Clearing got its name from freight. Farm goods from this corner of the Southwest Side were “cleared” through the rail yards here, and the Clearing Industrial District dates to 1909. The area became a town in 1912, inside Stickney Township, and joined Chicago in 1915. Today it’s bordered by Harlem Avenue on the west, 59th Street on the north, 65th Street on the south and the rail tracks just east of Cicero Avenue, with the southern part of Midway Airport inside it. Masters Cash for Junk Cars will quote and collect junk and scrap cars anywhere inside those lines.
Chrysler Village and the blocks around Lawler Park
The east end has a story of its own. Chrysler Village runs from Lavergne Avenue west to Long Avenue, between Midway and the Clearing Industrial District. Its brick single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses went up in 1943 to house workers at the Chrysler defense plant, which built B-29 bomber engines and later became the Ford City site.
Lawler Park sits in the middle of it. The Lawler Park subdivision was laid out in 1944, the City started building the park in 1947, and the Park District took it over in 1957. These days it has two baseball diamonds, basketball courts and a playground.
For a pickup in Chrysler Village, the useful detail is how the car sits. Shared parking or a car squeezed in behind a townhouse is fine, but the driver needs to know before arriving.
West of the airport, toward Harlem
Past Midway, the blocks keep going all the way out to Harlem Avenue. Hale Park, at 61st Street and Melvina Avenue, is the big landmark there. The Park District lists it at almost 17 acres with an outdoor swimming pool from around 1968, a fieldhouse dedicated in 1998, and Nathan Hale Elementary right next door.
If your car is somewhere between the airport and Harlem, the nearest numbered street (59th through 65th) and the nearest avenue are all we need.
Getting from Ashburn to Clearing
The map puts it at about 4.6 miles and ten minutes: west on 79th Street for a mile, north on Cicero Avenue for two miles, then west on 63rd Street. Addresses near Harlem add a couple of minutes along 63rd. Same-day pickup often works out, though it depends on how the day’s schedule is running.
63rd Street, Cicero and the City’s rules
63rd Street runs the length of Clearing, and from Harlem Avenue east it’s listed as a 2-inch snow route. So is the short piece of Cicero Avenue between 63rd and 65th. Those bans can switch on after 2 inches of snow, even in the middle of the night, and the City’s winter parking restrictions page says cars in the way can be ticketed or relocated.
The rule that applies all year is the one on abandoned vehicles. On a public street, the City may label a car abandoned when it isn’t drivable as it stands, when it has stayed put for longer than seven days running and appears deserted, or when it has had no state registration or temporary placard for at least two days. A dilapidated, hazardous car left in full public view can count even on private land. Those get reported through 311.
What we buy in Clearing, and how you get paid
Scrap and junk cars, mostly. Specifically:
- Cars and trucks that don’t run, including ones with no keys or a seized engine
- Fire and flood damaged cars, even if the interior is ruined
- Wrecked, stripped and long-parked cars, from driveways, garages, repair shops or apartment lots, as long as you can arrange access
Good running cars bought for resale aren’t part of what we do.
To start, phone (708) 838-5553 or send the details through the cash offer form. Mention which papers you hold. A title is the easy case. If all you have is a bill of sale or the car’s registration or insurance card, Illinois rules determine whether a scrap sale can go ahead, and we’ll check that with you on the call. Accept the offer and we schedule the tow, at no charge to you. You get paid at pickup, the moment we collect the car.
Before the truck comes, empty the glove box and trunk. The city sticker guide for sold cars explains what happens to the sticker.
Clearing’s neighbors
North across 59th Street is Garfield Ridge, which holds the other part of Midway. East over the tracks by Cicero is West Lawn. Everywhere else we cover is on our service areas page.
Map of Clearing
Clearing questions
Do you pick up in Chrysler Village?
Yes. Chrysler Village is the group of brick houses, duplexes and townhouses around Lawler Park on Clearing's east side, built in 1943 for workers at the Chrysler defense plant. If your car is in a shared lot or a tight spot behind a townhouse, tell us so the driver can plan how to reach it.
Is the airport area part of Clearing?
Partly. Midway Airport fills the square mile between 55th and 63rd Streets and Cicero and Central Avenues. The southern part of it lies in Clearing and the rest is in Garfield Ridge. We buy cars on the residential blocks on every side of the airfield, so give us the address and nearest cross street.
Can a dead car stay on 63rd Street until you arrive?
It's better not to leave it there. 63rd Street is on Chicago's 2-inch snow route list, which means after a real snowfall cars parked on it can be ticketed or relocated. And any car on a city street that hasn't moved for more than seven days and looks deserted can be treated as abandoned. A side street is safer.
Do you buy junk trucks and vans in Clearing too?
Yes. We buy pickups, vans and SUVs as well as cars, running or not, as long as they're junk or scrap rather than good used vehicles to resell. Give us the size and condition on the call, plus anything unusual, like a camper shell or a load still in the bed.