The "Junk Yard/Part Out Score" thread

Let's be honest, most of our friends/family are only humoring us when we get all geeky about the discovery of a haul of rare or long sought after parts.  I made such a haul today.  Wanting more than a patronizing "that's nice for you", I'm starting this thread.  Ground rules:  There are none, except when I say "show off your parts", I mean car parts.  None of that Anthony Wiener stuff.  Pics are optional, but of course contribute both proof and the opportunity for someone to tell you how they have the same thing in the back of their garage for 1/2 what you paid for it.  Prices are optional because, let's be honest, we've all overpaid for that part we just had to have.  

Here's my kick off:

Found a Shinsen NB being parted out and picked up the following:  The crown jewel - a color-matched bumper cover.  (Thus ends a literal nation-wide search)  Bonus material: A mint condition shift knob and relatively rare blue boot cover.  

Photo proof: 

That's nice for you 

Love this thread idea, and it reminds me I need to visit my local picknpull now that the weather has cooled off.  I'm on a quest for non-rusty, non-lumpy bumpers for the 4Runner, and maybe a master cylinder for an '80s S10.

Love this idea. Havent had any lately but Ive scored some good stuff when buying cars. My favorite was my 240z. Seller's girlfriend told him to take me to their storage unit and clear it out. Ended up leaving with alot but my favorite was a NOS L28 crank.

I've got a couple. E28 related but not ///M related. no pics but a new in box chrome tip power antenna for an e28. and an unknown because I have not put power to it power antenna unit with an antenna already occupying the previously mentioned antenna's space. No idea what to ask price wise but I need neither item. 

I found a Canadian Suzuki SJ 410 and took all the windshield fold-down hardware from the dash and hood for pennies and made my Samurai SJ 413 a cooler vehicle.

Also found a factory issued Dana 44 from an XJ Cherokee and added an $86 mini spool and bolted right into my Cherokee. Price? $100!

I got a miata roll bar for $35 a few years back and my dad once scored 5 lug koni suspension for his 914. 

I once bought an engine for $400, kept the heads and sold the rest for $350.  Then i traded the heads for a car and a set of wheels 

I bought a set of 3000-mile Focus ST takeoff tires for $100 and sold my all season Falkens for $150, so it was like being given a set of awesome tires and fifty bucks.

And then there was this haul:

(two 12A engines, complete GSL-SE rearend, trailer box full of Tokico and Bilstein shocks and axles and strut housings and other stuff) that came free with a car I bought.  Car was also full of stuff: transmissions, boxes of trim parts, the all important louvers for the car, etc.

And then there was this:

Two more 12As, a crapton of engine parts, two manual transmissions, two 3N71 automatic transmissions complete with shifters and pedals, a steering box, a complete FB crossmember/steering assembly, a whole bunch of starters and just Stuff that the guy kept throwing in my car until I was like, man, I still have to sit in here and drive six hours home.  Literally dragging the trailer hitch in low spots in the road.  $200...

And I got nary a single usable 12A part out of any of this!

Most recent score I got was a complete stainless steel cat back Borla system for my now gone Jaguar. I still have the cat back. Never got around to installing it. 

2 fast ratio steering boxes for 82-92 f-body and a pair of big sway bars for it too.

A rear license plate light mount for my G35 that wasn't rotten through for $3.

In 07 I got an entire turbo coupe for 100 bucks I just had too return the shell. That was a friends and family deal because of a buddy being friends with the junkyard owner.

In a more normal score my best is likely a 35 spline 9inch from a dump truck for 100 that I sold for 250 too a guy who demo derbys.

Ohhh, this is right in my wheelhouse.  Picked up this 5.9 Limited Grand Cherokee a while back for $400. Running and driving, but trans was acting a bit funky. Gave my buddy a deal on the engine and trans for $300, sold the grille for $183, hood louvers for $150, electric fan for $150, the side skirts and rear quarter window L ouvers for another hundo, and just sold off the door cards and ecu to someone upgrading a 5.2 for another $400.

