WTH? This is sad for the vintage car world. Freman's Auto in Whitehall, Montana is getting CRUSHED EVERYTHING. The metal, that soon to be 2015 Kia import. All 30s-70s. Most rust-free. Finned cars, Chryslers, DeSotos, Dodges, Plymouths... lot of good parts! Huh.. I have bought parts from this yard to my DeSoto in the early 90s and this car was actually there in 1986-87..
Check out FACEBOOK page Montana Dodge Boys. This guy try to rescue cars, parts and has saved lot from the metal muncher!
Posted 2014-01-24 4:06 PM (#423810 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 12990 Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island
Really sad Mark, this is a murder of culture and history as well as wasted parts.
The price of scrap steel might have reached a level interesting enough for to crush. The alternative explanation is most probably "for environment reasons"
Posted 2014-01-24 5:36 PM (#423820 - in reply to #423810) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 4016 Location: Connecticut
Yeah, I just called them and confirmed this. They won't sell any parts and are just crushing everything.
IMHO, Freman had good stuff, but was overpriced.
This is a real 'dick' move on their part. If they cared about us collectors and restorers, they would have announced their intentions, and then allowed us to show up and pick the place clean at so much per pound. It would've been nice if Big M or Moore's had been notified so they could find a new home for some of the Freman's cars and parts.
Posted 2014-01-25 5:08 AM (#423890 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 3571 Location: Netherlands
Well, looking at the disorganised mess at that yard it 'probably' says something about the owner's personallity, or lack of.
What I usually strikes me is that 'most' of these vintage car yard-owners never have one bit a commercial sense in them. You hardly see them post online or advertise on forums or websites.
Most of the time 'the internet' or folks outside their 100mile radius only become aware of them is when the owner croaks or he just crushes everything for scrapmoney beforehand.
Posted 2014-01-25 7:51 AM (#423898 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 1203 Location: Ponder, TX
Back in the eighties I stopped at his yard unannounced and asked if he would let me take pictures for our car club newsletter. He was extremely nice and gave me a tour of the entire 200 acres of nothing but Chrysler products. He had just bought more property next door and was going to start dealing in special GM models like 442s and GTOs. All his sales were by mail order and he had workers all over the yard pulling parts to fill orders or to organize and store them inside the two long warehouses in the middle of the yard. As we were talking, a transport arrived with a half-dozen old Mopars on board. The place was an old Chrysler paradise.
I can't imagine why he would crush everything for scrap metal prices when the market for parts continues to thrive. I haven't bought from him in years, but he had huge ads in Hemmings and that's where I tracked and found what I needed. I don't recall his prices being higher than anyone else, but perhaps things changed.
He would be getting on to retirement age, and maybe the labor intensive job was too hard to put up with, or maybe the ever increasing government regulations made the whole thing too much of a hassle. Whatever, it's a shame to see those cars crushed.
Posted 2014-01-25 8:41 AM (#423905 - in reply to #423898) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
Location: Bjorneborg, Finland
Their website is still alive http://www.fremansauto.com/ and they were eBay seller too.. I saw their ad in Cars & Parts magazine in the 90's, which resulted in purchasing several parts for my DeSoto (ex-Freman car). The prices were appropriate then and I was satisfied with parts, which I couldn't find elsewhere. Few years ago I inquired a small dash part, which could be shipped in an envelope. He had one, but asked too much and the shipping charge was about $50 to FIN. No deals. Montana Dodge Boys told he has done parts business for 40 years and is tired of it at retirement age..
Posted 2014-01-25 11:01 AM (#423936 - in reply to #423912) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 3154 Location: NY & VT
Ya Neil's been around a loooong time, dealing in Mopars exclusively for most of that time... I got a complete white & red '57 Plymouth Sport Suburban from Neil's years ago. He was an OK guy, I guess he's got to an age he just wanted out, and we don't know if he has bad health issues or some good reason to bail out so fast... BUT what a shame, all those irreplaceable parts crushed... if he loved the cars he'd never do this, it's just business to him I guess. Pity.
