The newest thing in wrecking yard salvage?

ANYTHING older than 2005 is getting hard to find around here. I just called around looking for a rear end from the 1990s and some ordinary steel wheels and everyone scoffed and told me they crush anything more than a couple years old as soon as they get it!

These are salvage yards that a few years ago used to have dozens or hundreds of cars and trucks laying around going back to the 1970s and sometimes even the 1960s.

 

Cash for clunkers did in a ton of useable stuff....thinking 4.8/5.3 power for one of my future builds...

 

That's funny I was just thinking that with all the LS swaps going on, that a lot of post smog cars might become the next new thing, like 85-86 Camaros.(at least in California)

 

Slant parts are just going to get harder to find too. Out of production a lot longer than bellybutton stuff, and made in smaller numbers. There were a couple of slants in trucks here within the last year at a local yard. I will swing by & see if any still remain.

B.

 

Sad to say, but in my ventures into the salvage I try to envision just that; What am I gonna use in the future..? Sad to say, but I happen across a lot, and I mean A LOT, of mid-90s to early 00s Pontiacs (especially the Grand Prix) and Buicks with the Eaton M90 supercharged V6, that in a pinch might make a nice lightweight, high RPM rod engine. Problem is, while it it technically supercharged, it's an Eaton M90, which is known for producing more heat than horsies.

But in a pinch...

I still have a few "secret honey-holes" where I do my "shopping", none of which I am at liberty to divulge since this is how I make my living, but I've got a pretty good supply of flathead 8s, hemis, stovebolts, nailheads, and anything else obscure you could ever think of right on back to the forties. I'm sure none of it would be a simple startup (save a few), but at least I'll always have blocks and heads to rebuild.

 

Ah, I used to have the greatest junkyard in the world about 30 minutes from my house. I went there every week or two all summer long just to see what I might find. It was nothing newer than the 1970s, mostly '50s and '60s cars. About 5 years ago they crushed the entire yard (hundreds of cars, probably a couple thousand) and my life has been a living hell ever since.

 

In the Houston area, it's TH350 transmissions. When I was looking for one, they were like looking for water in the desert. Even the TH350c's are hard to find.

 

I would die if I could find a set of stock steel valve covers for a 60's small block chevy. Seriously!

 

There's a yard 1 mile from me with a '42 Willys jeep. I asked about it and he just laughed and said no. Didn't give a reason, just said "no". That was 5 years ago and it's still there! In the same damn spot!

 

Mid 80's ford truck/2 wheel drive/ 4 speed over drive ,currently being used with custom adapters on some model A's

 

Got one! And two 400's. Let me know if you're ever looking again.

 

I'm heading to a sweet spot about two hours from home sometime next week. I think I might know where there is a set. For Christ's sake, remind me though. Otherwise I'll just forget to get 'em.

 

Thanks, but the shipping would be a killer. On the other hand, with the rate they're disappearing........ Noted and saved!

 

yea ive experienced that in my area too
rookies on a lift

 

If anyone could look in his crystal ball and predict what is going to be in demand in the future he could sell just the information for enough to retire. Sadly, the only way to find out is to wait until we get there.......then it's too late.

Frank

 

What really pisses me off about the Pull-A-Part in my area (and probably the same for many like it), once a car hits the scales, there is no amount of money you could present them with to buy the whole car. I've tried. It kills me to see a complete car up on blocks just waiting to be pulled to pieces and then smashed. About a year ago I came across a 64 Galaxie that had been RESTORED. It looked like the roof had started to rot just behind the windshield, and someone just said 'fuck it', and had it hauled off. I would have bought that car for more than scrap weight, and it would be rolling down the road today. I've found Dodge Coronets (50s), Chargers, Gran Torinos, Wildcats, Chieftains, Windsors, 48 Business Coupes, etc, all waiting for their day with the crusher and no amount of money could save them. THIS ATTITUDE NEEDS TO CHANGE IF THE NEXT GENERATION IS TO HAVE ANYTHING LEFT TO RESTORE/HOT ROD/CUSTOMIZE.

What if there was a petition signed by as many people as possible and submitted for consideration of a Federal Law, that all American-made vehicles made before a certain date had to be inspected to determine their usefullness before being allowed to be sold for scrap, and if deemed restorable/preservable/what-have-you, they would earn the status of Protected Vehicle as a National Treasure...

YES, I realize that it would need tweaking and tuning, and that it would cost money, and there are plenty of ramifications with something of that being a law, both pros and cons, but I for one don't want to sit back and watch the world my little boy grows up in be a world of Ford Focus', Prius', and Hyundais... That's just depressing.

Now, this just came off the top of my head. I dropped a bone, if anyone wants to run with it, count me in.

 

While your words ring true, the "hot rod", "customs" "muscle car" and restoration people are a small percentage in the market place. To the average joe, a salvage yard is a junk yard. The mentality seems to "use it till it breaks, then toss it and get a new one."

 

Not letting you in is the newest thing in salvage.

Other than that, I predict anything Saturn will be desirable someday.

 

Actually that is not really true. You can get almost any manifold you need from a company called Dorman.


http://www.summitracing.com/parts/RNB-674-199/

 

The sad fact of the matter is that scarcity of parts will put enough pressure on hot rodding that some folks won't be able to be into it. Hot rodding is steeped in scrounging affordable parts together so we all might be suprised at what people will be working with in 20 to 30 years.

 

LOL, maybe when the world runs out of WOOD to burn and we need to start torching plastic to stay warm... Other than that, why start with a garbage car to build an expensively restored garbage car? You can't polish a turd, amigo...

 

Everything everyone mentioned is in abundance at my honey hole that I buy from.Shipping is usually the killer. That and the emails wanting a running 283 for $100.00

 

My '97 we bought new is still doing well, and the engines have been known to lay north-south in a few older rides!

 

This is a traditional place for hots rods built like they were 50 years ago.There's a whole bunch out there who are building hi performance lightweight cars with much newer stuff. Now isn't that what a hot rod is;a stripped down vehicle with a hi performance engine?

 

Google "hot rod wiki" sometime... I did just out of curiosity a few years back, and I learned a few things... I'm still a FNG around here, so I don't wanna stir the pot too much, but the negative connotation given to the double-R work is a bit unjustified. A "rat" is a big-block Chevy engine, and the cars built around them were the rods. But what do I know... I'm just the FNG, right? Anyhooo, it's hard to say WHAT people will be hot rodding in the future. The term hot rod in and of itself is vague. What you call a hot rod I might call something else, and vise versa. I have seen some WILD concepts drawn up around some big body newer model Dodge cars, and frankly, it kinda works with certain models! Especially now that car design has sorta shifted back to the angular bodies of the mid to late sixties. Gonna be a ton of fenderless rods in the future though... can't weld a spider crack in a plastic fender..!

 

disk brake s10 rear ends

 

80s Jag front & rear suspensions.

 

Seriously?!? How many do you want? I can find them ALL DAY LONG, just didn't think they were worth anything!

 

8.8 rears

 

T2004R's. Took me 6 months to find the one thats going in my Chevy II...