Joshua Tree Car Wash | Cars Identified | Abandoned Cars Archaeology

Рет қаралды 21,119

Күн бұрын

In this adventure we seek out and find the elusive and mysterious Joshua Tree Car Wash, shoot some video and take a bunch of photos with the intent of identifying year, make and model for the many old cars we encounter. In total we find portions of 12 different cars in various states of decay or consumed by the wash.
0:00 Misc. debris and a sea of Creosote bushes
0:40 1950 Oldsmobile 98 4-door
1:15 1951 Ford F1 Truck
1:30 1940 Ford Truck cab
2:32 1936-38 Chevrolet Truck Cab
3:20 Unidentified car
3:33 1949 DeSoto Sedan
4:31 1946 Chevrolet
4:45 1952 Ford
5:22 1956 Ford Country Sedan Station Wagon
6:15 1949 Cadillac Series 62 4-door
6:47 1954 Ford Crestline
8:02 1936 Chevrolet 1-1/2 Ton Truck
I won’t share the location, but will tell you it’s in a very remote part of Joshua Tree National Park. Getting here takes a 4wd vehicle and a hike into the desert abyss. Be safe if you head into remote areas. The desert is no joke. I recommend traveling with a buddy in a second vehicle, it’s easy to get stuck on rough or sandy roads. Bring food, water and a GPS satellite communicator as there is no cell service should you encounter any emergency.
My thoughts are that these cars were here at some point related to mining in the area, and had either broken down over time or had been harvested of their engines to run mining equipment. Near the wash there is scattered debris of random car parts, old tires and signs that there were buildings. Perhaps some type of service shop or outpost where miners could get parts for all things mechanical? None of the cars we found had engines or chassis that we could see. At some point a big storm might have swept these cars into the wash where they would stay. Finding abandoned cars in the desert leaves many questions, but in a strange way it’s incredibly interesting to find this many in one remote place!
If you want to see some several old cars in the park without a journey into remote areas of the desert, try the short hike to Wall Street Mill.
Check out my video featuring a late 1920's truck near Wonderland Ranch Ruins: • Abandoned Truck Wonder...
Details on the cars: (Feel free to share info/comments)
• 1950 Oldsmobile 98 4-door Sedan | Engine: 303 ci V8
• 1951 Ford F1 Truck (VIN in glove box) | Assembly Plant: Richmond, VA
• 1940 Ford Truck
• 1934-38 Chevrolet Truck Cab?
• 1946 Chevrolet?
• Unidentified Car (partial dash gauges and “V” windshield track)
• 1949 DeSoto Custom 4-door Sedan | Assembly Plant: Los Angeles
www.duricy.com/~desoto/desoto...
• 1952 Ford (mangled body)
• 1956 Ford Country Sedan 8-Passenger Wagon
• 1949 Cadillac Series 62 4-door Sedan
• 1954 Ford Crestline 4-door Sedan | Assembly Plant: Long Beach, CA
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• 1936 Chevrolet Truck Cab 1-1/2 Ton (dual rear wheels model)
Serial number tag readable! 6RB06 10585
www.gregwapling.com/hotrod/che...
chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/...
Remember to take only photos, and leave only footprints.
Check out my other videos:
1920's GMC Truck Identified near Wonderland Ranch • Abandoned Truck Wonder...
Chopped up early Lincolns at Wall Street Mill • Early Lincoln Cars ada...

Пікірлер: 52

@barberjeff67 Жыл бұрын

What's amazing is all the cars have better floors and trunk sheet metal than any classic car in the northeast!

@jeffrykopis5468 Жыл бұрын

I live for stuff like this. I love exploring the deserts of California.

@privateprivate1865 Жыл бұрын

I used to live in Joshua tree and 29 palms in the 90s.. there was always old abandoned vehicles around in the desert

@ih8hertz1 Жыл бұрын

Some nice hot rod projects

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

Each of the 4 truck cabs seem salvageable!

@SpecialAgentJamesAki Жыл бұрын

I found a bunch of 50s through mid 60s cars in a wash near my house and looked into why they were there and it turns out it was part of a program to try and reduce erosion in that area done in the 70s. Seems counter intuitive but they had all the motors and stuff pulled so they weren’t really polluting just the metal was left. There was a fairly decent 64 Corvair shell in there with lots of trim still on it. Tripped me out the first time I saw it.

@durandjohnson1321 Жыл бұрын

Still some good parts on that '56 ford station wagon!

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

Kinda amazing that the grille is nearly perfect on that car. Many of the cars had pieces of stainless steel trim that is better than my old cars have!

@peterruddick1952 Жыл бұрын

Fascinating ! Also interesting how the narrator identified the '50 Olds (which was tough) and not the '52 Ford which I found to be easy

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

I’ve had mostly 50’s and 60’s GM cars and a few Mopars over the years.

@dummyyoutuber4981 Жыл бұрын

i near live there but i've always wanted to see this

@richardthompson6366 Жыл бұрын

Actual ghost stories here, because only ghosts would know the story behind these vehicles at this point.

@mikeboutang4539 Жыл бұрын

It's cool to find and check out all the old trucks and cars.

@Spennyman10 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing.

@richardbullwood5941 Жыл бұрын

Funny enough, that 53 Ford truck cab is not only solid, but has traces of the original paint inside and would be fine sheet metal for a restoration project. I can guarantee you there are ones east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon line that don't have that good of sheet metal

@googleusergp Жыл бұрын

1954 Ford VIN decodes as A for 223 CID straight six with one barrel, 4 for 1954 model year, L for Long Beach, CA assembly, T for Crestline Fordor Sedan and the rest is the production sequence. The Long Beach plant operated from 1930 to 1958. 73C is the body code for a Fordor Crestline, G for Killarney Green exterior paint, 25B should be February 25, 1954 production which was a Thursday.

