Just another 318... but it's mine.
My buddy Jason and I drove from Pittsburgh, Pa to Selma, NC in March of 2010. A fellow Mopar guy from PA (Ron Kirkpatrick,www.ronkirkpatrickcustoms.com) was nice enough to refer me to Billy West's garage in Selma, NC. As many know, Billy past away a few years ago leaving a legacy of HUNDREDS of old Mopars.
We left Wednesday night from Pittsburgh and got into Selma around 7am. We stopped to have a bite to eat and then met up with Billy's son-in-law Jamie around 9am on Thursday. We knew that Jamie had a lot of cars, but stepping onto their lot felt more like going back in time. It was simply overwhelming to see all the cars and something I'll take with me until the day I die. Mopars EVERYWHERE! Challengers, Cudas, Road Runners, Coronets, Polaras, Satellites, Dusters, Darts, Demons... you name it; if its Mopar it was there!
There were several main areas of the Billy's place. I'll break them down as best I can!
The lower lot had a ton of old E-body, Polaras, Coronets, and more. There was an OLD Imperial that appeared to be in savable shape. It was a sight to behold with all the stainless trim and it was HUGE. I'd have loved to bring this car home, but I came for E-body, not for an old Imperial. There were school buses scattered all over the lot. The ones down here were full of tranny parts if I recall (bell housings, 3 and 4 speeds, etc.). Most of the Challengers and Cudas were at the bottom. I looked around for a 71 Challenger I could live with and agonized over the rough condition of the old Barracudas. There were a lot of 72-74 Challengers and a handful of 70, 71s. The 'gem' was a shell of a 73 true BS Cuda that was set on one end. Jamie warned me up front that this car had already been sold and wasn't for sale. Bummer... There was also a 72 Barracuda hiding under a little shelter. It appeared to be all there and definitely a good restoration candidate! Better inspection revealed that the floors were totally gone and the back half of the car was totally filled with rot. Someone had already butchered the car with some lousy repairs. It would take a TON of work to simply 'undo' the nasty work that had been done. It looked pretty good from the outside though... There was also a twisted pile of metal laying on the ground. The story was that Petty had wrecked the twisted pile at one time and the car had left the track and killed someone. They buried it on the lot only to excavate it by accident at a later date. Not sure if it is true... but we took some pictures of what was left.
The middle / upper lot had a lot of Dusters, some Demons, a lot of Road Runners and even a Pontiac and an old Datsun ; ). This is where Jason discovered a 71 340 Duster that he instantly wouldn't stop talking about. It seemed to be complete, pretty much all there, and even had a tow hitch to boot! Here is where he also ran into a 70 Road Runner that he really liked towards the back section. The buses in this section were mostly filled with old smaller parts and motors. I want to back up for a second when I say "buses" because you may not understand what I mean. Overall, there had to be at least 30 full size school buses filled with parts in addition to the offices, barns, silos, sheds, and anywhere else they could stuff NOS parts.
The rear lot is what Jamie kindly referred to as "the junk yard". It had a handful of old Fords, Chevys, and even an old motor home! There wasn't a whole lot to see back here, but it was still neat checking out all the non-mopar 'junk'.
The front lot housed the 'prime' candidates. Unfortunately, they were priced accordingly. There was an all white Satellite that appeared to be in great shape. Jamie said it runs and drives but needs a gas tank (there is a small hole). There was also a 69 Charger 440 R/T shell and a Superbee. Both were big projects and priced well out of our budget. Lastly, there was a 383 Coronet convertible parked out front. The price was reasonable, it was in great shape, and I should have bought it. I wasn't shopping for a Coronet though, and I passed on it. If it is still there, this is the single car on the lot that someone should buy yesterday. Lastly, one of Billy's old race Challengers set far out front. Obviously it wasn't for sale, but we took a picture of it.
The office was FILLED with tons of wheels and one wall was covered in carburators. When I saw 'covered' I mean they were laying on the floor in a pile that was probably about 8 feet wide, 5 feet deep, and 5 feet tall. There were also a ton of old chunks of the floor in different ratios. Some open some sure-grip, etc. This is where I got the 3.00 OLD race suregrip that I posted elsewhere on here. To this day I'm still not sure exactly what it is because there are no markings on the case. There were also a ton of air cleaners, pictures, and old memoribilia. They had pictures of a lot of the cars that had gone through the yard at different times. There were 440+6 cars, Superbirds, Daytonas, etc etc etc. If you can think of it; it probably went through Billy's yard. The cou de gras was Billy's race Road Runner! It was tucked safefly and quietly away around piles of literature, memorabilia, pictures, parts, and other things. Jamie said they planned to someday take it out and take it to shows. It would take an act of god to clear a path for it. I'd make the trip from Pittsburgh again to see that Road Runner emerge from its peaceful slumber.
We spent all day at the field on Thursday. As the sun started to set, we went back to the hotel burnt to a crisp with a long list of VIN and fender tag numbers to decipher and our heads totally spinning. After doing lots of homework we decided that the the only thing either of us were really digging was the 340 Duster?! There were hundreds of old mopars to choose from but the truth of the matter is that these cars were almost parts cars at this point (many of them were) and were too far gone to be saved. We didn't mind taking on a project, but we also hadn't planned on cars that needs a TON of metal work. The truth about Billy's place is that this place was probably magical a few years ago. Now, a lot of the cars aren't worth restoring. In just a few more years, there will be basically nothing worth left saving. I was instantly bummed realizing I might not come home with anything, but I knew the trip was worth the experience already.
