Coltonis

So I know there have been other posts about DVAP, for those that haven't heard of it - its a junkyard up on the north side of town here that specializes in classic cars.

(I just recently found out it was there! I tried to go up there a month or two ago and the only road to get to the place had apparently been a dirt road and as I arrived I came upon a small battalion of bulldozers and steam-rollers setting about to change all that by laying down fresh steaming asphalt... Not going to make it in my car - welp, that was a fun drive.)

Anyways they actually have a TV show now! Kinda weird right? I know. Its on Discovery HD and the show is called Desert Car Kings. (err thats how it is on my *** cable at least) I caught one other episode and its... meh , imho. They try to through in a bit too much fake drama.

BUT the episode that was on just now was all about OLDSMOBILES! The old guy that owns the yard they show driving around in a 70 w-30 convertible and they have a "junker" 70 442 (maybe w-30, OAI at least) that they fix up to auction off. When they finish it they take both of them out to Firebird raceway and drag race the two.

They get major kudos in my book for doing the Olds, but come on - the Owner guy called it a "four forty-two" every single time... EVERYBODY else the entire show says it right... couldn't even fake it for TV man!?

Looks like you can watch it online ... May have to make my way up there again and see if I can get on TV! LOL.

Olds Dad

Maybe next they'll return emails and / or phone calls.

mmurphy77

I've watched it a couple of times now and, even though I was happy last night's episode was about 442s (except the constant "Four-FORTY-Two" crap), I'm afraid I can't watch another episode. The acting is THAT BAD. It makes **** look like Academy Award stuff!! I feel they PURPOSELY left his mispronounciation in there because of how many times he said it and how EVERYBODY else said it correctly. Even the 442 collector didn't correct him.

stevengerard

that didn't bother me as much as the fact I watched expecting to see a restoration of a car, not animal planet (which I like). Almost no details about what was done except for the removing of what was possibly a matching numbers engine. I understand its reality tv and I would be as poor of an actor as any of them, but I hate the canned drama they put into these shows.

Then the "experts" use deck lid stripes, paint the hood stripes incorrectly, and when he talks about his car doesn't even mention its a W30 or whether its a clone. How about the explanation of the dualgate that will allow you to change gears manually from 1st through 4th - What?

Olds Dad

Has anyone out there ever talked to these people? I've sent numerous "requests" through their website - as they encourage you to do - and never, ever heard back. When I've attempted to call them, I've gotten a voice mail and left messages (at least twice, maybe 3x) and yet to get a reply. Am I the odd man out, or has this happened to anyone else?

rcorrigan5

I watched it last night and was disappointed. They kept talking about making that 442 factory correct, down to the paint and interior color and that vinyl top. Then, the first thing they did was change out the engine. I lost interest after that but stuck with it to the end. It was hard for me to imagine how a real 442 could draw only $14K at an auction, but then only 3 weeks of restoration probably answered that question, along with the non-original engine. The drag race was hokey, too, in my opinion. And, of course, four - forty-two...got on my nerves as well. I do have a huge appreciation for rattle snakes, though!

Randy C.

kpl70sx

Like most of you I also had mixed feelings watching this show. I was really glad to see the Olds' get some good air time and I always thought that DVAP had a good rep although I have never personally dealt with them.

And I think we can chalk up the bad acting to the fact that these are real people and not actors. I'm not sure how "real" I could pretend to be with the cameras always following me around.

So I was ok with most of this stuff but here's what bothers me. I have worked several times with tv crews and magazine writers and model builders on Olds related stuff. It seems to me that there is plenty of time to do your homework so you can at least get the simple stuff right. As mentioned previously, the decklid stripes are simply unforgivable. How could he mention that he wanted to keep this thing original and then proceed to put Chevelle stripes on it?

And the flyer they used to advertise their 70 442 for auction - with a '69 442 on it! How hard would it have been to Bing a pic of a 70 442? I completely understand that most of the guys on this program knew very little about the Olds in general (the 4-speed dual gate?) but that is what consultants are for. I kept wondering why they did not use their Olds collector to get their info a little more accurate. This guy had an awesome collection of Olds muscle and clearly knew his stuff. I'm pretty sure that if I was doing a program like this and featuring a '72 Torino, I would rely heavily on owners of '72 Torino's for factual info.

I was also thinking about trying to get this guy to sell me a complete dual gate shifter with the top plate, the ball, the cable and the brackets for $300.

All in all in was nice to watch the 442s on tv for an hour.

71supreme

I saw the show last night too. My girlfriend was about to strangle me if i wouldn't stop correcting the guy on the four fourty two thing. Finally i told her it was like calling santa the clause, or calling smokey the bear smokey bear. then she got it...

I cringed at the deck lid stripes too. It could have been the angle of the camera, but the alignment of the front fenders didn't look right either.

