Salvage yard rescue???

Has anyone ever bought a vehicle from a salvage yard and brought it back to life? I am thinking about buying some old truck and then building a total custom ride out of it. Something with serious body work to build a "what did that start life as before you got it?"

It would be cool just to show people the before pictures of it still in the junk yard.

 

It is done all the time where and when the salvage yard will sell the whole vehicle. Some won't sell them that way though thinking that they can make more parting them out.

 

It also depends on what state you're in. Some states require dealer or salvage licenses for scrap yards to sell cars, not a big deal with major yards but it can be a problem for smaller, backyard type places. Some places won't sell whole cars because of the paperwork involved.

Also, the requirements on the****le also vary by state. Here in CA you can buy complete cars from the salvage yard, but they will automatically have a "salvage"****le, even if there was no accident or damage involved. Ie, little old lady calls pick-n-pull to collect her deceased husbands old project car. Car may be mechanically/structurally sound, but as soon as it sets a tire inside the yard it will have a salvage****le if it leaves again.

That aside, a lot of places will do it, and I've seen a few at the local yard that would still have made good projects. This one, for example, was at the lot in Rancho Cordova a few months back...

 

Oregon requires a dealer's license to sell a car complete, so if it's been in a salvage yard for more than 6 mos. it will have the****le turned in to the state. Once that happens it can never be put back on the road again.

 

There are a few yards here in pa that the older cars have painted on the window "not for sale parts only"

 

can I get back to you on that....bought in 1976....got****le about 1989...finally was able to pick it up about 1994....but there are pictures....some where....

 

Years ago I bought the front 1/2 of a 2 ton dump truck from a junk yard. Think I paid $63 for it, tax included. Then the yard owner told me where the truck came from and that the guy might still have the****le (it was only in the yard about a week). Sure enough, the old guy had the****le. I put it on a newer frame and its still on the road today. Gene

 

There's other places to buy cars?........

my last junker

 

that looks like a great rescue.

 

I just rescued a 1931 Model A body from a yard way off the beaten path. It will push my fab skills to a new level, but it will be so worth it.

 

can't wait to see your build