Salvage Parts! Which Ones Do You Use?

[Mains52]

Ok I see a ton of you tube videos of dudes grabbing parts from salvage yards that they use for all of there projects. What are some of the best things that you guys have used and continue to buy from the salvage yard/U-pull it? I am starting to think about pedal assemblies and brake stuff and wheels and what not and was curious. Let me know. Thanks

[mr48chev]

Back years ago almost everything on my truck came either from a salvage yard or from a donor vehicle that I bought or had given to me.

When I was teaching auto mechanics in High School I would often buy a car or truck for the parts I needed (if someone didn't give it to me) take the parts off I needed and use some of the parts for training aids for the students and have the rest hauled off to the wrecking yard. I always used my money because I didn't want someone to say I was using the school money to buy stuff for my use. The right donor could provide engine, trans and rear axle for a project and might provide the brake pedal and master cylinder or the gas pedal and linkage.

I still use donor rig parts as I bought a 92 Dodge Dakota for the front suspension and steering , pulled the parts and sold the rest to the wrecking yard. Paid 200, sold the hulk for 100 end cost of suspension and steering 100 Actually less because I had sold 40 bucks worth of parts to one guy so end cost was 60.

The biggest problem for wrecking yard parts for me is that I have three sheds full of accumulated parts many of which I bought for a project and then didn't use for one reason or another. One shed I need to tear down before it falls down so It gets emptied not long after I get my shop up. Parts for the ongoing projects go in designated places for those projects, everything else goes bye bye.

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Back years ago

we didn't have a choice

[Mains52]

What sparked my interest in everyone else's finds was that my uncle from Wisconsin called me the other day to talk LS swaps. He has two finished swaps and felt like storing some LS motors. He picked up 3 5.3s for a package deal for $750. He asked the guy why so cheap and the guy told him what is the sense of holding onto this stuff and taking up space when you can sell them cheap and move product. This is what it should be like but every time I get on Craigslist or Facebook Market Place everyone is asking 1k -2k for a high mileage 4.8/5.3. Just crazy to me.

[mr48chev]

From what i see, there are a lot of Craigslist and now FB sellers who are trying to make a serious profit off certain popular items. I see that in this area a lot. That guy may have given your uncle a buddy deal too. Or he just had so many of them that he wanted to get some gone. if you have 20 rigs sitting out back with decent running engines just like the ones you have sitting on the floor in the shop the ones on the floor might not be all that high priced as if you had 2 rigs out back with those engines and one sitting on the floor.

Here i see adds from a couple of guys (back ground in the photos is always the same) who seem to be buying and scrapping rigs for a living out of their back yard. Either one will have a Craigslist add going for an engine and trans out of truck around 2000 to 2010 and usually offer up other pieces in other adds then you see another add for parts off a different truck a couple of weeks later and repeat. They are usually asking those stiff prices you mention.

[1project2many]

I use scrap yards all the time. I'm currently looking for a set of four temporary spares 175-90/17 for my '36 Plymouth. I just sent a tech out to a yard to get an engine harness for a 2013 van to repair accident damage. Earlier this year I bought front calipers and brackets from a 2013 Silverado and steering knuckles from a 2003 Astrovan to install larger brakes in my '99 Suburban. I also bought a master cylinder from a 71 Camaro although that was cheaper to buy new than to rebuild used.

I do buy some used stuff off Ebay but the prices are not good like they used to be. In many cases it's cheaper to call a yard and buy the parts directly, even if it involves paying for shipping.

[PDW HOTRODS]

Anything that can be used is fair game. Around here the wrecking yards don't let anyone in the yard anymore (insurance). You need to know exactly what you need. Thats hard when building old cars and trucks and you need to look for something that will work.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by PDW HOTRODS

Anything that can be used is fair game. Around here the wrecking yards don't let anyone in the yard anymore (insurance). You need to know exactly what you need. Thats hard when building old cars and trucks and you need to look for something that will work.

OMG that must suck! Around here paying the entry fee of a few dollars covers that insurance from what I understand. When I think of the hours I spent looking at third brake lights for my Rambler, there is NO WAY I could have said "Yeah, get me a third brake light" it never would have gotten done. Damn am I glad they don't do that here.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Mains52

Ok I see a ton of you tube videos of dudes grabbing parts from salvage yards that they use for all of there projects. What are some of the best things that you guys have used and continue to buy from the salvage yard/U-pull it? I am starting to think about pedal assemblies and brake stuff and wheels and what not and was curious. Let me know. Thanks

That is as random a question as "what bolts should I buy to put my truck together?"

You could build an entire truck using the wrecking yard, or buy every part on line in the hot rod parts places like Summit or LMC truck parts or what ever.

Just take it one thing at a time and you will decide where you need to get it.

Brian

[Mains52]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

That is as random a question as "what bolts should I buy to put my truck together?"

You could build an entire truck using the wrecking yard, or buy every part on line in the hot rod parts places like Summit or LMC truck parts or what ever.

Just take it one thing at a time and you will decide where you need to get it.

Brian

I was more or less just asking what were some of your favorite things to get from the salvage yard. Like stuff you may use over and over again because they are good or cheap or whatever. More curiosity than needing help I guess.

[PDW HOTRODS]

Things like seats, drive lines, and sway bars. Wrecking yards usually have a pile of drive lines you can dig through and measure. If there are no dents or damage then its fine to use. If you want to put in a gas door, or different headlight buckets or blinkers, just walk through the yard and see what works. There are lots of old cars that no one reproduces parts for so you need to get creative and make something work.

[mr48chev]

Just thinking, my last wrecking yard purchase was a set of four matching oem style steel wheels that will probably end up on the 48 with the brake and axle setup I plan for it. They will end up on one or the other of my projects at any rate. 10.00 each and they guys at the yard hunted out four that match perfectly. That is about half of what one aftermarket wheel the same size would cost.

Another local yard that I have done business with several generations of the family over the past 55 years doesn't have a lot any more because the owner who is a good friend is in failing health but I can go in and snoop around though the cars and trucks and find what I am looking for and get it pretty reasonable. I need to go down and check the crusher row for a gas filler door to fit my 71 one of these days. I usually hit the crusher row for that stuff as they have already decided that they aren't going to sell any body panels off those rigs and I am not cutting up a good quarter panel to get a part.

[BIGglaSS]

I'm always grabbing OEM style bolts and fasteners. Bolts/bulbs/fuses are included in the $1 admission price.

[abig84]

Might be a little off topic but we used to have a junkyard a few towns over that did a "pullathon" once a year. Basically it was anything you can carry from gate to gate which was like 40 feet. For 40 bucks I would pretty much load up on anything I could swipe off the few squares that were actually in the yards, clusters, trim, driveshafts etc.

It was fun just to watch people carry out hundreds of lbs of crap and not die. I

Other then that I never really would buy stuff I didn't need I would go for a specific item and get out. Went there for a passenger side flat top knuckle and actually found one, I knew how dare they were so looked around for a second one but no luck