This circa 1980 Datsun pickup lives among other relics in an Arizona salvage yard. Pickups have grown over the years and this nearly 45-year-old truck would be considered a subcompact in today's world. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

This early 1960s rear-engine Chevrolet Corvair two-door has been robbed of its powerplant at an Arizona salvage yard. The Corvair was built from 1960 through 1969 in two generations. Total production was 1.8 million. The missing engine was probably a 2.3-liter air-cooled six cylinder. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

This 1969 Ford might still have some life as a work truck. When this picture was snapped, it was in at least temporary retirement on the side of a road in North Carolina. (Photo by Ralph Gable)

This 1953 Ford sedan has found a retirement home among other relics in an Arizona salvage year. Ford was riding high in the 1950s, alternating with Chevrolet for the title as best-selling nameplate. Ford was number 2 in 1953, but rebounded into the top position in 1954. The standard-sized Ford was all new in 1952 and with only cosmetic changes through 1954, when it was totally redesigned. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

Many people have photographed this 1941 Studebaker pickup at a Route 66 museum in Victorville, Calif. Since the truck ended up in Victorville, the driver must have "busted" about 100 miles short of his goal of reaching the end of the road and the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica. The 1941 truck was the first of the so-called M-series trucks built though 1952. (Photo by Ted Biederman)

This circa 1977 Chevrolet C-10 pickup was discovered in a rusted condition next to a boarded-up service station in eastern North Carolina. The 1977 model was part of the third generation manufactured from 1973 to 1991. It could be ordered with a variety os 6-cylinder and 8-cylinder engines and 3-and 4-speed automatic transmissions. A manual shifter was also offered. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

The 1949 Ford is the first full-size Ford designed following World War II and the first Ford released after the deaths of Edsel Ford and Henry Ford. Ford was the first post-war America car line with an all-new model beating Chevrolet to market by six months and Plymouth by nine months. 1949 was a good sales year for Ford, which edged out Chevrolet for the top spot with 1,118,308 sales. This survivor was found in Casa Grande, Ariz. (Photo by Jim Prueter}

This 1951 Nash, decked out as a well-equipped police car, sits on the side of Route 66 in Paris Springs, Mo. Nash was rather successful in 1951 selling 205,307 vehicles ranking 11th out of 20 nameplates. And presumably some of those Nash models found their way traveling along the famous Chicago to Santa Monica cross-country road. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

This used-up Volkswagen bus, parked on a vehicle trailer, might be headed for a restoration, but in the meantime it is serving as a junk hauler. (Photo by John Harper)

The Ford Ranchero is a coupe utility that was produced by Ford between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A total of 508,355 units were produced during the model's production run. Over its lifespan it was variously derived from full-sized, compact, and intermediate automobiles. This first-generation 1959 Ranchero was found rusting away in an Arizona salvage yard. (Photo by Jim Prueter)