Junkyard Pickup Trucks

To tell the whole truth, I just love old pickup trucks. The best name to call the really old and very cool ones is soul wagons. They simply have a depth of character. If I owned one that ran well, I’d be driving it daily without a care in the world. The older and funkier the better, and I’ll take that floor shifting manual transmission any day.

Junkyard pickup trucks are just one dimension of what can be found out there in the weeds, but one of the most satisfying. I like them all, but discovering a really old one with, say, a wooden steering wheel is the best find. Maybe a Studebaker? Or a thirty-foot tree growing out of the bed, well, then you’re in high cotton.

I’ve often found them resting alone in barnyards sitting on their frames or out behind an old shed. But the best junkyards will have an array of them by the dozens and then the camera work is cut out for me. I’ve spent days in some of the more extensive junkyards.

What Is It About A Pickup Truck?

Pickup trucks have been a fixture in my life for decades, it’s the vehicle I prefer to drive for a lot of reasons. At the bottom of it, they’re just plain handy for a guy who gets into a lot of different things, so they’re highly useful.

In the back of my truck, my working partner, there’s some photographic equipment like a ladder and reflectors as well as the mountain bike. Throw in the camera bag and a sandwich and I’m ready to roll. The next guy would outfit his pickup in an entirely different way. They’re highly adaptable.

Versatility, that’s what a pickup truck is all about. It’s a vehicle flexible enough for a wide range of people and their needs. It’s been 75 years or so and they’re still not about to fade away anytime soon.