Junkyards are the best. Hell, we get almost as excited going to the junkyard as we do going to the race track. Why? Because the treasure hunter/hoarder in us always believes that we find some cool junk or swing a great deal on parts that we may or may not need. Over the years we’ve had some decent junkyard scores. One of the best came when we were in high school and found several wrecked state police Caprice 9C1s lined up in a yard with “menu” pricing. We were able to pull the LT1 heads off the engines and buy them for $15 a piece. This was in the late 1990s when the LT1 was still considered a hot piece and some newfangled LS1 was just showing up on the scene. We took the heads and immediately put them in the WantAd for $75.00 a piece and sold them all the day the paper came out. That obviously meant that they were priced too low, but we were in high school and clearing $60.00 a piece on six heads was real money (that we did not…I repeat did NOT spend on beer).
That’s probably small potatoes to you guys on the west coast that still have lots of cool iron to pick over and those of you more experienced hot rodders that have been ‘yarding since the muscle car era. We’re interested to hear of your best score from the wrecking yard. Believe it or not, there are still deals to be had, haggling to be done, and treasures to find even in this part of the country. Come to think of it, we should be out hunting now.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: What has been your best junkyard score, find, or buy?
Once I was looking over all the Mopars in a small neighborhood junk yard–opened the trunk on an old Challenger and found a Turbo Action J converter–the holy grail for Mopar guys–it was still in the box–bought that baby dirt cheap!
as junk yards fade into history as we knew them coming up–I feel like I have lost one of the best parts of my young life–I would rather look around a junk yard than anything
Getting a ’67 – ’69 Barracuda fastback back glass at Schofield Army Base at a “menu” price.
I wish we still had a yard here at Schofield Barracks! Took me over a year to find a hood for my 72′ K5.
Recently found a double hump cross member, and A/C delete brackets for my 1986 Mustang. I remember an old junk yard when I was in high school. I drove a 1967 Ford LTD with a 428 under the hood. I found the “optional” sports shifter and console, bucket seats and hood with the factory scoop for 100.00 bucks.
Living in Virginia Beach area, not many of those old junk yards like back home in Kansas…..about the only thing I miss about that place!!!
Only the old gasser guys will remember these but I found a 1949 , 2 door Austin in a junk yard sitting on top of a huge pile of crushed cars but it was in perfect shape. The guy got it down to the ground with a tall crane , paid $100 for it and the rest is history . Sure wish I still had it .
A water-damaged box near the counter at Wrecks, Inc.containing a cast-iron, big oval port, Holley-pattern intake manifold for $15 at the exact time I needed one for a 427 400-HP engine I’d bought less the trip-two set up. ~1967 when I was on leave from the military and had to drive the car back from IN to CA.
abarth 750 gt, i traded a front clip from a 65 mustang for it.
My favorite junkyard had 4 dodge dudes, they have found homes thankfully.
still has a 38 desoto airflow sitting in there.
two 56-57 packard clippers.
Found a GM winters intake for a smallblock in there.
2 409 gm blocks.
390 4-speed amc amx.
Id imagine theres tons of other things that are hidden or buried in that yard.
Were is this place and is the airflow for sale?
In 1988 I bought a core engine from Colorado Auto Wrecking out of a chevy van that was supposed to be a worn out 350, but was actually a 1969 DZ 302 in GREAT condition. Sold it to a collector and made a few bucks !!!!
Some of my recent finds:
65-70 Impala 12 bolt diffs. $125.00
Vintage Hurst Indy 3 spd shifter complete with linkage $20.
Vintage Cal Custom finned aluminum FE valve covers $40
65 Impala Steering wheel, mint, with column $30.
65-70 Impala complete clutch linkage and pedals $30.
Ford 9 in center section, 3.50 gears with factory locker $69
73-77 GM swivel buckets and console. $70 buckets, Console $25.00.
70 fairlane with a hidden headlight grill in the trunk , a boss 351 that the yard guy thought was a 351 m
1969 AMC Hurst SC/Rambler. Parked in small junkyard next to my mechanic’s shop. He bought it as a parts car for his own SC/Rambler. The car in the yard has very little floor left, a locked up 401, and no trans, but it does have original paint, some glass, most of the interior, and the original rear end and wheels
I been junkyarding for over 30 yrs but never found anything exciting. Up in north Jersey parts are picked clean soon after they arrived at the yard. Found most of my stuff at the swapmeets.
Bunch of Polaroid and 35mm nudes of college girls and a collection of lingerie in the trunk of a Grand Am. Saw other nudes of older women and someone’s honeymoon album.
Made bank in Fiero parts and 7730 ECM s over the years.
Close to $60 in change in a conversion van.
Got a couple of nice college hoodies out of one, new with tags on in the bag.
SD 455 installed in the yard truck !!
Guy didn\’t want to sell it …
I almost stole the truck one night
they used to park it across the gate for security.