Still have plenty of 5.9 specific interior, rear speaker pod, amplifier, spare tire cover, and all 5 of the Ultrastar wheels to go.  I'm keeping the near-mint seats for a swap into a 66 Coronet wagon project that is on a side burner. 

I also found a 944 in u-pill-it yard that I snagged a bunch of parts off of and have been selling on eBay. 

While looking for rear side markers for my Tan Panther '89 CV LTD wagon, stumbled upon an '88 Grand Marquis Colony Park wagon. While the CP uses wrap around taillights and doesn't have side markers, the tail lights do bring a pretty penny. Just sold off the driver's rear for $93 on the 'Bay.  The passenger side should bring the same. 

Next up? Found four AMC Eagles in an old school JY on Friday, including an SX-4. While some parts will go to my Chico the Street Eagle project, others will help to fund my project addiction. 

So, so many... Most of mine are for sale rather than for use - for some reason I hunt and hunt for parts I'm going to resell but when I need something, I need it now. I'm not much of an "acquire parts for the future" kind of guy - I buy them as I need them - so I'm sure that's why I am almost always in a hurry when the need comes up. Helps keep my shelves and self sane, though.

My most recent surprise score was actually something I had on my shelf for several years. I had parted out a GS400 and held onto the climate control actuators for my car. I hadn't tested them and sold the GS430. Well, when I got the GS430 back for its short second stint with me, I had to work on the system anyway and tested the actuators while I was in there. Both worked, and have both been resold on. $90 for some small parts that had just been taking up space!

I also sold the flexplate / flywheel from the bad SC430 motor I had bought for parts ... $50 for something that had sat on the shelf for 5 years. I need to do more of that!

For some reason I have a Holley 390 four barrel carb and a ford Lima 2.3 four barrel intake that don't quite match each other.  I don't need either one.    

I went to the JY on friday after a glovebox for my Mk4 TDI Golf.  I found a Jetta with a functioning glovebox.  As I was headed back to my car to fetch my tools I noticed a vulture eye-ing me and the jetta.  When I got back the glovebox was gone! 

5 minutes later I found another Jetta that I hadn't noticed the first time through. This one was a GLI with cloth RECAROs!  Score!

$84 out the door for the recaros, glovebox, and a cupholder center console.

I bought an OEM BMW Westfalia hitch for an E53 X5, including the wiring harness and modules for $250 at a junkyard. They even removed it for me and collected all the nuts/bolts! A few months later, it was still sitting around cause I bought a Tahoe instead. Ended up selling the hitch setup for $350.

Finally got a chance to play around with the boot cover last night.  (Yes, I know, there are straps to tighten it down on the parcel shelf, but it was dark and I was just looking to see if I like it or not)

It really classes up the car.  Pretty soon I'll probably quit autocrossing it and start rolling up next to other people and asking if they have any Grey Poupon.  

Today I went to the junkyard to get the diff housing, rear lower control arms and driveshaft from  Lincoln Mark 8. Someone beat me to the first two, but left the driveshaft. So I didn't get everything I wanted, but instead of spending about 3-4 hours removing that stuff, I spent 10 seconds.

Found the only known existing set of Eibach sway bars for a first gen Lexus LS400. 

Paid less than $100 sold for around $700.

A well picked over LS430 Ultra Luxury still had the radar cruise control sensor, easily accessible since the rest of the front ent was already taken.

$6 got me $400 on ebay. 

About a month ago I picked up 4 BRZ wheels with tpms sensors and tires that have 12k miles on them for FREE!!!  Got them from my dentist who was going through a divorce and put the house on the market to have somebody make a full ask offer in less than a week.  He knows I'm a car guy and saw my FR-S in the lot so asked if I had a use for them.  He didn't have time/want to screw around with C-list and told me if I showed up Saturday morning I could have them.  Got very lucky that day!  When I list the FR-S for sale in the near future, the Apex ARCS-8 wheels and tires are getting swapped out and sold separately. 

EastCoastMojo said:

I'm on a quest for... a master cylinder for an '80s S10.

I have two. PM sent. 

Got the bumper installed yesterday.  Turned this: 

Into this: 

for under $300.  The cheapest estimate to have a shop do the same was almost $900.