Posted 2014-01-25 12:48 PM (#423963 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 380 Location: Kennewick Wa
All the negative statements above, about cover the experience I had with him 2yrs ago...
It is a shame, there were a number of good cars (of diifferent makes) that cannot be replaced.
If he wanted out, Sell Out, not Crush Out...
Posted 2014-01-25 12:53 PM (#423964 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 3878 Location: Northen Virginia
they had a great selection, but what a mess of a place, priced when i did my inquiuries in the early 2000's.I remeber seen a Chrysler 300D in the yard.
Posted 2014-01-27 12:34 AM (#424270 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 1736 Location: Hay Lakes, Alberta, Canada
Yeah...it is very sad, but since my dealings with him in the past, I can see why it is happening. When I visited his yard, it was a dis-organized mess! And his staff was incompetent. It took me over a year to get all the parts I paid for...minus any refund for shipping, since I ended up having friends/family stop in to collect the parts, as I could never get a straight answer out of him!
Posted 2014-01-27 3:23 AM (#424283 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 128 Location: Bavaria, Germany
His website says there are many restorable complete cars, even two 1959 Mercurys, and nine (9!) 1959 Mercury parts cars.
Just as an example for a rare model.
Doesn't look like a normal business end after so many decades, it seems to me that the owner felt ill, or the property has
been sold recently to someone not familiar with the culture of classic cars. So it has to be cleaned from all that scrap in a short time.
Just my thoughts.
Posted 2014-01-27 2:27 PM (#424346 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 7802 Location: Williams California
I wonder what really happened? I've known Neil for years, and this seems like a pretty sudden, and radical move. Could be a health matter, though you'd think he would have offered the better cars to another buyer, or perhaps the state ordered everything crushed.
Posted 2014-01-28 1:00 PM (#424529 - in reply to #424346) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 4016 Location: Connecticut
big m - 2014-01-27 2:27 PM I wonder what really happened? I've known Neil for years, and this seems like a pretty sudden, and radical move. Could be a health matter, though you'd think he would have offered the better cars to another buyer, or perhaps the state ordered everything crushed. ---John
John -
Maybe you can give him a call. I'm sure he hasn't crushed everything yet. You may be able to rescue some parts/cars.
Posted 2014-01-29 12:41 PM (#424701 - in reply to #424529) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 7802 Location: Williams California
ronbo97 - 2014-01-28 10:00 AM
big m - 2014-01-27 2:27 PM I wonder what really happened? I've known Neil for years, and this seems like a pretty sudden, and radical move. Could be a health matter, though you'd think he would have offered the better cars to another buyer, or perhaps the state ordered everything crushed. ---John
John -
Maybe you can give him a call. I'm sure he hasn't crushed everything yet. You may be able to rescue some parts/cars.
Ron
From what I can gather, all the Chrysler products have been crushed already. I have little to no extra room here anyways, after going on a buying spree last fall.
Posted 2014-01-29 2:25 PM (#424719 - in reply to #424701) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
Location: Bjorneborg, Finland
According to Montana Dodge Boys the yard is now pretty much cleaned up and cars crushed.. Their rescue team picked up few cars and lot of parts. Many cars, which were marked "SAVE" were already crushed. The crushers didn't care.. One of the cars, which was saved is a sharp '60 DeSoto Adventurer 2-Dr HT project. Included picture here - look at the chrome, trim, solex glass.. I would have been sick, if this one was crushed. The car resides now in a safe place.
Posted 2014-01-31 11:22 PM (#425215 - in reply to #423809) Subject: RE: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 3480 Location: Montreal, Canada
I went to your facebook page to get the updates as this was going on. You did what you could, and you should be thanked for that. It is an awful shame that this happened, but you did save at least parts of these acres of history.
Posted 2014-02-01 9:58 AM (#425283 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 1730 Location: Michigan
You know the sad part is that if he had announced he was doing this and said every part is 90% off regular pricing he could have helped out lots of folks that wanted parts and probably still crushed the same amount of tonnage in the end.
