This doesn’t surprise me at all! The owner, Jim Rajacich is the only one who cuts the cake but often he’s out for the day. You will have to deal with him directly if you want “decent” prices. His manager, Gordon Kruse seems to have a bad day every day and either doesn’t know the price or starts asking twice as much as the owner wants!
When I was there in august 2005, it was my intention to buy a container load full of stuff. But after looking at what they have (mostly leftovers from what they used to have 10 years ago, everything sitting outside and rotting away!) and after hearing prices I knew I wouldn’t even need a pickup truck! The first day the manager took me to their backyard, a huge area full of scrap, old deuces, 5tons, cranes, transmissions, rabbits, no snakes, everything. Yes, the few remaining windshields were broken and/or pure rust and most trucks where already missing parts! If I wanted any I had to pick them by myself, no workers to help! So I bought some basic hand tools and spent that afternoon trying to enjoy that “kid in the candy store” feeling at 107F!!!, looking for some inner windshields, wiper motor, steering wheels, turn signal switch, instruments, sender units, lamps, mirrors, etc. Next day Jim was back in his office. He got really upset when he heard that I had been pulling parts. “I’m not selling anything from over there, I need that for myself when somebody orders a complete truck”(!!!)
All I took back home from 3 days at Barstow’s was a rebuilt tranny, some rusty 5ton steering pumps and a dozen NOS differential carrier gear sets…, in the trunk of the car!
Luckily I found a good place with very nice people, downtown LA, where I did fill a container! Ask for Jamey at
www.victorygse.com
Gerhard