Zen in the junkyard

A brisk wet morning at one of my favorite yards is what really makes my day. 

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

US Auto, Wayne MI, this was set in the yard on 12/13

Shocked that the plow was not pulled and put on Craigslist for $1500

In reply to Professor_Brap (Forum Supporter) :

Woody's?

In reply to dculberson :

Nope. Crispin's. 

Cold muddy day in the junkyard. 

I want an early d50 so bad

2 weeks ago I was in the GM car/Domestic truck yard getting Sierra parts, when I spotted a Prelude tucked way at the back against the fence beside the outhouse.

It had 119k kms (74k mi) on the clock and a perfect interior. 1991 SR trim (american Si) with a 5 speed manual and the ALB package. Me and my buddy got the whole interior, which had an unbroken clock cover and all the brackets for the optional armrest - something I've never seen owning over 9 of them now over almost 20 years.

The following weekend the loader wasn't running because it was too cold, but this past weekend we went back and snagged the whole drivetrain.

Got the radiator too because it's an aftermarket part with metal end tanks in perfect shape, while the one in my car is original from 1991 and missing all the fins at the bottom.

Back at the junkyard today. Visited the GM yard, found a convertible Crammit

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This crewcab had a 454 based on the RPO codes.

Very tempted to snag the 4L80 just sitting there easy to grab

Found a V8 trailblazer. I think I saw 799 on the heads

According to Wiki, that makes it an LH6. According to this link, that means aluminum block gen 4 LS but with the older gen 3 crank trigger....... Hmmmmm. Only downside is it has AFM.

Then I visited the import yard. Found two Acura CSX. Both of them had the trunk lids already gone, but one still had the outer tail lights. Snagged those.

Should be able to flip them for a little profit

Stopped by the local-ish yard today. Besides a semi-attractive lady wanting to borrow one of my tools there was this.

I may be going back this coming week for something else.

Hello little Triumph.  Who loved you?  Who set your carbs and sat in your seat?

Uhh, buddy?  Thats a little too zen in the yard

Was in the local pick and pull last week in search of some little pieces for the Corolla.  I was careful to pack a toolbox before I left.  Walking back to the house with a nearly full box, I tell myself, "Grab those screwdrivers in the rack on the wall in the attached garage, and we're good to go."

Got to the yard, found a car, and set to work.  Now, where's my phillips screwdriver?  Huh.  Forgot to grab the dang screwdrivers.  I asked two guys working on different cars near where I was working.  They had no screwdrivers.  They were working on big stuff, like pulling the rear axle out of an old ForeRunner. 

I really didn't want to run all the way back to the house to pick up a screwdriver, so I start looking around.  Naturally, this old beast catches my interest.  The V8 was still nestled under the hood. 

I opened the trunk and started looking around.  You know how the Germans like to put tool kits in their cars.  No luck with the kit, but I looked down on the trunk floor and lo and behold, a rusty old phillips screwdriver in good enough shape for me to get the part I was after.  Thank you, you unfortunate 1977 M-B 450SL.   I am grateful for the screwdriver and will treasure it always!

Over the weekend I spent a little time at the you pull it. Didn't find what I was looking for but did see this MG.

Looking for a tailgate and center console lid for a black 2013 Pathfinder with tan leather interior led me to the end of an awful potholed road to Gray and White self service yard.
The website showed a 2013 hit the yard last week so I took my chances this morning and drove 30 minutes and paid the $2 entrance fee.
No luck today. 

this non turbo Supra has seen better days - still has an engine

And the jet ski, scooter and moto aisle was looking pretty rough but it was still a good way to start the weekend. Hot like hades.
Better luck next time...

Went to the Dayton LKQ yard on Wednesday with my middle son to get some bits for his 900 Turbo and saw this on the way out.  
 

Sad to know it's going to be crushed at some point.  

In reply to Aaron_King :

That's sad to see.  Do you think there's any chance they'd let a guy buy that as is and rescue it from the crusher?

Long story, parts from several cars all back home now.  Few years ago I had an 03 suby baja with a fiberglass bed lid.  It was the same color as my old audi 90 turbo quattro that had a 20 valve spoiler.  Well that car, found on GRM, is long gone but then bought back when the PO crashed it.  Kept the spoiler as a momento.  So the spoiler went on the lid, year later I sold the car.  Last year I heard via FB that the car was in a scrap yard a few hours north.  Took off to try and get the lid back.  After an hour searching I saw 2 guys pulling a cart with my lid on it.  We came to a deal, I pulled the cart up the hill and gave them $100 for the lid in the parking lot.  So the lid and audi spoiler are back on my 04 turbo baja, which just happens to be the same color.

This thread has been a good read. I used to really enjoy traipsing around a few old family-owned wrecking yards back in the 90s, hunting for treasure hidden among endless acres of unloved minivans and malaise.

My favorite yard was run by three brothers who never crushed anything that was potentially valuable or interesting. They always had fun stuff tucked away for themselves to build someday. Another was strictly an import yard and sometimes ended up with some real weird stuff, like a handful of Daihatsu Charades or the odd Morris Marina. Neither was really a self-service yard, but if they knew you, they'd let you get your own stuff. It was good times.

I still remember the parts locator phone going off non-stop behind the counter while I hung out. "Line clear...'84 626, I need a right rear taillight. '84 Mazda 626 liftback, a right rear taillight..."

Very unfortunately, Mrs Monohue somehow failed to see the charm, and junkyard crawls became one of things I used to do.

In reply to Indy - Guy :

As we checked out I asked the guy working and he said once the car is in the yard its there for good unfortunately.  

Has anyone pulled one of these apart piece by piece and gotten it out the front gate......but obviously not at a "good guy" price?........thinking out loud

In reply to 759NRNG :

I have a neighbor a couple of houses down that did that with an old F100. He tried to buy the whole thing but they wouldn't so he bought the cab and bed one day and the frame another.

Stampie said:

In reply to 759NRNG :

I have a neighbor a couple of houses down that did that with an old F100. He tried to buy the whole thing but they wouldn't so he bought the cab and bed one day and the frame another.

Did he get 'skinned'  on the deal or did it actually make sense, all things considered? 

In reply to 759NRNG :

For him it made sense.  Without throwing him under the bus he needed a "clean" shell for a truck that got totaled.  What I found funny was I saw him a few days later and recognized the wheels he got with the truck.  I said hey I saw wheels like that in X yard.  That's when I got the story of what he did.

It's been a while but today I got the junkyard for a walk thru. I didn't realize how that I missed that junkyard smell upon walking in. 

First up was a 64 Galaxie. 

Nice little SBF. I assume 289.

Next up was a 64 Galaxie

What do we have here?  Is that an FE?  VIN says 390 if it's the original one. You say it spins freely?  Hmmm. 

Then I think this was a 63 Galaxie with another SBF. 

Then a 66 Custom 500 with a SBF also. 

At that point I was done but on the way out I saw this 1950 F1.

Now how do you get a step up from a Ford?  Well you put a SBC in a Ford of course.

I kind of laughed. They did a whole engine swap and said you know a 2bbl SBC is better than any Ford engine we could put in here. 

EDIT - Something happened with my pictures.  That Ford Custom 500 and engine picture don't match.  The car's hood wasn't attached.  I looked at my phone and can't figure out what happened.

That coolant tank on the FE is worth $bank on the used market, or at least it was when I wanted to buy one as a ready made surge tank.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

It is a cool piece.  I'm probably going to grab the whole engine.