A Brief Review of David N. Lucsko's Junkyards, Gearheads & Rust: Salvaging the Automotive Past (Johns Hopkins, 2016)

It has been a couple of months since I have made my obligatory trips to the three pick-and-pull junkyards near my home in Centerville, Ohio. Over the past year or so the dates of the cars in the yards have been almost all post-mid-1990s or later, and my cars date from 1996, 1982 and 1971. A few years ago I featured on older Mercedes cars that had parts that fit my 1982 Mercedes 380 SL or 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon. Before that -- especially when I either visited or temporarily lived in Dan Diego, my treasure hunts of years in Chula Vista and Oceanside were both exhilarating an profitable. But alas those days seem to be now in the rear-review mirror, as specialty years have taken  away from me the hulks I once feasted on.

David N. Lucsko's Junkyards, Gearheads & Rust: Salvaging the Automotive Past was thus right down my alley. This is a serious scholarly book, one that has several major points that fit in themes related to both the history of technology and environmental history. And it is an important topic, as the author argues that "salvage yards constitute a vital and by-and-large responsibly managed secure of the economy." These facilities also quicken the pulse of "gearheads," those enthusiasts who go to the yards often on treasure hunts. But the author fails to really develop the intone that many of these businesses also serve a vital purpose to those less than well-healed automobile owners who vastly outnumber the gear heads on any given day. These folks need to save money buy doing it yourself and by getting the least expensive engines, transmissions, wheel, tires and other key parts to keep them going.

The author's book is organized into six chapters, beginning with an overview chapter on the history of the business from its early 20th century origins to the end of the century. It next moves on the discuss the users of these yards. specifically hot rodeos an restoration hobbyists, customizers, import and sports car fans, and street rodders (also known as tuners). chapter three examines more closely the commercial practices of these auto recyclers, including communications, advertising, customer access, inventory control, and geographic location. Treasure hunting and barn finds are the focus of chapter 4, with the final two chapters dealing with local state and federal regulation, including land use laws and zoning. As exurban growth has spread into once-rural areas, these yards become unwanted, blighted sites no mater how tall and attractive the visually obstructive fence. Scrappage programs close out the main text, as major reparations used the removal of old cars from the roads as a way of offsetting industrial pollution. Yet these "cash for clunker " programs led to renewed debates about what is obsolete, inefficient, old and new in the American economy,.

Lucsko raises important questions towards the end of this book -- questions about waste, proper and efficient recycling, and technological obsolescence. If like me you get excited when going to a junk yard, restore or maintain and older car, then this book is a must read.