AZPartsLocators 2 week trip to the Tennessee Southeastern Chevy & GMC Truck Nationals

[1774btcrew]

Well let me first off apologize for the extreme delay in getting this posted. I have spent a TON of time away from Phoenix this summer avoiding the heat and gathering up parts. Due to this, I have been crazy busy trying to catch up from all of the time away. This first post will be a basic description of the trip and I will add some pictures and details in the following posts.
I planned this trip(which ended up being over 4400 miles and 73 hours in the vehicle) as a chance to hand deliver some parts to my customers and and as an opportunity for them to put a face to the name and vice versa. It was also a great chance to go to a really well organized show with some great trucks that I wouldn't normally go to. Those of you that know me know that I spend the biggest part of my time on the west coast going to swap meets and wrecking yards gathering up parts. It would have been MUCH cheaper to have flown out there but where is the fun in that? The goal was to drive by myself from Phoenix on the Tuesday before the show and end up in Tennessee by Saturday in time for the show. Stopping at junkyards and driving all of the back roads along the way seeing what I could find. I jut wanted to take my time and see anything I wanted along the way as well as trying some different foods we don't get a chance to eat on the west coast. I would then spend some time in Louisville KY with my sister and her family before heading back to Phoenix with my Sister and nephew in tote.
The trip started out by going to Avis to rent a large enough vehicle to haul any parts I was delivering to the show as well as any parts I would find along the way. I also needed to make sure I would have room for all of the parts and my sister and nephew on the way home. I chose a Dodge Durango(ya I know it is a Dodge!) but the fact is they are nice very comfortable vehicles that get great mileage for the size. I averaged 26mpg on the trip! This was not a budget rental and ran me over $1000 for the 2 weeks that I had it. The plan was to make it to Albuquerque the first day and stay the Tuesday night there. Here is me leaving. Hit my favorite convenience store(QT) for some munchies and gas and hit the road! More pictures to come!

[1774btcrew]

Tuesday......
I left the house and drove 2 hours to Flagstaff AZ . I stopped at the You Pick It yard there to see if they had anything new. This is one of my regular places to go as it is close and gets me out of Phoenix. Made a quick run through there and all I found were some nice burgundy lower carpeted panels. They wanted $27 for the pair so I left them. I drove on to Winslow Arizona. Hit some back roads there and got lunch at one of my favorite Mexican food places. It is at the airport in Winslow. Found a nice early Blazer but no one was around so I got back on the road towards Gallup NM. I was running out of time before dark so I didn't spend much time as I wanted to make it to Albuquerque before it was too late. I found a cheap hotel and went to sleep.

[1774btcrew]

Wednesday morning.... Got up around 8AM, got a quick breakfast at Del Taco, gassed up the Durango and headed to U Pull and Pay. This is supposed to be the largest You Pull It yard in the USA. I don't know if it is but it is definitely the largest one that I have ever been too! There were squarebodies EVERYWHERE! There were even a couple 67-72 trucks there. I pulled a hydraulic pedal assembly, and some other small parts. By the time I was done walking the whole yard, I had spent almost 4 hours of my day. It was well worth it but I was really wishing I had gotten an earlier start! The rest of the journey through NM involved stopping at various small wrecking yards and driving through some small towns seeing what was sitting around for vehicles. I stopped at a wrecking yard I had been to almost 7 years ago as I had remembered it having a lot of early really cool stuff to look at. I wasn't disappointed as most of it was still there. From old cars to vintage gas pumps to a single wheel Allstate trailer.
U PULL AND PAY pictures

[1774btcrew]

Other NM wrecking yard pictures.....

[1774btcrew]

[80SPORT]

Great road trip ...always fun to sort through the old yards.

So did you see any manual throttle controls for 73-87s?

[motornut]

Sounds like a work-cation,cool pics

[1774btcrew]

Originally Posted by 80SPORT

Great road trip ...always fun to sort through the old yards.

So did you see any manual throttle controls for 73-87s?

The trip was a lot of fun. It is going to take me a few days to get this whole post written as there were so many pictures and so much information. I didn't come across a lot of really rare stuff just a lot of basic stuff but more squarebodies than I have seen in one place in a long time. They have crushed almost all of the out here. I have only came across one manual throttle in all of the time that I have been doing this parts business.

[1774btcrew]

Originally Posted by motornut

Sounds like a work-cation,cool pics

It was a work-cation. That is one of the greatest things about my job. I get to travel all over doing what I like best which is finding parts! I am so lucky to have such a supportive wife!

[Rangerman]

Great pics. and thanks for posting, glad you had a fun and safe trip!

And DONT forget to put me at the top of the list for a narrow tailgate band for my sons 79 Chevy.

[1774btcrew]

Will do. I only currently have the GMC narrow band but I will keep my eyes ope!

[Rangerman]

Originally Posted by 1774btcrew

Will do. I only currently have the GMC narrow band but I will keep my eyes ope!

Thanks Jeff, your a good man, because your a Okie

[carboncrew]

you sir are a true car nut.....tuning in for the rest of the story...

[Zach079xxx]

This is gonna be great. Keep em coming

[1774btcrew]

I will post more as I get time. Hopefully today. It is relatively involved as some pics are on my phone and some are on my camera. The ones are my phone I have to send to photobucket one at a time. It was a really great trip and I got to meet some really great people.

[85/Silverado]

Find many early 80's Vent window assembly's? That aren't rusted out on the bottom post's.

[Chaplain]

Your post is just in time as I will be installing my sway bar soon. I appreciate getting to meet you in Memphis when you dropped off my rear seat bar.

Can't wait to see more pics.

[1774btcrew]

Originally Posted by 85/Silverado

Find many early 80's Vent window assembly's? That aren't rusted out on the bottom post's.

I have a few sets in various condition. None are rusted out. If you can PM me I would be happy to get you some details.

[1774btcrew]

Originally Posted by Chaplain

Your post is just in time as I will be installing my sway bar soon. I appreciate getting to meet you in Memphis when you dropped off my rear seat bar.

Can't wait to see more pics.

Walter, It was really great to meet you after all of this time. I think what you do for a living is really for a great cause. I will be posting some more pictures today.