Cash for clunkers runs out of money; gov’t gonna throw more money at it. Who would’ve guessed?

So the cash for clunkers program has been suspended. Or not. Autoblog reports that dealers have requested $95.9 million from the program – about a tenth of the $1 billion set aside that was supposed to last through November 1, so Congress and the White House are concerned that the money will be used up too soon. Edmunds and the AP both report that the White House is currently reviewing the program, likely so they can request more funding for it. And TTAC has this theory that this is all going down because the dealerships ran out of inventory too fast.

Not to say we told you so, but we told you so. Though we didn’t anticipate this exact scenario, we did predict that if the money ran out, Congress would consider extending the program.

Meanwhile, reader Bryan Gadow sent us some photos of a formerly vacant lot in town that the local dealership (Preston Automotive Group in Preston, Maryland) has been using to store its cash for clunkers trade-ins:

It has been filling up quite fast. When I first looked maybe 1 1/2 weeks ago only the back row was filled. I stopped by earlier today to get the photos but there were salesmen bringing in another 3 “clunkers” and I didn’t want to stir a controversy. If I picture in my mind the type of vehicle that should be traded in under this program I mostly think of, oh, a ‘93 Grand Am 4dr with a bashed in door, slipping transmission and 325k on the clock; or maybe a rusted-out Nissan pickup from the 80s. Take a look at these photos-to me they are really sad. All of these specimens were driven in, and soon their engines/ transmissions will be destroyed.

Even though I’m not a Ford truck enthusiast, this still sucks. Hey, is that a ZJ Grand Cherokee back there? C’mon, I could use parts off that!

If you have pictures of your local dealership’s “clunkers,” send them in. We want to see just what people are discarding like so many tin cans.

UPDATE (31.July 2009): Here comes the cash. The House approved another $2 billion in emergency spending for cash for clunkers today.

Oh, and I’m not the only one who believes this could go on indefinitely. Mark Tapscott thinks it could become permanent (via).

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Remember Miss Belvedere, the ‘57 Plymouth that the fine folks of Tulsa buried when it was new, then unearthed two years ago? Yes, it emerged rusty and crusty, but the effort to preserve the car is ongoing, and for our latest episode of Hemmings Classic Car Radio, David LaChance spoke with Dwight Foster of Ultra One, the company that is working to get Miss Belvedere back into presentable shape.

Also in this episode, a brief overview of cash for clunkers and why it’s a sorry piece of wrongheaded legislation. Yes, familiar territory for constant readers of the Hemmings blog, but it’s worth repeating while the matter remains under consideration.

Click to listen to the latest episode of Hemmings Collector Car Radio now.

As an added bonus, we have exclusive photos of Miss Belvedere and the de-rusting process you may want to peruse while listening to the latest episode.

For its trip by flatbed back east, the Belvedere was shrink-wrapped. Thoughts of transferring the car to an enclosed trailer were abandoned when it was discovered just how badly the frame had deteriorated.

Here’s the reason the Plymouth is getting a donor frame. Decades of submersion left the original too weak to support the car.

Ultra One uses a pump, a hose and a kiddie pool to keep a continuous stream of Safest Rust Remover on one area at a time. The product leaves the 52-year-old paint unharmed.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, this one must be worth 1,000 “ughs.” This is the before…

and this is the after.

There are a half-dozen or so types of material used in the car’s ashtray, and Safest Rust Remover is safe for every one. With the corrosion gone, it’s possible to see that this is a brand-new, unused part.

These are the surviving sisters of the late Ray Humbertson, whose 1957 guess of Tulsa’s 2007 population was the closest of all those who entered to win Miss Belvedere. Catherine, on the left, is 94, and Levita is 85.

The official documentary about the car, “Tulsa’s Buried Belvedere,” is available from AVCOM Productions.

If you haven’t heard an episode of Hemmings Collector Car Radio until now, then now’s a good time to listen to all the previous episodes of the podcast - all free, just like the current episode.

And if you have an RSS reader, make sure to subscribe to our RSS podcast feed for notification of future Hemmings Collector Car Radio episodes. You can also subscribe to our podcast feed directly through iTunes.