U-Pick yards, do you "shop" there, and what's up with people?

If this stuff bothers you, you're just getting older. A huge portion of the human population just plain ****s. That is a fact that has always been. With all the media and info access we have today, they just seem to make more reading than the folks with acceptable manners, sufficient knowlage to do thier jobs or even accomplishing normal business activities. Those of us who do play well with others and are getting old enough to notice the difference get grouchy about it. It's the same thing the old guys were grumpy about when we were young.
When I first got into this car stuff, most all junk yards were U-pull. There were always parts screwed up by some inexperienced or uncaring guy. We would go out to the yards on weekends and spend many hours salvaging a few dollars worth of parts 'cause we had more time than money or just because one couldn't dial 1-800-CHINA-PARTS.
The local U-pull doesn't allow torches or air tools due to thier own risk management. They want lower insurance rates, so they get them. They are actually running an auto-entertainment facility. Just like those gem digging places, you can even take home stuff. They even gaurentee some of it. If they allow torches, air tools or other industrial quality equipment, they may not be allowed to let folks wander aimlessly for a lousy 2 dollar cover charge.

 

I think there a little deferent in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Florida</st1lace></st1:State> no one hardly speaks English hear
But at U pull it in <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Davie</st1:City></st1lace> all the employees speak English and they are as friendly as any other parts yards. It&#8217;s a parts yard what the hell do you expect !!!!
If these people had a personality they would be doing something else for a living
I have seen 409s that turn over 354 hemi&#8217;s with almost all parts
I pulled a steering box out of a 61 ford truck for $30.00
Plenty of jag rears /12 bolts /daina 60s/complete Vets form the 80s
Last week there was a 1960 dodge coupe that was in pretty good shape with a flat head 6
and the inventory changes daily
It ant all roses it will make you sick when they stick a fork from a forklift in the side of a door to pick up a car

 

Here is the new "pick up your parts" (when you leave) yard:

 

The yard closest to me in Oly is a pleasure to go to. They rotate their inventory every so often, and the prices are all preset and viewable when you enter. Granted, they don't have much in the way of "cl***ic" vehicles normally, but I don't go there for those parts that are hard to find. I go for the $5 throttle cables, the $3 interior rearview mirrors with map lights and digital comp***es, you know, odds and ends that would cost a mint elsewhere.

I guess it all comes down to how much you want to spend and how much you want to save. I'm a cheap***, so I go to save. I also score some pretty good speed parts once in awhile. The idea about the wire was a good one Shifty, I'm gonna keep that in mind the next time I go in...

 

we have yards here called pull-a-part.it costs a dollar to get in and they usually have about four aisles of old cars.all the yards are all gravel,all the cars are off the ground.they have set prices for everything,i went a while back and got a good seat for my f100 for out of a 57f100 for 30.00,got both park lights or turn signals for 5.75,one was a little rusty,sold me both for price of one.on the bay they go for about 75.00 to 100.00 a piece.got a headlight switch and dimmer switch for 4.02 each,headlight switch sells for about 75.00 and dimmer about 20.00,yes taking a chance,but if they work saves quite a bit of dough.best part is you can check their inventory online before you go.it won't tell you which parts are still left,but if you know what years will interchange it's great. stony

 

I frequent a Pull-a -Part here in lynnwood, wa.- kinda the same story here.. Lot of semi-ripped apart engines (minus valve covers kind).. but it is what it is 'pull a part'.
-part fun, part mud bog, The best thing is, you can choose whatever you want - foreign or domestic, providing its still there.. Probably thousands of stories in those ole' hulks.
I look at it this way- we spend so much wasted time sitting at stop lights , hunting for parts is better time spent.
-41-

 

I've been to all three closest to me and most of them have been reasonable. Went for a Camaro rearend for my '50 Chevy the last time, they had to pick the car up for me - it was such a new arrival it sat flat on the ground - but I got lucky, the rearend just about fell out of the car, some of the bolts were brand new, the brake lines on it were new, the shocks were new - on a '75 at that. Sometimes they'll deal a little on the price if you tell them what they sell for new or go for on eBay. I even found a truck there once with a 350 that had an aluminum intake, valve covers, and an Edelbrock carb - I think it cost me $75 for the whole works - I didn't have time to pull the headers on it and never did go back. But it's nice when you can find stuff you didn't expect that you can take off, sell, and come out ahead after paying for what you needed in the first place.


Both of the other two I've bought entire cars from - one, I bought a '48 Hudson sedan with a couple extra doors stuffed into it that had been registered as late as 1996 and has mounts in it for a Chevy motor by the looks of them; the other a Model A doodlebug with a cowl, axle, steering and so forth. I've seen some damned nice cars get ruined, but when you're out there working and don't have a tool or have to go before they close, sometimes you rip and tear to get the parts you need off. And the loader guys don't care.

