We stopped by here on our way up from Tampa. Our fuel pump went out 5 miles from here; I was able to run fuel straight to carb and got there. While we searched for parts, the guys there put a new fuel pump on! There's me working on it at the end. Paul and Corky were fun. 20-some-odd years of collecting VWs is what Corky (owner) told my son, lol. Some of the aerial photos in the office were great! Golf cart rides and wandering, this was sooo worth the trip out there off ol' 301. Corky's younger brother owns MidAmerica Motorworks, where we got some credit with the purchase of our $900 Chianti Red camper (we painted it OG style, lol). Small word! _________________ email: [email protected]
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/GainesvilleVDubClub
website: http://solemndesigns.com/GainesvilleVDub/?p=1
Joined: December 07, 2008 Posts: 515 Location: Leavenworth, Kansas
Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:51 pm Post subject:
Looks like, based on this thread, http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=491426 Sunray Bugs can now be categorized as "Not operational anymore." _________________ 02 Eurovan (Eats $$$)
93 Eurovan (Left in PA)
91 Vanagon (Left in PA)
90 Vanagon (Left in PA)
83 Doka (Left in PA)
81 Double sliding door Transporter (Left in PA)
74 Thing (Left in PA)
Joined: January 26, 2010 Posts: 7446 Location: Greater Toronto Area
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:17 pm Post subject:
oh I'd love 3 jalousies! Too far.
From the pics looks like more than just VW products there. I can see that towns/cities wouldn't like that in their midst. Several other threads on this event were locked. Doesn't seem like he had a 'next generation' person interested in taking the operation on going. by bringing it into the 21st century. Rather than just having the old skeletons hanging around, there would have been a good business return and making a parts building/shelter and selling the old rusted beyond salvation metal. There is a big business for recycled metal after crushing. In Canada all fluids and certain other parts have to be removed before crushing.
Sad but guess the city didn't want to wait for probate and years of court issues when he passes. Apparently this 'crushing' has been in the works for quite some time and is not a sudden decision by the city. They would have gone over all kinds of hurdles to get the court order, especially in the States. In Canada our auto yards have fairly strict laws governing them now and recyled/used parts are becoming a BIG deal both for the sellers and the buyers.
Sad but the time is near. _________________ 83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 97 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (for sale)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold)
Mental Health issues affect us all. Ignorance is not bliss. It's up to each of us to educate ourselves.
Joined: May 30, 2010 Posts: 542 Location: Traverse City, MI
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:33 pm Post subject:
I should hit it up. I just moved to the area. Man, I bet he could easily get away with growing weed there. _________________ Vehicles I have:
1974 Super Beetle "Reginald"
1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
1958 Honda c-100
Cars I want:
Lancia Stratos
50's-67 VW Bus
Cars I had:
VW Type 181 (I miss you ='( )
Dodge Neon (What a piece of shit. Never buy Dodge, folks.)
Joined: October 18, 2007 Posts: 3730 Location: Cité Soleil
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:35 pm Post subject:
If he's being forced to clean it up, I'd bet not.
What's too bad is that the area probably grew around the yard and now the city/residents kicked up a fuss to get it "cleaned" up. _________________ '73 Super Beetle w/ all the Sport Bug extras
'75 La Grande Beetle, 1st in Class, Das Volks 2011
'75 110 Standard Beetle
'71 Doublecab
'73 412 wagon "Nasenbär"
Glenn wrote:
Only a hack would have to take the rear apron off to remove a stock engine.
JerryMCarter1 wrote:
If it is something just stuck eventually it will wear down and go away.
Run it for awhile and see if it gets quieter
Joined: September 02, 2006 Posts: 122 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:10 pm Post subject:
I'll try to clear up the situation here. I spent all day at SunRay today, and let me just say it was extremely hard to watch what was going on. The closest thing I can think of to relay what exactly was happening is to bring up the show "Hoarders" on A&E. Today was like watching a real time episode. Not unlike the cat lady with 200 cats running around a urine and feces soaked house. You know she truly cares and loves every cat she has, but its too much for one person to handle, and everything spirals out of control and ends up suffering in the end. Nobody wins. And in the end the cats are carried away in crates to either be adopted or put down. Unfortunately in this case of VWs, there will be no adoptions, and most everything will end up being put down and sent to the recycler.
