Fun junkyard adventures

**cuervo25_1** · 06-05-2011, 11:24 AM

When I was building the Monte I knew I wanted it to be different since it was just an 82 with nothing special about it. I found a 78 cutlass supreme at a junkyard with mint interior and alloy rims (factory) so I go back up front and ask one of the employees how much for everything I wanted and listed off everything. he then asked if the wheels was factory or after market and I told him factory so he said 150 for everything. My best friend was with me so we went back and commenced of removeing every seat the console the shifter the carpet and everything else I wanted and took it back up front.
when we was done the kid has a bit of anger in his face and started yelling "I didn't know all this stuff was in this good of shape and those rims are after market" so we started argueing back and forth about everything especially the rims and the owner came out to see what was going on. He looked everything over and asked what I was told so I told him. he said ok $150 it is then. The kid immediatly went into a rage and started yelling about the rims not being factory rims which is when the owner tuned and looked at him and said " they are in fact factory rims,your dumb ass just didn't ask the question right! you should have asked if they was steel or alloy not factory or aftermarket." I still have the rims and lug nuts at my parents because I later switched to wider aftermarket alloy 15 inch rims

Here is a pic I dug up on the net of what they look like, but mine has all the centercaps and are much cleaner

**02transamce** · 06-05-2011, 12:01 PM

On the way to the lake today,i took a shortcut,saw a little junkyard,had a white 98-02 trans am,doors were gone,but the big wing hatch was still there,going home that way amd i am going to stop and look.
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**67CamaroRSSS** · 06-05-2011, 12:25 PM

Back in the day (70's - 90's) when I was perusing the finds in the local recycling yards you'd be surprised at what was available. Being in the Los Angeles area helped I'm sure. At 1 point I was taking stuff off of cars and selling the parts at the local swapmeets (think Long Beach and Pomona). Disk brake setups, rear ends, posi's you name it.

The 12 bolt I have in the 67 I found in the wrecking yard in 1981 still attached to a 67 Camaro. They are unique to that car being a monoleaf perch design (68 and 69 are multileaf) with a piece welded on to the right axle tube for the factory traction bar.

When the 66 Charger I had was side swipped while sitting on the street I figured I'd get a new door but probably from another B-body. I go to look and sure enough, there sits a (mostly complete) 66 Charger sans drivetrain. I picked the door as well as some other pieces unique to that car (complete taillight assembly and the back glass to name 2).

Back then they were veritable gold mines. That is until Ecology got the bright idea to create Memory Lanes.

**02transamce** · 06-05-2011, 02:14 PM

Well,it was a v6 firebird,the hatch just looked like a t/a hatch going by at 55.oh well
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**snaggeltooth** · 06-05-2011, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by 67CamaroRSSS

Back in the day (70's - 90's) when I was perusing the finds in the local recycling yards you'd be surprised at what was available. Being in the Los Angeles area helped I'm sure. At 1 point I was taking stuff off of cars and selling the parts at the local swapmeets (think Long Beach and Pomona). Disk brake setups, rear ends, posi's you name it.

The 12 bolt I have in the 67 I found in the wrecking yard in 1981 still attached to a 67 Camaro. They are unique to that car being a monoleaf perch design (68 and 69 are multileaf) with a piece welded on to the right axle tube for the factory traction bar.

When the 66 Charger I had was side swipped while sitting on the street I figured I'd get a new door but probably from another B-body. I go to look and sure enough, there sits a (mostly complete) 66 Charger sans drivetrain. I picked the door as well as some other pieces unique to that car (complete taillight assembly and the back glass to name 2).

Back then they were veritable gold mines. That is until Ecology got the bright idea to create Memory Lanes.

Ohh dont get me started .. $100 for a complete 73 Trans Am hood and shaker set up, $200 for a complete 70 442 front clip, $50 for the 455 running .. Man back in the 80s $500-$600 for a complete running car that just needed a few things ... Man those were the days ...

**transamtom** · 06-05-2011, 03:34 PM

Man do I love going to the wrecking yard,I always score big on spare parts for my cars dirt cheap.

Its my day off Monday and I just got paid Friday so I think I know what I am doing tommorow

**silverWS6** · 06-05-2011, 04:27 PM

I found a hotchkis adjustable panhard bar, hotchkis lca's, hotchkis rear sway bar, hotchkis strut tower brace and it was all for $150. All these parts were off a 98-02 SS... if only I knew more back then I'm sure it had sfc's and a front sway bar too but I just didn't look

wouldn't have surprised me if it had lowering springs and maybe even konis. This car was set up pretty good as far as suspension went... that's probably the biggest score I've found!

**Zapper2003** · 06-05-2011, 05:41 PM

All i've mustered were some tools. Did land a nice 2' breaker bar and an entire rail of mixed allen and torx sockets.

And handfuls upon handfuls of lightbulbs and fuses. If anyone needs any 10 amp fuses I got ya covered

**pajeff02** · 06-05-2011, 05:50 PM

Back when I was younger, a Saturday trip to the boneyard was a once a month experience. I have found cash, nice aftermarket audio equipment, and all sorts of odds and ends. The sunroof I installed in my first car came from the junkyard, as did the seats and several interior pieces to "upgrade" it.

My worst experience was a couple of years ago. We ran up to a yard on the other side of the county where my friend had spotted an Oldsmobile "O" axle. I needed one for our W-31 as at some point in its life a 10 bolt from a GTO found its way under the car. It was a clear, cold winter day and there were several inches of snow on the ground. My friend also purchased a couple of rears from the pile as he rebuilds and sells them.

