North Providence Auto Salvage Cars 2022 Part 2

8/3/22

Sam: When I discovered my stock 14" wheels no longer cleared the disc brake kit I'd installed on the front of my car, I was pretty frustrated. I considered my options and finally decided to source some 15s to replace the original rims. The 15s would have the proper clearance, plus the larger size would mean better handling for my car. Since the 14s were debatably barely capable of handling my 2-ton land yacht, I decided to trade safety over originality in this case. So, it was once again time for another trip to my local yard to see what I could find!

Remains of a First Gen (1967-70) Mercury Cougar

I started off looking for wheels but eventually got distracted and ended up making an entire pass over the yard. After digging around in the area by the 80s cutlass and '65 LeSabre, I noticed a car I'd missed before. This appears to be the remains of an old First generation Mercury Cougar, although the entire front clip, doors, and decklid had been robbed at some point. The carb was still on the motor, but it was cracked wide open, so chances are the engine is seized. I looked it over, determined it was not a GM product and therefore I couldn't use any parts off it, and moved on.

1965 Ford Thunderbird and a 1967 Mustang in the Background

Here we have a '65 T-Bird that was previously still in the woods the last time I visited the yard. I'd photographed this one during my first visit to the yard, but this time I was able to make a thorough inspection of it. The roof is all mashed up and all the remaining body panels are dented. The tags say this one has been off the road since '77, so it's been in the yard for awhile. Once again, I used the old taillight trick to determine the year of the car. The '67 Mustang and '63 T-Bird also made cameos in this shot.

Above and Left: NAPA Trucks: Nissan Frontier, Chevy HHR, and a Ford Ranger

Further up in the yard, I found it kind of interesting that NAPA decided to junk their vehicles here. I guess these rigs were too worn out to merit fixing and were thus relegated to the junkpile. I wonder what was wrong with them as they don't seem to be too rusted out. I tried to take the hat off the Nissan, but it was stuck tight. And yes, I would have paid for it if I was able to pry it loose. After about an hour of wandering through the yard, I told the owner what I was looking for. He went out and grabbed two randomly-placed tires, which happened to be off a '70 Impala. I bought those and later bought a third one he had. Unfortunately, the fourth one on the car had some damage, so he gave it away to someone who needed a roller tire for a project.

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