Sharkey's Salvage is Full of Field Finds
By noderel:
Many of the cars and trucks at Sharkey's have good sheet metal and neat accessories.
Jeff Schroeder - who goes by the name Sharkey - is preserving classic rides for Midwest hot rodders. A few years ago, he was involved in clearing out the North 50:50 Auto Empire in Tomahawk, Wis. That yard was sold to scrap metal dealer Scott Siegel, who runs a metal recycling business. Schroeder, an avid enthusiast, organized the Tomahawk property for Siegel. One of his biggest thrills was cutting down the brush and finding more hidden cars.
Sharkey now has another property full of ancient cars and trucks. His operation has undergone changes that converted it from a yard full of old vehicles that were not available to the public before into a licensed salvage yard. Sharkey was forced to crush (he uses the term "kill") about 250 oldies, before his positive attitude and organizational aptitude won over the local official. The man helped him get things straight so the rest of the cars were saved for hot rodders.
In the end, the officials said the new yard was one of the cleanest salvage operations they'd ever inspected. People who go there will see a few cars and trucks hill in high grass. When they turn the corner they'll see hundreds of vehicles arranged in neat rows with an aisle up the center. Older cars and trucks are lined up and down the east and north sides of the property, forming a very large right angle. On the west side a long metal building turns the right angle into a "U".
The, there are perhaps 15 rows of 2-25 vehicles each runing east to west in the center of the "U". Some of the good-for-parts-or-more cars and trucks we saw there are a '36 Chevy coach, a '36 Pontiac coupe used as a stock car, a '65 Chevy pickup, three '59 Caddies (one a limo). two '58 Chevy wagons, a rare '60 Chevy sedan delivery, a circa-1938 Cadillac limo, a de Saknoffsky designed White COE truck, a Federal truck, a Chevy Advance-Design COE, a '41-'42 Ford pickup, at least two '46-'48 Mopar coupes, a '46-'48 Olds sedanette with Hydra-Matic, a '39 Ford Standard Tudor, '42, '51 and '54 Mercurys, all kids of 1940s and 1950s Chevy, Ford, Dodge and Studebaker pickups, numerous '59-'64 Chevys of all closed body styles, a '35 Pontiac, a late-'40s Packard and a '56 Packard 400, a '40 Buick, several '65-'66 Pontiacs, a '75 Pontiac Can Am, a '53 Ford Mainliner Tudor and a savable complete '65 Olds 4-4-2.
Sharkey allows customers to visit the yard by first making an appointment. No toolboxes are allowed until a vehicle is purchased. Parts removals may be supervised. The yardis way out in the country and hard to find. You can write to Schroeder at N1952 Old 47 Road, Bonduel, WI 54107 or call him at (715) 758-8139. When you call, you can get directions, so you don't get lost.
This early postwar Mercury appears to have a rare "log" manifold..
Chevys from the late '50s and early '60s are among Sharkey's favorites and this '59 two-door sedan had street machine potential.
You do not see many 1939-1940 Fords sitting in salvage yards these days and very few as nice as this Tudor.
This Chevy still has its Impala side trim and rear mounted radio antenna. The car behind it is one of several ’59 Caddies in the yard.