Walking to his truck carrying one end of a 12 bolt rear from a Camaro, I slipped and fell. Unfortunately, I did not get my hand out from under the backing plate and it split my "communication finger" on my right hand. I could feel my glove filling up with blood. I pulled the glove off and shoved my hand in the snow. After a while, I wrapped it in a paper towel and then continued hauling rears. Hand injuries suck and it hurt pretty bad for a couple of days.

**02transamce** · 06-05-2011, 06:42 PM

Back in the day,when i had a Mustang,they was a junkyard in south alabama that had a lot of Mustangs,owner is a huge ford guy,got lot of stuff from him,traded my 92 Mustang GT slotted taillamps for some 86 taillamps that really cleanup the gaudy fox gt rearend.got some cloth 95 Mustang GT seats for $50 plus my factory 97 seats ( my 97 was a gts which was kinda like the lx 5.0 fox cars,v8 powertrain base interior trim) bunch of cool emblems,including some red GTA trans am emblems,really nice set of Lincoln Mark vii lsc special edition emblems,and a Shelby horn button from a dodge shelby dakota pickup.
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**cuervo25_1** · 06-05-2011, 08:50 PM

Ther was another junkyard in the area I worked at on sundays to get other parts. That is how I got my engine block and some Monte SS stuff. well one Sunday they sent me down to remove the dash from an 80's buick station wagon. someone already raided it for the interior so my job was made much easier. As I am laying on my back removing bolts I feel something on my leg. I look to see a 5 ft black snack slithering across, I just kept working no big deal. so a couple weeks later I was sent after a set of rears and transfer case from a truck I check the area out for nasties (spiders I hate them mothers!) cleared out what dry material was under the truck because torches was involved and went to work. I had the transfer case almost out and was positioning myself to get ahold of it and get the last couple of bolts the rest of the way out when I felt something on my stomach. Another black snake, not sure if it was the same one but it was close to the other car and around the same size. I look at it and say "ok look I get the point you like me but please stop this"

I didn't know it but one of Dad's friends that also worked there came down to check on me and see if I needed help. He replied "stop what" for a split second I was ready to freak until it clicked in my head who it was

to which I responded by grasping the snake and tossing it on his feet, saying "not you, him" The poor guy about jumped out of his skin.

**cuervo25_1** · 06-05-2011, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by 67CamaroRSSS

Back in the day (70's - 90's) when I was perusing the finds in the local recycling yards you'd be surprised at what was available. Being in the Los Angeles area helped I'm sure. At 1 point I was taking stuff off of cars and selling the parts at the local swapmeets (think Long Beach and Pomona). Disk brake setups, rear ends, posi's you name it.

The 12 bolt I have in the 67 I found in the wrecking yard in 1981 still attached to a 67 Camaro. They are unique to that car being a monoleaf perch design (68 and 69 are multileaf) with a piece welded on to the right axle tube for the factory traction bar.

When the 66 Charger I had was side swipped while sitting on the street I figured I'd get a new door but probably from another B-body. I go to look and sure enough, there sits a (mostly complete) 66 Charger sans drivetrain. I picked the door as well as some other pieces unique to that car (complete taillight assembly and the back glass to name 2).

Back then they were veritable gold mines. That is until Ecology got the bright idea to create Memory Lanes.

Dad has 4 66 chargers all of them but one has 383's the other a 318. one of them he rolled with my two youngest uncles in the car with him when he was running from the cops one night.

The problem with the area of Va I lived in most everyone that hit the junkyards new about all the hot parts on all the cars so you had issues finding good stuff, I got lucky 3 times. found a pair of double hump heads in the back of a old van, and an airgrabber hood for a 72 roadrunner, but the most miraculous find was in the old engine "barn" I was clearing out, a complete 413 wedge engine with cross ram . That warrented an immediate call to my father which had been looking for one for years. his response was " You best get that mother fucker in a spot where I can get to it! if not you will get the worst beating of your life !" after lowering my nuts,busting a gut and a shit load of swearing and sweating I managed to get it to a spot where I could get the forklift under the chain to take it to the barn door. Dad showed up a little bit later and once he seen it he was all smiles. I replied to that with my typical smart assed remark. " Glad your fucking happy cause I am hurting like a sumbitch" Dad with his typical remarks replied " Quit your bitchin and load it up, and if you EVER speak like that to me again you will become perminatly crosseyed"

**02transamce** · 06-05-2011, 09:44 PM

Sounds like your old man was a bit of a hellraiser in his day
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**cuervo25_1** · 06-05-2011, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by 02transamce

Sounds like your old man was a bit of a hellraiser in his day
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which is why he had the reins on me so tight! He made damn sure I wasn't going to do what he did do.

**transamtom** · 06-06-2011, 06:38 AM

Just got back from the wrecking yard,not much there.

I got a remote key fob,2 sail panel subs,a spare gas cap and tether, a washer pump and few electrical connectors and bulbs for $20.00

**SMWS6TA** · 06-06-2011, 06:50 AM

I'm in a F-body desert. It extends from Biloxi to Pensacola.

**02transamce** · 06-06-2011, 09:07 AM

There is a fourth gen only f body yard in Calera,Al.billy grahams camaro.
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**67CamaroRSSS** · 06-06-2011, 09:31 AM

Another neat wrecking yard find was a pair of cast iron Bow Tie heads. They were sitting on an engine in a 68-72 Nova that had caught fire. Most of the car was toast but the engine seemed fine. Engine had a Victor Jr intake on it (carb was gone) so I snatched that off and that's when I noticed that the intake ports on the head were unusually large. Popped off a valve cover and staring at me were roller rockers, beehive springs and screw in studs with guide plates. Heads looked to be fairly fresh (no Pennzoil peanut butter) and that's when I noticed the Chevy Bow Tie cast into the head. I got both of them for $20 + core charge ($50 for the pair).

They ended up on top of a full roller 327 4 bolt main that I was crafting for the local races...