Newer cars worth scavenging parts from

I remember saying the same thing once...right before my thread got deleted...Wait for it...

 

Not planning to use the Aerostar driveshaft, but I'll check it out; really need the rear axle assembly. A Dana 30 is clearly too light a rearend for a 4000lb+ GVW cargo van (I guess that's why they eventually went to an 8.8) but it should be just fine for a 2000lb vehicle with 200-240HP.

The Aerostar rear suspension is a remarkably creative, uh, piece of bean-countered crap. I guess it worked okay for its intended application...

 

Seat belts would probably be a worthy addition somewhere between Battery and Nothing as well.

 

Nuts and bolts. Clean em up and reuse them. i keep them seperated in cans and they are always handy. Electrical relays and fuze boxes replaced the crude 5 circuit harness in my Nomad. Relays take the load off the original light switch and blower motor. 8.8 and 10 bolt rear ends are nice for nonracing customs. Mid 70's GM front disc brakes keep me from killing myself. The 700R4 saves gas and is easy to rebuild. 305 aluminum heads on my 64 283 are the cat's meow. 6 cylinder Volvos come with beefy rear ends and disc brakes, perfect for customs. 70's Volvo external fuel pumps make for easy EFI conversion. The electric fan switch from a 80's Honda radiator are far better calibrated then the Chinese ones that come with most fan kits, and they fit a SBC. 1" front sway bars from Olds and Bulcks replace the ones GM forgot to put on 55-57 Chevys.

 

Actually I find loads of neat stuff on late models. I usually have at least one lying around to pull stuff off.

Here's my list:

1. Middle row seat from Dodge Caravans are just the right width for a 32-34 coupe and cost less than Glide.
2. The rear seat from a Renault Twingo is a brillant bench seat with spilt adjustable back rests and hidden intergral seat belt mount.
3. Door rubbers, trunk rubbers etc.
4. Seat belts, or at least their mountings.
5. Micro Jap car alternators.
6. Space saver wheels.
7. Clean fresh nuts and bolts.
8. T5 transmissions.
9. Driveshafts. Some F-150s have lovely aluminum ones, as do Corvettes. I have used a Corvette C5 driveshaft in a 350/350 '32 Ford - it didn't need shortening, just slipped right in - perfect. Was Alu so polished up real neat too.
10. compound curved sheet metal.
11. Clips, brackets, wiring, fuse boxes, relays.
12. Wind up window mechanisms.
13. The floor mounted brake pedal, master cylinder and boster from a Smart car. Sits under the floor just like the aftermarket ones, but is OEM quality.


Although the late models may not be our cup of tea, they are OEM, and the parts are more durable than most of the aftermarket stuff people spend a fortune on. There's always something neat in a late model so it's always worth looking through them before junking them. The smaller cars are more interesting than the larger ones, because they're simpler.

 

Little A/C compressors from tiny jeep looking things work great in small cabs. I used a diff and axles from a chrysler 300 for a cool rear axle set up.

 

I've been collecting a few things from warrenty repairs at work for a future build, but I am a cheap bastard. Most, if not all, will be either modified or just not visable. Some include:

Weather proof connectors and wiring
Relays and relay connectors
E-brake cables and handles
Heater cores and fans
Defroster ducting
Door latches and hardware
Rubber bumpers, bushings and plugs
Battery cables
Fuse blocks
Trans Coolers
Throttle pedals
Steel and aluminum plate, tube and bar stock
Misc. bearings and seals

 

Most IROC Camaros ... have a aluminum driveshaft and they are long enough to shorten for most pre WWII Fords. I have a Corvette ( 90 model ) aluminum driveshaft in my 32 roadster. Stock ... never modified .. fit as is.

Ford stopped the 9 inch in about 1984 ... but there are still lots of 9 inch Ford rears around here in the Carolinas.



Late model Cadillacs and Buicks have a neat, compact electric parking park system ... which is easy to adapt to early rods.

The Ford Explorers also have a small, neat transmission cooler separate from the radiator. It has flared fittings and is very effective. I one on both my 32's as a extra transmission cooler.

.

 

There's a lot more sense talked in the last page and a half.

I totally agree with the point about these parts being OEM quality and not aftermarket accessory standard.

 

Yes, it's good to look not just for the OE parts but to look at how everything was put together, and the reasons for it. And yes, as a general rule, OE components come from design and durability criteria that most of the aftermarket can't compete with.

I'm not sure I 100% agree that the smaller cars are more interesting because they're simpler; this is true to a point in terms of the engineers having to do everything within a 1000kg (or whatever) weight budget, and sometimes the little ancillaries like '80s and '90s Toyota Corolla washer bottles tend to be more 'universal' in shape and fit.

But mostly we're dealing with longitudinal-engine RWD vehicles and with a few exceptions (interior, maybe brakes, rarely something like the GM J-car/Saab 900 steering rack) most of the useful stuff and many of the useful ideas comes from similarly-packaged vehicles.

 

S10's, T5 tranny, 4X4 rear end, alternator, battery, seat

 

I love this place

 

I agree. I needed a mechanical way to open my driver door in case my clicker took a dump. Found a 15 foot long trunk cable from some Japanese '90s car and it works perfectly.