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

Pretty amazing to still find a few VIN tags. If you look closely you can just make out the Ford logo “F” on the Crestline tag!

@googleusergp Жыл бұрын

@@MattsGarageMiscDIY They might have been put out there for erosion control as someone else noted or as you or someone else said, they were something to do with the mining towns/communities that were around there.

@bbo40 Жыл бұрын

There is a large distillery complex near me. It has been abandoned since the late 70's and it is the size of a small town (surrounded by game lands)! Thru the years there would be abandoned cars and trucks scattered thru out its streets and parking lots. Guess it was cheaper to leave and forget them there than it was to pay to have them towed away. Then when scrap went through the roof in the mid 2000's someone (?) came in and pulled them all out. There must have been 15-25 vehicles there. Reminds me of what I am looking at now......

@THROTTLEPOWER Жыл бұрын

Oh wow, great vid!!

@paulwilliams8725 Жыл бұрын

Great video 👍 🇬🇧

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

Thanks 👍

@qsartwrx Жыл бұрын

In 1985, Oak Grove Delaware had a complete pre war Studebaker just sitting on land that was purchased by Amish and they didn't seem to care to do anything with it. It still had everything on it and probably still sitting there. :-(

@union01089 Жыл бұрын

Interesting that they are just body shells

@peterm1826 Жыл бұрын

I would really like it. If you found the actual car. Jim Morrison jumped on and vandalised in his film Hway 1969

@johnkeane8275 Жыл бұрын

Interesting how all the bodies have been lifted off their frames but there are no frames or mechanicial bits around ,I wonder what the story is there ? John Keane.

@williamsullivan1346 Жыл бұрын

ONLY QUESTION WHAT HAPPEN TO THE "FRAMS". .

@mach376 Жыл бұрын

@davebutler2776 Жыл бұрын

I've always wondered how did cars and trucks end up there did they run out of gas engine broke and why they never came back.

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

Because none have engines or chassis it adds to the mystery…

@ostrich67 Жыл бұрын

Placed there for erosion control.

@mach376 Жыл бұрын

Very common to use frame and drivetrain from vehicles to operate mining equipment. Pretty cheap to buy a beater, drive it out to your mine, strip the body and accessories, and use the rest to drive your dewaterer, bucket hoist, generator, etc. These are probably just worthless for the purpose of the person who dumped them, likely en masse as part of "taking out the trash."

@bernadettegarbers9552 Жыл бұрын

I think A drone wood be good for an over head vow of the area.....

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

For sure would be cool, but since we’re within a National Park it’s not allowed. :(

@Rev.nighthawk..pjred1984 Жыл бұрын

My question are they part of the erodsin stop project of the 70s or abandoned and if could leagaly adopt one

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

I doubt they were looking to shore up this remote wash on National Parks land, but have read about the practice. Since they are on National Park land, these cannot be removed.

@googleusergp Жыл бұрын

@@MattsGarageMiscDIY Sure they can. It's a matter of who gives them permission to move them. Back in 1990, my car got stolen and was found on a beach. It was the same situation, couldn't be moved without this one or that one signing off. A neighbor who spotted it and met up with me (apparently, he found my friend's wallet in the weeds leading up to where the car was found) was a Parks Enforcement Patrol officer oddly enough and made a phone call. Just like that, the tow truck went back there and scooped up my car and brought it home.

@mach376 Жыл бұрын

pj reed: No. I've been to some of the erosion-control areas. They are in areas that are used and desirable (like a highway). These are so far out in the middle of nowhere that they are clearly discarded as trash. Likely the leftovers from someone using the working components to drive mining equipment.

@johnhoffman2818 Жыл бұрын

56 ford wagon

@johnhoffman2818 Жыл бұрын

54 ford before that

@JamesBond-hu9rg Жыл бұрын

Got plenty up there to Unload and In Lucerne valley. Bring Cash and trailers. Before the CRUSHER. Comes ! 😬👀😳

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

I heard there was a property up there that had a bunch of old cars for sale a couple years ago…

@JamesBond-hu9rg Жыл бұрын

@@MattsGarageMiscDIY we crushed about 50 🤔😵‍💫😳💁‍♂️ no buyers. Many Free. No one showed up. Even for FREE. 😱

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

@@JamesBond-hu9rg Anything interesting left or saved from the crusher?

@xmo552 Жыл бұрын

First on the 1st

@yeahright302 Жыл бұрын

who cares!!!

@wabbajack4461 Жыл бұрын

Someone was bored enough to flip them over. That's a high energy task but why bother?

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

Or enough water came along and tumbled them around at some point I’d guess.

@mach376 Жыл бұрын

Probably a combination of years of water erosion (flash floods) and these being dumped en masse as unwanted pieces. Very common to use frame and drivetrain from vehicles to operate mining equipment. Pretty cheap to buy a beater, drive it out to your mine, strip the body and accessories, and use the rest to drive your dewaterer, bucket hoist, generator, etc.

@michellatour150 Жыл бұрын

@SteveMagnante

@MattsGarageMiscDIY Жыл бұрын

I had reached out to Steve unsuccessfully when I was trying to identify the first car (1950 Oldsmobile 98). Coincidentally stumbled onto a 1950 Olds 98 for sale on Craigslist and made the match.