First and foremost, I spoke to the Code Enforcement officers today and they couldn't have been more friendly. One of the officers ironically was a vw nut and he was having a hard time with what was going on, along with the rest of the vw crowd out there.
Last Friday, one side of the yard was cleared and crushed. When I got there this morning, there was already an invisible line drawn on the property that was "off limits" to picking, salvaging, and generally saving the cars that had x's spray painted on them for demo. As for the other cars "out back" everything is really crusty, rotted out, beyond repair. As I was looking through the cars slated for the crusher this week (they're not waiting for Friday), I witnessed at least 5 split buses ripped apart by a claw and run over (that's how they are doing the crushing.) The remains are then stacked in an 18 wheeler and off they go.
Like others I brought an empty trailer with hopes of at least saving one or two projects from the gallows, but no such luck. Every single car I asked Corky about, there was an excuse why it couldn't be sold. I.e. "I better not sell that one, that ones a customers car, I'm going to keep that one for myself, we are moving that one to my brothers house," etc. When I finally did find a super beetle that looked as though it could be made roadworthy again, he quoted me a figure of $3,000 claiming the car had special widened wheels and the paint is pretty when it's shined up. Keep in mind the car was in reality covered in moss, mildew, and surface rust. This happened throughout the day, and trailers left empty, including mine.
I don't doubt that SunRay has helped lots of people in the community by shipping parts all around the world and helping people in the southeast as well. BUT, hoarding cars and storing them for so long in a harsh environment like Florida has rendered everything useless, including 5 type 34 Ghias, numerous 64 and earlier beetles, split buses,etc. If anyone is still inclined to go out there to pick through the remnants, do so with low expectations. Practically everything left needs heater channels/pans/quarter panels at the very least. There are numerous '67 deck lids, a semaphore car with intact posts, and an oval with rear glass and some interior intact. That's about it. Everything else is either wrecked, rusty, and generally beyond repair. If anyone has a car stored there, I suggest you grab it at once as the cars out front will be confiscated and crushed come Friday if they are not licensed and current on the tags...
Btw, every car was numbered in yellow spray paint in case you're wondering what's on all the windshields.
Last edited by disneyherbie on Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:25 pm; edited 2 times in total
Joined: May 07, 2001 Posts: 1171 Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:59 pm Post subject:
Breaks my heart. I really can't even look at those pictures.
What's really a shame is that Mike Yager's family. And with how large Mid America is you'd think there would be some kind of pull in this sort of situation.
This is one of those things, and I'm sure people are going to hate me for it, but America as a whole really is not on board with the preservation thing. "Oh that building is 200 years old? I think a parking lot would look great there." _________________ Yeah I like Herbie AND New Beetles. Got a problem with it? Tough.
2010 New Beetle Final Edition
2009 Ford Mustang Bullitt
1999 New Beetle GLS
1983 Mercedes 300D
1972 Super Beetle
1959 Original Herbie #6
Joined: September 02, 2006 Posts: 122 Location: Orlando, Florida
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:14 pm Post subject:
Apparently he is leasing the property and had been warned in the past that he was not to operate as a salvage yard (I guess technically he didn't since he never sold anything lol) the code enforcement officers today told me he has had 2 years worth of stern warnings about his "accumulations." It's not like he wasn't given any chances to get the cars to new homes, and or strip them of usable parts. Now, today, to see everyone scrambling as they are literally lifting the cars mere feet away from you, was just sad. Too little too late.
Joined: April 09, 2004 Posts: 1569 Location: Seattle, WA
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:25 pm Post subject:
We lost our greatest local resources years ago
One of the prominent VW dealers today, Campbell Nelson in Edmonds, Wa...They used to have a wrecking yard and parts deparment full of aircooled stuff in-town; it's now moved 20 miles away...They literally threw away brand-new sheetmetal and other components, why? If they saved all of them, they'd be worth less. I've bought things from the new wrecking yard, but they sometimes want outrageous prices...like $400 for a set of 15x4.5 slotted mags in 4-130mm.
My Dad's friends used to run Alseth's wrecking yard, and they too had to close the doors. I was just a teen and I drove up there and got almost everything I knew was worth keeping at the time...They were cool and gave me a dozen or so speedometers and some Sport bug rims in 5.5" ET26 among other things...I can't even begin to think of all the cool things I should have gathered.
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