Posted 2014-02-01 10:30 AM (#425286 - in reply to #423809) Subject: RE: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 444 Location: North of the 49th
To Mopar Montana: You are right this really really sucks , I really didn’t need to see this or read about it as I knew it would bother me, I would like to add that I for one feel your pain , about 18 years ago I went through a similar experience but the cause was different but typical, the owner had died and the family was crushing it all. This was a huge local yard that was jealously guarded by the owner, to get in you almost had to go through a formal screening process. I managed to get “clearance” and after a few visits I too could wander through the yard for hours at will . This yard like Neils’ was a time capsule with complete cars that looked a though they had been driven in and parked, as an example a 1960 Mercury Monarch with the keys still in the ignition! The yard was at least a ¾ section in size with an assortment ranging from 1949 to 51 Chevy 5 window pickups to a stack of ’55 to ‘59 Forwardlook Chrysler prods comprised of Plymouths Dodges and Chryslers with a sprinkling of Desoto. I remember a couple of Crosleys and a ’42 Desoto with the hideaway headlights. So about this time of year the crushing started, I was following the owners’ son who was “supervising” trying to convince him to hold off and hold an auction in the spring and increase the “return” on the contents of the yard instead of the $80 bucks a ton he was getting . So as I was standing with him offering my services to manage the sale and to buy a number of the afore mentioned Chrysler prods when the log farmer the crushers were using put the claw right into a ’56 Crown Vic glass top about 40 feet from us …there was no negotiating with him it was all gonna go and that was it . For him they were just a bunch of old cars…it still hurts when I think about what went…. At least you managed to save some …despite being a frantic effort !
I can understand the need to retire but there are other ways, as I’m sure he could have found someone willing to have purchased the whole operation or at least run it for him so he could sit back in retirement and enjoy the financial returns or is that a to simplistic/naive way of looking at this….
My oldest son is a major motor head and will inherit my cars when I fall off the perch, but with the demise of yards like this a whole generation of kids/adults will be deprived of enjoying a chunk of our Automotive heritage along with making it a whole lot tougher for us now trying to preserve history. Its hard enough with all the enviro stuff going on without having to worry about the disappearance of the raw materials. My Son and I were planning a trip to Neils’ this summer to peruse his stuff and pick up a load of parts for our projects. I guess that’s out the window….My condolences to all ….
Posted 2014-02-01 12:41 PM (#425308 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 4016 Location: Connecticut
This is Neil Freman giving the 'double whammy' to the car hobby that paid his bills for the last 40 years. If he was going to throw in the towel, why didn't he just give the stuff away ? That would've made him a hero. Instead, he'll be remembered as a jerk.
Thanks, MoparMontana, for posting these photos here and on your fb page. I had heard that he had some late 50s Chrysler 300s in the yard. I hope someone bought those before the crusher arrived.
Posted 2014-02-07 6:06 PM (#426303 - in reply to #425287) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 3964 Location: DFW, TX
Peter, I'm actually looking for a non-bumper guard '57-58 Chrysler rear bumper like the one in your photo of the red '57 Windsor. Any chance you spared that one?
Posted 2014-10-01 4:08 AM (#457882 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 5
im way down the bottom of the planet in New Zealand and bought some really good parts from freemans ,found them reall good to deal with and bought extra parts as they were so good and might need them one day ,all for a 57 Windsor 2dht, it is all finished now and looking great ,even got the original radio modernised so it is still original and operates with the buttons etc but modern internals .
anyway glad I got extra parts from freemans , and sad that such good cars are crushed to be sent to china and picked apart and sorted by hand , Yep that's how they do it ,
Just to tell about our Windsor ,it came from the cali desert and had no rust or dents and from the factory it came with power brakes power steer ,twin mirrors and antenna and bumper over riders and weirdly New Yorker suspension , it now has a small amount of prismatech in its black paint and nice and comfy leather upholstery , it gets driven everywhere,
cheers folks and keep loving your cars ,
Posted 2014-10-01 11:21 AM (#457905 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 2627 Location: Minor Hill, TN
My dad told me he got 1 of the front fenders for my other '61 plymouth during its restoration. He is going to try to restore the fenders I have on it now , I might end up getting the front fenders from Moores , CTC auto ranch DVAP or big M.
