Newer cars worth scavenging parts from

Sheet metal like using the ribbed top of a van to fill in the roof of a 30s car with a cloth insert. These roof peaces work good for patch panels some have the curves and bends that work with very little work. I have used later lug studs and nuts in early hubs and axles. I have a late radio in my shop with a inverter to 12 volts it was cheap and sounds good. Volvo stearing box work in early 50 fords...Carpet type floor mats use your brain and look at everything and try to see if you can use that part, If I think of more I will add.

 

The jacks that come in new cars are small and work well .. You can use them for a lot of things around the shop or home.. I have them to support parts cars and to hold up trailer couplers. I have also used them to add support to saging floor joist on a house.not mine .. They are great for holding a engine up while removing a trans............................ One more thing I use is the transmission oil pans. you want the flat square ones. They make great parts holders also good for long term storage items..

 

For those into building electronic stuff transmission oil pans make great tube amp chassis. Dead Sears/Schumacher battery chargers, which get thrown in with the junk car to the crusher sometimes too are also great for project enclosures, making 12volt power supplies, etc. And of course car radios are great for shop use too with a small homebrew 12 volt supply.

Along the same vein, even if you don't want A/C in your rod the junk A/C compressors make air compressors in the garage or underhood if you have a truck you want a portable air supply on.

And others have mentioned using car seats for garage seating.

Saying there is nothing in a late model junkyard is like not being able to organize a piss-up in a brewery.

 

"Trad" however is not!

 

slammed,
STOP with your replies already...
Geeze...your avatar is driving me crazy !! Whoot Hoot !!

 

Probably not too many in the salvage yards.... yet. But the Chevy Cruz looks to have a pretty clean Watts link setup.

 

Nope, sealed and side post, not period correct...

My Chevy II has a 200R4, a nineties chevy PU rad,and a late model master cylinder and starter, but with a Team G and aftermarket heads, its not HAMB friendly by a long shot.

 

Been spending quite a bit of time at auto wreckers lately.
90's VW GTI bucket seats are nice.
Early vw Passat has nice bearclaw door latches..
I really think the 90's BMW 733I steering box, centerlink and idler arm would fit a shoebox....The centerlink has a 2" drop built into it!
Just found a complete set of Granada /Maverick spindles/rotors calipers and upper a arms for 125$ Lots of cool stuff to be had, just have to put in the time!
Various rearends.....

Dave

 

Ha-ha.

I resemble that remark!

~Jason

 

I feel you guys pain. It was much easier yard hunting 20 years ago.

 

GM vans, talking about a SBC into a hot rod with a hood, vans have very different accessory mounting systems and may fit under hoods where length or width are an issue, watch out for reverse rotation water pumps, or at least be aware.
Hydroboost, taking closed hood cars with disc brakes on all 4 corners, if youre running a big cam or dont have room for a booster. Mustang Cobra is a very popular but full size GM trucks also use them in some cases, google it.
Wiring, fans, seats, trans, rear already mentioned.
These arent gonna qualify for a period build, more "driver" build a cool closed hood car thats reliable.

 

You said it slammed. I don't run my mouth too much. But I gotta say...I get tired of some here that "just don't get it" as many like to say. And they're absolutely right. It's simple...this is a traditional hot rod and custom forum...period. It means we do things as they did decades ago...as nearly as we can. And it pisses me off when someone here says that's not "real" hot rodding, or that we have "no imagination" or that some such tried and true traditional formula has been "overdone". Stick it up yer ying-yang. Over my 56 years on this earth, I've seen hundreds of chopped Mercs, fenderless roadsters, chopped and channeled coupes, etc...and I'll be happy to see that many more too...and that's why I'm here. But if you don't like it, then why are you here? Actually...considering the intended theme of the Hamb, I'm surprised that Ryan lets as much slide as he does. But apparently, that's not good enough for some...they still wanna bitch and try to change the format. One other thing. Back in the day, one of the main objectives with hot rodders was to go faster. But over the years, we've learned how to go plenty fast. These days, building a 400-500 hp V8 is easy as pie. So nowadays, as far as traditional hot rodding is concerned, the objective is not to go faster still...but to emulate the cars of yesteryear. Is that "copying"? Sure it is. So what? We like it. Not long ago, I had pretty much given up on seeing many more good old fashioned hot rods and customs...until I found the Hamb. It was like a breath of fresh air for me, and I'm thankful for it. Ya know...some of these people could learn a lot from a particular young man that the Hamb was very fond of...Andy Dunn. He knew what was what.

