The word “junkyard” is a misnomer. Junkyards are beautiful places; a mingling of machinery and nature at the most elemental level, and a place to inspire the imagination.

We were on a mission to find a late-model Chevy 261 stovebolt-6 engine, and found our first candidate in this truck. Through the rust and the missing bodywork, the crisp, classic 1950’s lines can still be seen. Amazing to think that this truck is well over 50 years old.

Bodywork isn’t the only thing to be admired at a junkyard. This Ford flathead V8 is evidence of Henry Ford’s genius. Born in an age when the elaborate casting techniques required to mass-produce an engine like this were still in their infancy, the flathead motor was the kind of engines that legends were born of. It’s the same engine that powered Bonnie and Clyde, and one can only imagine how many early “street rodders” were inspired by its elegant simplicity and potential. This particular engine isn’t completely gone; a dedicated mechanic and a replacement for the missing head could turn this into a viable motor.

The truck that housed this flathead V8 wasn’t the prettiest truck of its era, but it still had plenty of potential. The bodywork was a shade on the rough side (anyone who has spent time around these trucks know how vulnerable the floors and the cab corners are), but again - a mechanic with vision and patience could do something with this ancient iron and steel.

The lucky donor for today’s project was this late 50’s Chevy truck. The nearly-complete 261 straight six only took us about 30 minutes to remove. It must have weighed at least four hundred pounds and took a decent sized tractor to lift out, but it reminded us that good design and engineering didn’t always mean lightweight and concessions for mass production. The solid cast iron parts assured us that they had plenty of life left in them.

We’ll see what good things come out of this.

1 comment
Posted in Blog
Written on Sat, 30 June 2007 at 3:42 pm
Tags: cars, junkyard, trucks
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