I try to go in with the tools I need to do the job though - which is bad when you spot something else worth grabbing, but makes carrying stuff easier. One of them will let you sawzall stuff up, the other two won't. The prices vary, too, some charge you more for truck parts, some charge the same for some parts no matter what they came from.


I saw a '66 Olds Cutl*** wagon with factory air in one yard last summer - O/T for here but in damned good shape, I would have paid the s**** price on it just to try to flip it on eBay or whatever, I think it would have sold pretty easy for two or three times that. Didn't deserve to go to s**** at any rate. But once it hits the yard there's not much you can do. I guess they had a couple of Packards last fall.


And I have helped guys once in a while, I figure I might need help sometime too. As long as I can still see my tools or bring them with me, I don't worry too much.

 

This statement is the main reason many Hot Rods today have no Soul .

 

You guys are missing out. The one I go to ROCKS. Go there in the summer and it is chicks in bikinis getting greasy pulling parts, I **** you not! The prices are good but you have to be willing to cut stuff off with a cold chisel. Everybody seems to get along, everybody talks to each other and If you ask nicely somebody will lend you what tools you didn't bring.

 

I've been going to U pull it type yards forever. Every place I go that has one, I have to check it out.
Years ago there were alot more old cars in them. I used to go to one place EVERY DAY to buy stuff I could use, sell or hoard away.
I always was finding good stuff. If you go every day, you get most of it.

I still go and find good stuff, just not as much. If you go looking for one part, I could see how you would be disappointed. But if you go to buy stuff to resell, or use for future builds, there is always something.
I never bought engines, it was almost the same price to just find a whole car on my own.

There was one yard I would go to that would sell you whatever you could fit in, and on one wheelbarrow for $100 plus core charges.
It was amazing what I would fit on there. A 8 inch rear end and front discs from a Granada, A couple fenders from something else, Any new looking Quadrajets, alternators, starters, and tons of misc ****.

You could not tie it down at all, and you had to push it up this really steep hill to pay for the stuff.
I always found enough stuff to make it worth my while, and I always expected to make a day out of it when I went.

The only Pick Yards I do not go to are the ones owned by Pick Your Part here in SO Cal. Their staff is rude, and they charge you for every little piece attached. Like a door out of most yards includes all the guts, etc. There at PYP they charge for each item.

I love junkyards.

 

I have a weekly ritual of visiting three "U-Pull-It" yards. They support my ebay-selling career,literally. I see people like you in there all of the time,the ones that never come prepared,then complain about getting a good price.

I have with me a cordless sawzall,cordless Matco impact,3-foot pipe,pry bar,mini-sledge,all the most commonly used metric and standard sockets,wrenches,etc. 1/2",3/8",and 1/4" ratchets,extensions,universals,etc. Various size screwdrivers,torx bits,allen keys,etc. And all on a 2-wheel dolly with pneumatic tires. I rarely don`t have what I need to get the job done.

Go prepared.
Watch out for core charges.
Watch your ****,cause there are thieves.
Be very careful about lending a tool to someone.
Go on 1/2-off day if there is one,and show up early.
Bring help if needed.


If all of the above is too much work,then go on Ebay and buy needed parts off of someone else like myself!

 

I have several in my area and I think they are the greatest.the one I go to I buy alt.& strs.for 14.95 rads for 40.00 Ive gotten so cheap the I ll even buy headligth beams for1.00.but you have to know what to look for& go prepare.My junkyard hunt consist off tool box equiep with cordless sawsall&cordless impact&3 fully charge batteries.All my cars have flowmasters from the yard at 8.0 a pop cant p*** them up.learn your cars and go often thats trick.

 

I've got no problems with the mexicans here. They know how to take stuff apart without breaking it, understand the value of small pieces, and they aren't the ones looking to borrow a screwdriver. The yuppie boys who come with a crescent wrench and hammer, wearing shorts and flip-flops, and act like they're in a playground are the ones I can do without.

The U-Pick here has a wash-stand and soap, port-a-johns, an A-frame on wheels, and wheelbarrows. They give you a printout of where the cars you are looking for are, and prices are reasonable. They even have a bead-breaker to take tires off. But a lot of the cars are trashed, just like others have said. It's cheap entertainment IMO!

 

I was just at the pick n pull 1/2 price Wednesdays. Got a pedal ***embly, 2 steering joints and a tailgate hinge for my daily driver for $16. It was a real pain when I got my Dakota subframe, cut it right behing the cab. Got the whole thing even the tires and bumper for $38! Took me all day.