Now back to the OP's question. Modern parts? I'm thinking latches maybe. Especially if you want a cable release for a shaved decklid. But as mentioned by others, the modern parts list is going to be very limited.

 

Rickybob,yes this is a traditional hot rod site.....But is a person looks around they will find multi page threads on S10 frames ,suspension kits and even milk trucks and a 70's postal van
The moderators here set the tone and like anything ,the "rules" may not be enforced uniformly for a variety of reasons.

 

Try the caravan "mopar" mid row seats for narrow cars like modela coupes.

 

either i didnt see it posted or no one mentioned it yet....

steering knuckles. if you buy these new they are freakin like 90$ each.
u pull and its 12.50 i think each or maybe $5 each. i cant remember. last time i went there i pulled almost 20 off various makes and models. used what i needed and sold the rest at the swap meet. everyone asking where u get all them ffrom.

 

Rickybop is absolutely correct...but I think the Mods and Ryan allow some creative use of newer parts simply to let more people join the fun!
This little part of the car hobby would be a lot smaller if they suddenly clamped down hard on everything.

Still...its our responsibility (to the HAMB and the hobby) to combine those parts in such a way that they at least meld in with the traditional vibe and not overpower it!
Running full late model Vette suspension under a Coddington highboy with a set of WWW's just isn't a traditional ride...no matter how bright you clean your whites.

Lots of newer parts from donor cars are useful to keep costs down, but you need to be selective...an eye constantly towards the older build styles, to see what can or can't work visually.
Often its those little things being right or wrong that make or break the entire car!

 

Why keep arguing about using newer parts. I learn a lot from this site. Use what works for you. If you don't like the subject of the forum, don't read it.

Ago

 

Front wheel drive GM cars (especially mid '80s Cadillacs) and Jeep Cherokees are a treasure trove of steering shafts with good universal joints, as good as Borgeson and a lot cheaper. I adapted a hood latch and cable release from an '85 Chrysler K car to my '38 Ford pickup. Doing a shaved deck lid on my '55 Ford, and there are a zillion different trunk latch release solenoids on late model stuff so you can easily find something that will adapt to your application. I used one off a late '80s or early '90s Buick Roadmaster (a lot of GM vehicles for a lot of years used the same one).

 

Excuse the rant guys, but it was in response to all those who wanna badmouth the parameters set down for this site. I'm no hard nose. I can appreciate nearly any type of build, as long as it's safe. But the Hamb, by design, is a little stricter...and I like it that way. I understand that there's allowance for some variance...within reason. I also understand that the rules aren't always enforced even-handedly, but all in all we're given a surprising amount of room. Seems that if it's a hidden component, it's not quite so important. But as Hackerbilt said, at least try to keep the outward appearance as it would've been in a particular era.

Most of all, don't disrespect the history of our hobby by making fun of those who wanna duplicate styles from days gone by.

To those who say, "Well just don't view the thread". I didn't badmouth the thread itself, and I'm here to contribute. But you can't avoid seeing some of the disrespectful comments. I equate it with sitting with the kids, watching a Disney cartoon on tv, and a commercial comes on for feminine cleansing products or male E.D. meds. Hard to avoid, but it's like...

 

Parts is parts...

 

If you want it EXACTLY like it was back then, you are going to have to build it out of all new parts or pull apart restored cars or survivors in mass quantity. The first route is heinously expensive and the second is something I refuse to do. Fortunately it's expensive too. I figure a car that has stayed in one piece for sixty to eighty years has earned the right to be let alone. Whether it's original from the factory or someone's individual creation from the 40s or 50s.

To me, the intent of the old school hot rodders was what was as important as what they did build. They used what they had and was cheap. They had energy, talent and time and made something good out of what was otherwise going to the steel mill to be smelted. Few had big money, and if they did they'd have bought a high dollar fast car and raced it instead of spending all that time in the garage. The idea of spending as much as a brand new Corvette to build a '32 Ford would have made them think you were an idiot.

All my old cars are old cars that would have been scrapped had I not gotten to them. None are show cars, but none are rats either. I drive them pretty often. They don't eat much, I have an outside garage and liability coverage only on them. I do almost all my own work. I consider myself sort of a zookeeper. Each vehicle has a personality to me. I like to think they are grateful I saved them.

I like to see a traditional looking WELL DONE rod as much as anyone, but I could care less if it has a Nissan rear end, Ford EDIS ignition or a Audi radiator. If that stuff works and looks halfway decent, let it ride. On the other hand I look at these fifty thousand dollar all new rods and think, there goes a lot of misspent cash.

