel-Air Heaven
The further Thomas ventured into the Mopar-laden field, the more joyful he felt in relating his discoveries to the YouTube audience. “Another Bel-Air more Bel-Airs, we’re in Bel-Air heaven over here,” said Thomas when he discovered a number of cars in various stages of disassembly that would have been unrecognizable to a novice. Even with some of these vehicles in such dilapidated conditions, he could differentiate one 1956 Bel-Air from another from 1957. He’s also not thrown from a few oddities filling in some gaps on the terrain like a Biscayne that’s in considerably rough shape.
Still, he found an occasional car reduced beyond recognition that threw him. “I don’t think it’s a Bel-Air,” he said while pointing to one vehicle with a blue exterior sporting white doors, but missing a front end. “Doesn’t look like the chrome comes all the way up, maybe I’m wrong.” In another part of the field, he found some later models, like a four-door Impala, a rusted but otherwise intact Camaro Paladina, and even a couple of Fords, like an old Fairlane and Thunderbird.
Most Mopars Beyond Salvage
Thomas has found about two or three cars worth taking, but most of the vehicles on the lot are far too damaged to undertake a salvage operation. “These are not quick flips as far as fixing up,” he noted at the end of his tour. “Of course, it’d be a quick flip to buy it and sell it.” For anyone interested in what’s on that property, however, Thomas regretted he didn’t have any contact information.
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