For more than 55 years a tucked away piece of land to the west of Maricopa has been a treasure trove of used auto parts for collectors and restorers alike.
About 6.5 miles west of town off Highway 238 sits 10 acres of mangled classic-car wonderment where the Hoctor family has amassed one of Pinal County’s largest auto salvage yards.
Between this collection and two other storage yards elsewhere in the state, Don Hoctor and his family have taken on the tremendous task of offering pickers and pullers a chance to help secure the rich history of automobiles.
“We just want to preserve these old cars,” Jeff Hoctor said. “The new stuff doesn’t interest me at all, the plastic and rubber cars are going to come and go without making a statement.”
Don Hoctor started his career as an auto-body repairman. Seeking higher income and realizing the potential impact on his health from working with hazardous paint and body filler, Don switched industries and started Hidden Valley Auto Parts in 1961.
“He saw there was more money in auto salvage than there was in body and paint, so that’s what moved him into the wrecking yard business,” Jeff said. “And, of course I’ve known nothing else.”
For Jeff, auto salvage is the only career he’s known. He loves what he does and hopes to continue doing it for years to come. Hidden Valley turns over an average of 100 cars every year and has expansion in mind.
“My idea is just to grow as best we can. I want to keep going with these old cars until I can’t do it anymore,” Jeff said.
One of the benefits of running an auto salvage yard is, well, the cars. Between his wife Cheryl’s ’57 Chevy pick-up, his multiple ’70 Cudas, Firebirds and El Caminos, Jeff Hoctor and his brothers Matt and Joe operate the yard along with Jeff’s son Kyle, and, in their free time, they even restore some of the inventory.
More recently, the Hoctors embraced their artistic side and began to repurpose unused parts to create lamps, benches, tables and other gizmos and doohickeys.
This story appears in the February issue of InMaricopa.
![An image of one of 56 elevation renderings submitted to Maricopa's planning department for the Elena Trails subdivison. The developer plans to construct 14 different floor plans, with four elevation styles per plan. [City of Maricopa]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/city-041724-elena-trails-rendering-218x150.jpg "Elena Trails releases home renderings")
![A blue square highlights the area of the proposed affordable housing development and "Restaurant Row" sitting south of city hall and the Maricopa Police Department. Preliminary architectural drawings were not yet available. [City of Maricopa]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/041724-affordable-housing-project-restaurant-row-218x150.jpg "Affordable apartments planned near ‘Restaurant Row’")