That's just me.

 

what difference does it make if some piece or part came from a newer car, if you can't tell, and it makes the car able to be finished and DRIVEN, that's the point, taking something from a newer car and modifying it into a use on another car, thats what it's about, if you cant tell what it came from, who cares? I was taught from an early age by my dad, that it makes no sense to go buy expensive new stuff, when there are perfectly useable parts at the junkyard, I'm not talking about rat rod looking junk, but malking things work the way you want. Thats what it's really about using your brain and your skills to make something out of what you can find, Him and my uncles were building Hot rods back in the day, late 50's early 60's, I havea picture I wish I could find, they built a model A complete with the tractor grill, headlights, the whole deal, they werent building a rat rod, they were building a hot rod with what they could find, because they didnt have tons of money to spend. They didnt care what other people thought, they built it and had fun driving it, If I remember right they dug the body out of the mud somewhere, example, if you take a set of pedals out of a newer car, and they fit, what's the difference between using those, and ordering some expensive set out of a catalog? they are both new, is one more traditional then the other?

 

Electric fans from a Taraus

 

I will add some more. Transmission coolers also some late cars have engine oil coolers and coolers for power stearing. ....Horns and relays. Brake light switches. Several small euro cars have a brake calliper that works well on cars lighter than 2500 lbs..

 

Minivan 16-17" doughnuts. A couple years back I was admiring an early 50's lakester, closely. While talking with the owner I casually asked where he was able to find a pair of rear tires. I was so surprised when he said a late model junkyard, minivan doughnuts $5.00 each! The tread was serious dead-on correct. He sanded and buffed the lettering off of the sidewalls. No one on the H.A.M.B. would have known the difference.

 

Are those rear-steer?

 

Aside from the occassional "I ain't using any newer crap on muh ride." BS this has been a real informative thread.

 

They are, of course not very 'traditional' looking and the mounting arrangement on the VW seats is weird but they're at least a good German design whose backrest hinge stands a better than average chance of not breaking and fracturing your neck in a rearender.

I've always found it interesting that while GM passenger-car seating through the '80s and well into the '90s was mostly really cheap and flimsy garbage, at some point ('70s? early '80s?) GM started using very high-end Recaro recliner mechanisms on the high-end Blazer/Sub models and pickups through the end of the '87 truck/'91 Blazer/Sub models.

There's a lot of BMW steering boxes from the E28 ('80s 5-series) forward through the E38 ('95-02 7-series) and V8 E39 ('97-03 5-series) models, at least, that need to have someone take a look at 'em.

They're all very high-quality ZF boxes, and they are a rear-steer design with the pitman arm hung to the rear just like the stock shoebox arrangement. Most big BMW boxes are 3.7 turns lock-to-lock in their stock application, the E39 M5 boxes (and I think the E34 M5 too) are ~2.5 turns.

Not sure how the mounting and output shaft/housing length (if memory serves it's quite a bit shorter than the Volvo 164 box often used in shoeboxes, which is from an earlier generation of the ZF Gemmer steering box family) matches up, but if you can find one cheap enough it might be worth checking out.

Oh, and I'm sure I've posted this around here before, but this is a ZF box out of a Cadillac Catera (Opel Omega) - longer output shaft housing, opposite direction of rotation to the BMW versions, 3 turns lock-to-lock - during trial-fitting on a '64 Galaxie frame.



Dimensionally a very good fit, note that valve housing extends back to the firewall and with a little cover plate the GM rubber boot will fit just like factory, the nice high-quality German rag joint ends up inside the car (as it does in the stock Opel/Catera application) so the steering column and support needs a lot of work.

Only real issue is the 28mm/27mm -36 tapered spline, a little bigger than the stock Ford 1 1/8in, I ended up sending a handful of pitman arms to Turkey to be resplined.

 

Here's my last Pick-N-Pull haul for the roadster. Total cost about $120.

'90's Dodge minivan 2nd seat.
'99 Land Rover Discovery trailing arms.
'88 Subaru coilovers.
'01 Kia Sportage trailing arm fabbed into a panhard bar.
'64 Galaxie dash pod.
Also, grabbed a '93 Geo Metro gas tank. Fits perfectly between the frame rails.

So yeah, there's plenty of late model stuff in the yards that can be adapted.

 

BZZZZZT! I'm so sorry, that's a wrong answer. Please collect your parting gifts at the door.

It's a '63 cluster. '63s had black faces, '64s were brushed-aluminum.

What's that right-angle filter adapter from/for? Econoline?