 

Excuse me? What? I'm grumping about the at***ude, and the general creepyness of the place. Glad you're prepared for anything...why don't you gimme a pry bar so's I can get this door open...

 

Those dudes off 60th rock!

~Jason

 

I must be one of the creepy people, because no one creeps me out, or looks much different than I do.

Years ago, my favorite yard used to do a promo for Thanksgiving.. They would let a bunch of turkeys loose in the yard, and if you caught one, you could keep it.

It wasn't like guys were luring them into a trap, or anything nice. It was like the Viking ***ault on the Saxon army. People running everywhere covered in blood, turkeys running everywhere covered in blood.

That might qualify as creepy to some.

 

There's a bunch here in KC...

~Jason

 

LMAO! LOL!

I remember a truck - a Semi from Mexico - that they were pulling parts from and loading to the gills. Never figured out WTF the deal was there... I figured the parts would be cheaper there!

~Jason

 

No, there is no such thing as cores in mexico, everything is rebuilt til it can't be rebuilt again. Then they weld it up and rebuild it 3 more times. Every core that heads south doubles or triples in value.

 

Haha - I like that.

 

Jason: Can u PM me with a list in your area? Will have to make a special trip to those places to do some junkyard jumping. Miss doing the yards like I did in Cali.

Just as long as they have some older stuff.

 

when i hit the PYP i'm usually hunting one thing and carry only the basic tools to get that off. otherwise i'd spend all day there and bring enough stuff home to start another car......
they punch oil pans there too. jeez.

 

Its Half-Off this weekend! And I got my 700R4 ****** for free.

I helped some BMW guy pull a couple of parts, so when we got in line to checkout I say "Are you going to take care of this?" He said, "Sure"

I got home yesterday and showed my wife my knuckles, no cuts no blood. Cordless Impacts are the best! If you going out to the junkyards buy one. I like how compact the 14 volts are.

By the way its not all good on Half-Off days, the checkout line took 50 minutes. If you don't mind and enjoy seeing crazy **** & people its pretty entertaining.

Good Luck

Don't forget to take as many bolts as you can grab and need.

 

I like the U-pick place because of all the hot chicks! Best of all is when you are admiring their black silk stockings only to realize that it's dirt.

 

I guess I'm lucky, the small yard in my town is run by a hot rodder who will give you a deal if he knows your working on a rod or custom. Not to mention he doesn't charge an entry fee and usually has a couple guys waiting there to help if you need.

 

heres a trick i use at the one by me, i got a unservicable air tank from local fire department(brither works there) and hocked a a reg. with small dia. hose with my impact. works wounders and a few guy offered me a few bucks to remove bolts for them.

 

Hi,
I love going to the pick a part places. It's worth two dollars just to look around. I am constantly amazed by the stuff that shows up there. I live in San Diego and quite a few older cars show up that I wonder why they are even there. I pulled a 12 bolt rear end out of an El Camino for
$115.00. I spent a few hours doing it and was covered in oil and mud when I was done but the price was right. I try to go on Friday before the Mexican invasion on the weekend. It's like a modern day treasure hunt, you never know what you'll find.
Rick

 

Every wrecker in my area just plain ****s.

Nothing older than ten years in any of the yards and the insurance company up here doesn't punish car thieves so there are plenty of collision shops to buy newer parts at primo prices.

Needed a door panel for a buddy's Explorer, they actually told me I had to buy the whole door.

Needed a turn signal arm for a Sunbird, sorry buddy, gotta buy the whole column, we could get $300.00 for that from a shop!

Every yard around here is run by a bunch of complete ****heads.

I get everything I need from swap meets and online.

I don't really care if my '58 has no "soul" because I bought new brake shoes for $20.00 and wheel cylinders for $5.00 each from rockauto. That's just common sense.

For you guys who say the you-pull is worth it, what's your time worth?

A few hours to pull a $115.00 12-bolt? If you charged someone $65.00 per hour (less than most shops) to pull that thing, how much is your diff worth now? What about the Dakota subframe that took you all day?

Sometimes it's a good deal but not often.

Shawn

 

They're very hit & miss for me. i used to have a twice a month ritual of hitting the three within a hour of my house in a big loop. If you know where to look they can be a goldmine for good stuff. I've gotten many good scores:
Flowmasters $9 each all day long, $4.50 on 1/2 off day!
Set of 9 fin Cal Customs in mint shape
Numerous Performer Edelbrock intakes (check the 80's camaros 4 those!)
Doug Thorley, ****** & Heddman headers
MSD Pro billet HEI Dist.
Lots of 2GC carbs
65 Buick Finned Alum Drums
Tons of Old Stewart Warner gauges
Other stuff I probably can't remember