The newest thing in wrecking yard salvage?

I got one thats been sitting in my dads basement for decades. Just one of those things I thought I might need someday. Turns out, I was right.

 

The 2 major contributors to the loss of salvage yard parts are environmental rules and the price of scrap metal. I work in a metal recycling yard where we shred cars. Wisconsin has State and County laws to prevent groundwater contamination and we can't have any unlicensed vehicles that aren't contained inside a building. They will order removal and eventually have the vehicles removed if the owner doesn't. Salvage yards have to remove all fluids from vehicles and it's easier for them to just scrap everything out instead of providing all of the records to show it has been cleaned.

Another factor is that many of the owners of these scrapyards are getting old and having medical problems. Many don't have health insurance so they have to sell out to pay medical bills or the County ends up owning their property if they end up in a nursing home.

 

I went to a yard looking for one lousy 56 Olds 15" wheel..

We looked every place he could think of... nope.


So, not to waste a trip, I bought most of a 32 Ford. It has been there for 2 or 3 years...nobody wanted it

I'm using a lot of it on mine.

 

Anything 302/5.0 related would probably be a safe bet to start hoarding.

 

They do the samething to oil pans here they take a punch and knock holes in the really old ones.

 

Which ones...scripts or plain stamped or 327 style?

 

Go ahead and start laughing but...74-94 Chevy and GMC shortbed truck parts. Think how tailgates and for older 50,60, and 70 trucks are hard to find now.

 

It was sort of a hypothetical question in a way. It's just that at one time there seemed to be an abundance of the stuff in wrecking yards that we cherished for parts robbing. Nowadays there doesn't seem like a whole lot that we would rob off these newer cars to use in our hobby. There have been some very good points made here regarding what we are using now and is disappearing fast. won't be long and it will be a mail order build for everything.

 

Most of the young guys 20s-30s are into Hondas, you can get a good one for $3500 and modify it from there. I think old school hot rodders are slowly dieing off.


Ago

 

Could use another shortbed for my 84............not alot of takeoffs around here-

 

I've seen that and you must have too at the Pull a Part on N. Tryon, stupid isn't it?

 

I see more old school hot rodders around today than at any other time in the last 50 years.

Sure lots of them are passing on, but there seems to be plenty to replace them. Who doesn't think that hot rods are cool these days??? That's another reason why the desirable parts are becoming harder and harder to find.

 

I suddenly find myself with a severe shortage of 427's, as I let a std bore sideoiler block go yesterday, still having withdrawals - so now I'm down to 9, not sure if I can deal with it ... but then again I got two '40 Ford pickups in the trade- I can adapt, I can overcome Lessee, 427 with 3-ducks and those sweet boat "spark arrestors", Vertex, C6 & some tubs, and both trucks titled today- feeling better already

 

No, they're not dying off... They're being reborn... They just aren't old enough to have their own tools yet...

 

I agree with the guy who mentioned the ls1..

 

I've only been to a pick a part once. I still know where there are a couple real junk yards owned by friends where old school parts are still plentiful, but in a "Modern" junk yard, hell no! Not a damn thing worth saving.

EXCEPT TH350 TRANNYS AND ANY REAR END WITH GOOD HIGHWAY GEARS, CAN'T FIND THOSE ANYWHERE AROUND HERE.

 

Must be someone in Texas hoarding them. I can't find one up here in N. TX either.

 

I'll trade you a set for a Turbo 350.

 

Oh, poor Gene. How sad, nine 427s, my heart bleeds for you...You keep that crap up, and I'm gonna send Benno over to beat you with a rubber hose...

 

anything AMC

 

700 R4s

 

Older tilt coulmns...

 

I'm goin with ANY displacement 1st generation SBC. Even at 50 million produced, we BURNED through those things as fast as we could yank em for $200!

 

Oh yeah? Just for a VERY few thoughts beyond some of the usual stuff:

Explorer 8.8 disc brake rears.

Rear disc setups off P71 Crown Vics.

10-bolt rears off 9C1 Impala cop-cars (w/the good PBR rear brakes)

Various other adaptable rear disc brake setups ('70s Sevilles, '80s FWD Seville/Eldo)

Roller-block Ford 351Ws from mid '90s pickups (for that matter, roller-block 302s too, especially the '96-97.5 Explorer motors w/GT40 heads.)

Toyota R154 transmissions (MkIII Supra Turbo, somewhat rare) or any Aisin transmission of that family (Jeep/Dodge AX15, etc.)

Toyota 8in rear axles (or the old 6.7s for light cars, need to find a good one.)

P71 cop-car Crown Vic driveshafts (3.66in AL 54.5in c/c w/1330 yokes)

Aluminum Explorer driveshafts (a bit shorter, same 3.66in AL tube, 1310 yokes)

Jag XJ suspensions, maybe even the XJ40/X300.

Cadillac Catera steering boxes.

Volvo 164 steering boxes (about as rare as MkIII Supra Turbo transmissions now...)

'80s Corolla windshield-washer tanks (nice small rectangle fits anything)

'90s Astro van Hydroboosts.

'89-early '90s Thunderbird 3.8 clutch fans (for reverse-rotation 5.0 swaps on smaller-than-Fox radiators)

A complete '90s Camaro 3.4 V6/T5 powertrain would work quite nicely in a lot of light cars if you want to try something a little different.

etc.

 

As was said earlier, stuff is getting crushed much sooner these days. Stuff 20 years old is already hard to find. It didn't used to be that way. On the other hand, we have the internet so whatever is left can find a good home much easier.

 

I just picked up a couple of 327s and some other misc stuff for $100. Guy had them listed forever I finally made him an offer and he delivered them 45 miles to me. At least I thought it was a good deal.

 

You just may have some thing here. Maybe even a new post needs to be done on this to get it started after they do it all the time for other things. The only down part I see is it maybe to late!!

 

How are things like vega boxes, MII fronts, T5's, Explorer 8.8's, S10 Frames, clutch fans, any aod, disc brakes, ect ect ect traditional?

I have not posted of my carbed, distributor 4.6 DOHC Ford conversion project for fear of getting bashed... just sayin

 

In-dash cigarette lighters.

 

Originally Posted by Don's Hot Rods
I've had the same thoughts, why didn't we realize years ago that stuff like hemis, Olds engines, Cad Lasalle boxes, 32 Fords, etc would be so rare and valuable one day ? I've tried to think what the next generation of unobtanium will be some day but I can't begin to imagine what those parts will be. Will we one day be looking back and saying "Why didn't I buy up all the Fox Mustangs (or 85-86 Camaros) that I could have bought for $ 600 back in 2012 ????????" It would be like all the model a's and other old cars we passed up for $25 in the 50's.


Don



i was buying fox mustangs for 150 -250 for nice rust free bodys, as rollign chassis 5-7 years ago. now you cant find a trashed out roller for under $800. i have a coupe sitting in my garage that was in decent shape that i will keep in my possesion for the future.