Perhaps I am used to watching pinks, but a one & done race pitting experience against a newbie just seemed wrong.

anyway, it was definitely nice to see olds get some good face time. btw, would any of you paid more than 14k for that ride knowing the incorrect things on it? I thought it was reasonable all things considered.

z11375ss

Why do the decklid stripes look so crappy on a 442? Is it because they run them right up to the molding? Are they rounded and cut off on a Chevy? They really looked bad. That show makes me want to move to a warmer climate that's for sure. This winter sucks.

oldsguybry

They should be able to afford a new road and a tv show with their way over priced car parts

BlackGold

Not only did they repaint the (incorrect) decklid stripes, they were too lazy to put the pin stripes back on.

The show turned me off. I have no desire to watch it again. Not because of the Oldsmobile "faults" everyone's mentioned, but because it's just another one of those TV shows where the only thing that matters is time. Rush rush rush. Do people really enjoy living their life like that?

The guy is nuts, too, if he thinks he made a profit selling the car for 14k after putting 10k into the restoration. Unless maybe his employees work for free.

Coltonis

LOL Glad I'm not the only one that was all, wtf while watching that. I almost missed the decklid stripes until you guys mentioned it, but there was one shot in particular that just looked off to me and I couldn't figure out why but the trunk stripes was totally it.

PS rattlesnakes are pretty much solitary and RARELY EVER are found multiples. There are rare occasions when they mate that they will gang up in a big snake ball but that is like super rare. At first they just showed one and I was like ok it could happen, but three camped out in the same car!? Nuh-uh no way. Tooooootally planted.

NorTown Olds

Yeah, I THINK those guys have been there forever and most of their stuff is at "Highway ROBBERY Prices!" They've never been very friendly in my experience either. Gave up on 'em long time ago; not worth the hassle; interesting most of us have had negative experiences! Funny they actually have airtime now though!

Kyle's 77 Cutlass

I was in contact with these guys lots of times and they returned my e-mails, and to me their prices aren't to bad. Ive seen other places wanting more.

spf1410

"Four-Forty-Two" killed me too! I'm right there with you guys...

oldsonharmont

I've been up there several times and they do have some nice stuff, with prices to match. But then I suppose there's a value to sourcing original, rust free parts.
You can also walk the yard to search for what you want. They'll dicker a little on the price, but they definitely know what they have. Never dealt with them on-line and only called once, and the guy was pretty short with me. Sounds like a typical junkyard to me.

MN71W30

I was there a couple weeks back and it didn't take me long to figure out what was going on. Old AZ cars have a certain look to them and their easily spotted by the faded out paint and the rock solid bodies. Alot of the cars there were from the surrounding states, they ship them in from all over and the customer thinks he's getting AZ stuff.
The guys never mentioned anything about snakes, they just wanted 2 bucks and a signature for us to look around. We went to the fender section looking for 63 fenders and every one had big rust holes on the bottom. The yard just south of Phoenix has AZ stuff and the guys are much friendlier.

aliensatemybuick

I did business with them once. ONCE.

This was about 10 years ago, and at that time, they could not send pics. I called them up and asked if they had a hood spear for a '65 Starfire, explaining that this is a unique piece and describing the difference from the 88/98 series cars. I was assured it was the part I needed. I sent my money, and sure enough, I get a 88/98 hoodspear. I don;t tven thingk I tired to get a refund, chalking it up to experience.

hotrodj54

olds dad, ive bought some stuff from them in the past, wasnt too happy about my dealings with them. i called them on a right side fender for my 59 caddy, they had a clean one with no dents or rot for 500 bucks. so i bought it, when it came in it looked great, till it came back from the sandblaster. the front of the fender was crushed with a million 1/4 inch pull holes and a ton of bondo, the back of the fender was rotted 3x3 at the lower and dented. it was all filled with bondo. when i called them on it i was told they knew about the crushed part on the front of the fender and it was suposed to go to their bodyshop to get fixed before it got sold to me. so why did they tell me is was a clean fender if they knew? well they were suposed to refund me some money back or take care of me on some other parts i was lookin for but it never happened. i can understand about the back of the fender bein covered woth mud cause u couldnt see it on the back of the fender but the front they knew about and didnt say something, thats kinda shady to me but.............john

ent72olds

LOL! You too huh!

ent72olds

Again...LOL you too!

toro68

I noticed in that show, last Wed night (10 EST), that the did not use a Ram-Air air cleaner, on the white 70 442.
Plus I though the drag race between the two 1970 442s was a joke.
The father's yellow W-30 and the white standard issue 442, it was no contest.

MN71W30

When we were there we asked about a bumper brace for a 63 Chev. The rock and roll lookin dude behind the counter gave us a price and it seemed high so we mentioned the word they hate to hear..."repop" He then went into a spiel about how there doing the community and the country a favor by providing a service bla bla bla. It was a well scripted pile of BS that made me want to vomit. I would just go another 30 miles south to Hidden valley and get some good stuff.

hotrodj54

yep, water under the bridge now i guess lol..............john

DarrylJ

Correct resto it is not, but look at it this way. At least it's one more Olds out of the scrapheap and out cruising the streets again with someone enjoying it! Lets not get over critical here about all the details and just have some fun!