 

The exact width as the 49 - 54 Chevy car. A better fit than the '79 el camino rear that I'm using, but I paid $800 for the el camino and it's also got an engine and transmission I can use! I can deal with the 2" narrower rear.
I've still got wheels and tires, scrap iron and some odds and ends to sell to re coupe the investment.

 

I've found a lot of conversion vans will offer up neat interior lighting options. Many of them are metal and chrome so they don't look out of place.

 

Pulled a T5 and bench seat from a late 80's S10 and use them in our 32 roadster. Did have to shorten the seat about 5" or so. The back tilts forward for trunk access - works great..

 

A/C complete with heater core. rear ceiling of conversion vans and suburbans. Same unit Southern Air sells. $12 in U-pull it yard.


Ago

 

wj jeep driveshaft 1310 one end and 1330 the other, a/b ish length, oh and you can get them new

 

Im subscribing to this thread lots of great ideas

http://www.team321.com/ makes adaptors to use thunderbird/cougar markvIII IRS into trucks and other toys

03 and up crown vic/marquis/towncar front ends bolt into ford pickups several threads on here that have done it

painless makes a stand alone wiring kit to use gm v8's with TBI from 82 to 99
and 86 to 94 ford ho 302/351
along with controllers to use the 4l80/5e trans and fords 4r70w
can you say econo cruiser

 

so we all know there are varying degrees of "traditional" on this board. While I appreciate the hard core stuff and I love the tradtional aesthetic I err on the side of safety and practicality sometimes--especially with 4 kids and small build budget. I beleive in disc brakes for safety, 5 speeds or OD for drivability, the occasional creature comforts and the do-it-yourself aspect of scrounging what you can find to work for your car.

so at the risk of having my traditional card revoked I'll humor you and throw some constructive stuff out there.



02 BMW steering box. supposedly works well for cowl steering--not direct experience.


700r4's the earlier the better.


Early ranger (83-89) 8.8's are a good width (there's a freebie in my truck now--the rear shock mount are intersting too--haven't figured out how to use them yet, but...)


pedal assemblies--but you just have to look and see what it looks like and how it will work. I've seen intersting and very usable assemblies from everything from subaru's with a clutch/brake/accelerator combo I used in a 27 roadster to fox body mustangs (easy modification to falcon platform) to geo metros (the power booster and master work great on a falcon and probably a pony car too).

caravan seats

any old seat belt

econoline van rear A/C units (have a freebie going in my truck too)

taurus cooling fans (all I knew about flathead until I was well into adulthood was that they were notoriously bad for overheating and as a result you should avoid them like the plague)

Granada and fairmont brakes (altought these are getting hard to find too)

the list goes on and on. for me anyway.

 

heater cores(I'm from Alaska)
manual window assembly
door lock parts
seatbelts
fuel tanks
seat adjuster (manual)
axles
pedals
fuze boxes
loose change
mcdonalds fries
door hinges
Scrap Metal from busted shit
Leaf springs are trad!

 

Well, as proven in the above useful posts, there is a LOT a guy can get from all kinds of late-model cars, trucks, SUVs and minivans that is useful in a "traditional" build!!! To say otherwise is just plain dumb and shortsighted. It's that easy, guys.

 

I definitely stand corrected. Lots of parts being used on here I would not have thought of. I guess it boils down to what your end game is. My HAMB friendly cars are not my daily driver. I work commercial construction and drive a 1-1/2 ton truck, usually a week or two at a time. I wrench on my car when I'm home, and find just as much pleasure in scouring old fence row wrecks and even the Internet for that old part, honestly as I do driving the car. Might seem strange. My garage time is therapy, sometimes more than windshield time. Definitely some ideas churning around after reading these posts. Keep the ideas coming!


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Mazda MPV Mini van middle seat. Has a slider and the back reclines. Fits my A roadster perfectly.

 

A tough little 5 speed overdrive box with a hydraulic throwout and common bellhousing? Nahhhh, that ain't useful in a tight on space early set of floorboards. Leave that 3 speed in it, and make sure it never leaves the county.

 

Whole bunch of good info here.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

It took a page or too but I'm glad this thread shifted the direction I had hoped! Thanks guys, keep the secret bits and pieces coming!

 

That is one issue here. I have no problem with guys that are going your route, but my goal is a daily driver. It can be fun and cathartic to track down that unobtanium widget, but that shit is a pain in the ass when you have to be at work in twenty minutes.
We have to recognize that we all love old
cars in various forms, we're all on the HAMB because we share a similar aesthetic, but we are all coming at the game from different angles.

Man, I am tanked up on Guinness and Red Stripe, I sound like some creepy life coach Dr. Phil wannabe.

 

At least you have good taste in beer!


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On 700R4's - earlier is not better. The first ones were junk and the next round isn't that great. Ideally you want an 88-92, although a lot of those have an electronic speed sensor instead of a cable, you have to convert them back for a cable driven speedometer. My '89 Suburban had a cable drive, the '91 electric; pickups will be electric; squarebody Caprice likely mechanical; vans likely changeover in 90 or 91 as well.

I beat the hell out of that Suburban and it was still going until I parked it to pull the motor for the Fleetline.

By the way, some late-80s Firebird and Camaro have a Chevy-pattern aluminum rear brake drum, although I'm sure you could adapt it to front applications on Chevy hubs if you wanted. Not quite as pretty as a Buick, but usually a drum is $10-$15 in a you-pick yard and you're going to find these there a lot faster than the Buicks.