CC Yard Art: Happy Halloween — Spooky MoPar Scenes!

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– Posted on October 31, 2024

In the last 5-10 years many folks around my area now have elaborate outdoor decorations for Halloween.  Some of the families around the local neighborhoods seem to decorate the outside of their homes for Halloween just as much (or more) as they do for Christmas. Fortunately for me, I have an old car addiction to keep my pocketbook and free time lean so as not to care about such things. But I thought, maybe I could participate in my own way with some “meticulously curated” Halloween “yard art”? Read on to see how this turns out.

I have several CC-appropriate vehicles, and with the addition of 400 feet of extension cord, a strobe light, and a 5′ poseable skeleton, I was able to take my passion for old MoPars to the curb for the public to appreciate during the fall season.

It started last year with my ’62 Plymouth Valiant V-200 Sedan.

The car was bought in August of 2020 from a widow in Ohio who was liquidating her husband’s belongings. The car runs and drives, however, I hated the Earl Scheib Taxi Yellow paint job, so I have been slowly scraping it off with a razor blade. Its original color is sandstone (which perfectly fits my theme of beige/ OLDMANTAN MoPars). This car was perfect for the Curbside Display, rough around the edges and quirky enough that passers-by would notice a 1st gen A Body Valiant being “driven” by a 5-foot-tall skeleton.

My daughter named the skeleton “BOB”, and he sometimes has “engine problems” or a flat tire…

Bob enjoys the soft glow of the 1157 light bulbs throughout the long October nights:

Here, Bob is checking the oil or possibly relashing the valves on the venerable slant six:

One night Bob had some tire trouble and had to fix that flat along the roadside in the middle of the night…

The neighbors and other folks at the local Elks Club loved the display, so we decided to haul Bob out again, this time with a 1977 Dodge D-200 Custom Utiline Stepside Longbed Truck.

We started off with a “Village People” theme, dressing Bob up in the required PPE Gear that I have to use at the local scrap yard:

Next we propped and tied Bob up with a shovel, wheelbarrow and a bunch of bones:

After that, Bob needed to check the oil on the ‘ol 318 LA engine – No valve lashing here as they went mostly hydraulic by ~’66 or so. (Please forgive me if I do not know the exact year of the LA block hydraulic lifter transition, as I have been busy studying slant sixes.)

Lastly, Bob has some tire trouble with the truck too. A quick roadside rim swap to be done:

We also host a hayride for my daughter, her school friends, and the neighborhood kids. We don’t get trick-or-treaters at our house so we host our own hayride/fall party The kids dress up and bring some candy for everyone. I dress up as a farmer and take kids on a hayride to get some treats in our yard and we visit the neighbor’s houses. It has become quite the event.

This year we brought back the ugly ’62 Valiant as additional yard art for the hayride.

The kids had a great time as usual and slept well after the hayride. The old cars with skeletons and simple strobe lights were a hit. For a one-night display, A simple 12VDC to 120VAC cigarette lighter inverter will do the trick for illuminating a skeleton without an extension cord. There might be a 12VDC strobe light option as well, but I have not looked into it.  Thanks for reading and enjoy your Halloween with CC in style!