How to "Salvage yards"??

[Henry S.]

Hello Anyone,

I'm still pretty new here and I have a general question. I've seen a few posts about when looking for different parts try searching your local "junk or salvage" yards. I know in the 60's I had a lot of luck in doing that. I'm 55 years old and remember searching the junkyards up until about the early to middle 70's but for the most part if you can find a junk yard the owners won't let you roam around in our area (Central Illinois) unless I'm just looking in the wrong places. Where are these salvage yards one can actually go searching in to find parts? Thanks for any information.

Take care,
Shooter

[Steve Antonucci]

Re: How to "Salvage yards"??

Henry,

I think those salvage yards are all called eBay today !

[Terry M.]

Re: How to "Salvage yards"??

In metro Chicago there are a number of yards named "U Pick A Part," but they generally don't have vehicles old enough to yield anything useable for our Corvettes. I see by some chapter newsletters that those in the south and west occasionally will arrange chapter trips to salvage yards -- the location of some are kept quite secret.

[Verle R.]

Re: How to "Salvage yards"??

Henry,

In Oklahoma the larger cities are generally as you describe. They will not let you roam the yard and they probably don't have the old cars anyway.

I find smaller towns farther away from larger cities often have the older cars and are much more likely to let you roam free.

Take a Saturday and drive to small towns around (away from the interstate)and look for salvage yards. They may be open Saturday mornings and if not, at least you can identify where they are and maybe get some idea what they have if you can see into the yard.

Verle

[Ray C.]

Re: How to "Salvage yards"??

I believe if you live in the rust belts the chances of finding old cars in the junk yards is silm to none. Most of these cars were striped and crushed.

Ray

[Michael L.]

Re: How to "Salvage yards"??

What happened to "Lincoln Corvette" in Seattle? I went there in the 70's - early 80's, WOW, never saw so many old Vettes in a salvage yard setting! I understand they sold, who got the cars and where did they go?

Mike

[Chuck R.]

Re: I've got one here in UpState NY

The problem is that ole "Greasy Guss" knows what he's got and won't part (no pun intended) with anything unless you pay him prime plus 20%.

I was looking for a smog system for my 68 and wouldn't you know it, he had two complete setups. He'd let me have one for $2,500

The other catch was that HIS skilled "technicians" would perform the removal and I was to stay out front in the trailer and wait. Uhh no, I don't think so.

That's why his yard is still full of the stuff. No Vettes or other performamce cars though, just trucks, wagons and plain Jane sedans.

He's got tons of mopar stuff too.

Maybe some day that bald head of his will attract a lighting bolt and rattle his cage enough to see the light.

Chuck

[John M.]

Re: How to "Salvage yards"??

Pacific corvette bought out Lincon years ago,....Thanks JOHN

[Edward M.]

Re: I've got one here in UpState NY

There is an old salvage yard in my neck of the woods, just full of 50s, 60s and 70s cars. The old buzzard that owns / runs it sometimes lets you wander through the yard, and sometimes doesn't. Seems to depend on his mood. Been out in his yard twice, and both times came back with ticks on me.

This guy once threatened to have a friend of mine killed when they got into an argument over actually going out into the yard to get the part. My friend wanted to see the part before he bought it, the owner wanted him to pay for the part before he (the owner) went out in the yard to get it.

Most of us are just waiting for the old (he must be in his late 70s by now) buzzard to die so we can deal with his heirs on the stuff in the yard.

[Chuck R.]

Re: There's a slight problem with that Ed

Ole Greasy Guss has probably got enough sludge and anti freeze absorbed into his system where his innards are lubed up for another fifty or so years.

Man, he's a slimey looking cat!

Plus his two "boys" are just a bad.

What's funny is he has a daughter who's a real looker and an attorney in the city. For reasons I can't fathom, she doesn't come home to visit much

We can only hope ED.

Chuck

[Jack H.]

Re: How to "Salvage yards"??

Walking the scrap yards is my retirement hobby these days. The further you are from major metro areas, the better off you are.

There are two kinds of yards: open and closed. In an open yard, you 'sign in' at the desk (you're actually signing a hold harmless agreement), enter, pick your own parts and check out. But, the majority of yards are 'closed' these days for several reasons:

(1) Customers are known to 'steal' from the yard owner as well as create damage to other parts on the cars while taking the items they're looking for.

(2) Some have non-coverage clauses in their insurance that opens them to liability if you're injured on site.

(3) Sometimes they'll have cars in the yard that are 'reserved' and not available to be parted. This can be because the yard owner wants to sell the car 'as is' without component removal or they may not yet have clear title to the car. If those cars aren't isolated/labeled, you can't tell and they don't want you 'messing' with them...

In cases where the yard owner is 'grumpy' and doesn't want to let me in, I've found an act of good faith can sometimes break the ice. I explain that I look for all kinds of things (short aural list) and that I can't honestly tell him what I'd buy until I do a survey walk through.

I offer my driver's license as 'hostage' and a $20-50 bill for the yard owner to hold while I do a walk-about survey with nothing more than a pencil, notebook, and a pair of gloves. That often 'breaks the ice' with those who run 'closed' yards (not always though) and gets me the access I want/need...

Last, if/when you get access to a yard, do a favor and inquire about 'yard rules'. Someplaces don't want you to pull this/that for a number of reasons. Often, they don't want you cutting wiring harness assy's to get a piece/portion.. Some yards don't want you removing components until you've told them what you want and you've agreed on a price for the item(s).

It's simply a matter of good sense. Remember, you're a guest inside their business facility!

[Dave Suesz]

One problem with that...

is often the "heirs" want the property for other use ASAP, and have the cars hauled and crushed before you can say "dagnabbit!"

Several yards in SE PA went that way, with cars back to 1950 in one. Another as a private home with 50-100 late 50's cars, all had fins, not so much as a hubcap was missing. Lotsa "keep out" signs. When the old coot died, the cars were immediately crushed for scrap.

Kobers, in NJ, was bigger than some towns I have lived in, had cars back to the 40's. Tax rates made it unprofitable, most of the cars went through the crusher. Had a decades long customer relationship with Gabe, he'd let me drive a car back to get stuff, most people could'nt even take a big toolbox. Even got to drive his halftrack once. That was "thrilling", since the hydraulic brakes didn't work.

[Chuck R.]

Re: I lost count of the muscle cars I sat in

If we only knew then what we know now huh?

[Joseph R.]

Re: One problem with that...

My crude "technique" is to carry a tape measure and tell the counter staff that I am looking for seats and/or steering column for a street rod. Works most of the time.
C Ya, Joseph Rock
Frankenstein 59

[Dave Suesz]

I knew, but

you can't save them all. Like the time I was walking on cars because you couldn't find the ground, and I realized I was standing on the fender of a 66 Impala SS 396 convertible. Didn't look too bad, either. Sometimes you have to walk away, and not look back.