Kyle's 77 Cutlass

which yard is this ???

toro68

The son (Jason) acts very dopey.

long 64

I did get of hold of these guys but did get a sticker price shock for what they wanted got what I wanted at gm sports for way less.

rocketraider

What concerns me is that now they have some TV exposure you can count on the already high prices going higher. And if they get it, the other yards will see the show and jack up their prices too. Trickle-down economics and all.

I never got much out of them either. Either they didn't have it, it was the wrong part, or the price was simply out of reason.

TripDeuces

I did buy a bumper off them. Although the chrome was beautiful the bumper wasn't straight and was pushed up in the middle.

As far as the show I watched my first one today and turned it off midway through. It's the same stupid format like every other car show.

1) Guys we have to get this car ready in 3 days for a concourse restoration!
2) I can't do it in 3 days! How about 4 days? Ok I can work with that.
3) Squabbling among the family members.
4) Employees complaining because their boss works 24/7 and they're not about to do that. So they walk off or go home and the next day the still have a job? Sorry that's not real life.

This show is nothing more than that Boyd Coddington show, Pawn Stars and Orange County Choppers rolled into one. Producers don't have a clue about TV any more. Only thing missing from this show is an occasional explosion or cars jumping ramps or maybe a rear end collision where the car miraculously flips in the air during the impact.

Want to do good, sell parts that aren't bad and in perfect condition for the price paid.

DennisG.

This show is a joke. After watching the 442 episode I just wanted to smack the dad upside the head. You would think the old man would know a little more about cars since he owns the yard. 4 forty two and galaxie 5. I laughed my butt off at the latest show. The old man pops the hood and automaticly says 292, thats junk. He doesn't even bother to check it out, just says it has to go. Then they replace it with another junk motor. A 351 modified. And 350 horses ? What a joke. They should have just left the original motor in it. I laughed when they auctioned it off and broke even. I predict this show not lasting long.

BTW. Wasn't this the place that was in car craft and hot rod ? And the place desertdog was getting thier stuf from ?

1969cutlazz

I never knew I could be so annoyed hearing someone say Four Forty Two for a whole hour. The show is a joke and what a bunch of hillbillies restoring cars. Strips on the deck lid? WTF! IDIOTS!!!! Actually suprised they didnt put a chevy engine in it.

malibu406

I've watched two episodes, but the worst was the one with the Ford Fairlane. They showed the restoration and it was about the quality of what I would have done........................when I was 16 (1986)! 351 modified bored out to 400 cubic inches, a high performance 1975 351, exhausts exiting infront of the rear tires, and body work that looked like the Pacific ocean. No wonder it sold for $6,650. It was good for a starter project, after they finished it.

At least they did not seem to butcher the Olds as much. That may have changed if they showed more of it. They put the vinyl top right over primer from what I could see. How could a guy working in that junkyard have to have a Hurst dual gate shifter explained to him and the owner's son not know how to use one? Panel fitmet on the front clip left just a bit to be disired.

They should simply have a show about selling parts. Show them digging through that vast junkyard and dismatling the all kinds of rare stuff. We could all cringe when they have a 1980 chevy truck on top of a Cutlass, Chevelle, Challenger, or Hudson. They can still put a make-believe deadline on the delivery of the parts, if they wish.

The best technical TV shows in my opinion are probably Gears and Trucks. David Stacey is a pretty talented guy. The two on Trucks aren't backyard butchers either. Hot Rod TV and Muscle car are pretty poor though. I'd rather watch Two Guy's Garage than those two shows.

1969cutlazz

Gearz is pretty Good show.. Stacey David knows what he's doing, but his fake *** laugh can get pretty old after a while. My wife won't even be in the same room when I'm watching it. LOL

toro68

I will not be buying any parts from them.

Bluevista

X ha ha ha ha ha 2

MN71W30

http://www.hiddenvalleyautoparts.com/

markccar

a few years back i was working in a body shop in MN.they bought a body tub for a 1966 elcamino for $3,500.from desert valley.when it got here the floor and 1/4 panels were super rusty more rusty than the one we were working on,shop did get money back. two years ago i called them for some wheel opening mldgs for my 64 cutlass,they said we have dinged ones for 75.00 are good ones for 150.00 and how meny did i want .i said 4 good ones ,jason siad give me your credit card nunber and we will ship them to you, isaid i will call them back,i called next day and soneone else, told me samething i ask them to put a hold on them and i will buy them in two weeks,they said ok i was thinking it was funny that two guys knew they had thie mldgs without looking,i have some kids down in AZ so i flew down there to see them and get the mldgs,i went there and they said they just sold them i siad i flew down to get them and they had a hold on them for me jason and them started lughing

OLD SKL 69

I ordered from them once, got someone good and knowledgeable on the phone and they took good care of me. Unfortunately, I did not have that same type of success the next time. Repeated calls went unanswered and when I finally did get someone, he took my order, credit card info, and then I never received anything. (Did not charge my credit card either). So they are on my s#*t list.

my72vert

I too watched the first couple of episodes and from what I saw their just a bunch of hacks. I would have liked to see them take more time and do a nice job restoring the cars, instead they just throw parts at it and see what it will sell for. Actually I think the prices they are getting are fair for the work that was done. Its a shame what they will put on TV these days.