Posted 2016-03-15 10:59 PM (#506997 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 494 Location: Alberta
I grew up about 7 miles north of Whitetail Montana in Canada, the only memorable moments I had were the Blue Ribbon Beers at Whiteys's Bar on Sundays and July 4th I've been around there and never new of this salvage yard or even heard anyone talk about it. Like they say It's hard to see through beer goggles,Oh well my loss.Interesting story about this lost salvage yard I plan to be down in those parts in the first part of April I'll have to check out the storey a little more.Due to recent expansion of the Bakken Oilfield the locals don't always take kindly to strangers, as the the storey goes it is mandatory for every female in Daniels County to take hand gun training.
Posted 2017-08-16 1:54 PM (#546347 - in reply to #545774) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
What I read into that is he crushed them because he was too greedy to sell at reasonable prices and rather than take less than his over inflated prices and selling more parts he just sold all for scrap while the scrap iron market was hot!
Posted 2017-08-16 5:17 PM (#546357 - in reply to #546347) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 7304 Location: northern germany
Phils55 - 2017-08-16 1:54 PM
What I read into that is he crushed them because he was too greedy to sell at reasonable prices and rather than take less than his over inflated prices and selling more parts he just sold all for scrap while the scrap iron market was hot!
greedy a****** is the word. back in the early 90s i send him 200+ usd (the amount he quoted) for a radiator. he send me a letter saying "price for a 60 big block radiator has gone up" and returned a voucher. he knew very well i couldn't do anything about it.
that this ***** crushed all these old cars for a quick buck does not surprise me.
Posted 2017-09-22 9:41 PM (#548990 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
Regular
Posts: 61
Could have auctioned off the cars and junk, folks would have flocked in there.
Agree, a high priced house there.
Another thought: Go buy a big piece of land, get a business license, hire employees, pay taxes, purchase and maintain a few trucks and forklifts, drive all over the earth collecting cars, and then talk to the cheap Ar$$ed customers all day an see how you feel about the whole deal when you reach 70 years old.
Posted 2018-03-28 7:54 AM (#560614 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 290 Location: Colorful Colorado skier on the license plate
It is still sad that the cars were disposed of. Prices are now even higher. I just paid $200 for the correct radiator top tank. It will only get more difficult to find parts.
Posted 2019-01-19 12:54 PM (#577046 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 371
I know this is a very old and should be dead thread. I knew of this place. Around 12-13 years ago I contacted them about parts for my '60 Fury. I sent them a very detailed list to check off. They informed they had everything. Ok I called them I told them I could travel up there to get the stuff. I was adruptly cut off and told they did not allow customers in the yard and for darn sure did not let customers pull parts. Ok I've seen that before because of yards getting ripped off. I sent the $800.00 for what I wanted, I waited, waited some more and never got anything. When I called them it was almost impossible to get anyone to own up to the transaction. To cut it short I am out the $800.00 and still don't have the parts I was looking for. I have absolutley nothing good to say about Freemans yard, nothing.
As to bone yards crushing they do it to make room and keep the cash flow coming. We had a bone yard here that only did trucks. When the owner died everything got crushed even though other yards were willing to put in bids for everything. It isn't just the old cars that are hard to find parts for, but the lousy 70 disco junk era is tricky too. But good riddens to a jerk of an owner.
Posted 2019-01-19 3:30 PM (#577052 - in reply to #423809) Subject: Re: Montana yard crushing everything
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Posts: 4977
this happens a lot... the old man gets pretty wealthy from scrapping cars... the kids don't want to carry on the tradition of hard work... obviously your 800$ wasn't enough money to make someone actually go get the parts off the cars.
Old man either dies or sells off. Kids are off with the money... yard is gone
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Montana yard crushing everything
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