Rick Seitz: Doing The Junkyard Crawl

I have an unusual confession to make; I have a fascination with junkyards. Today, I had to make a run to a yard to find a part for my girlfriend’s ’99 Toyota Solara. While the ‘Yota is not my usual cup of tea, I enjoy working on just about everything with four wheels and an engine. Although the part I was searching for wasn’t even remotely mechanically related to anything pertaining to the engine (a side marker light), I still enjoyed pursuing the aforementioned needed lighting fixture by taking the 40-minute jaunt to one of the very few local yards that I haven’t been to before.

Unfortunately, this is what they wrecking yards are filled with these days. Image: Flickr/Yahoo

Unfortunately when I got there, I was let down to find out that they had a “Tell us what you need, and we’ll retrieve it for you” policy.

Of course, this takes the work out of removing the part from whatever wreck you stumble upon in the yard, but as a result, it also takes the fun out of the scavenger hunt or what is also known as the junkyard crawl. Plus, you don’t get to go sightseeing. However, is that much of a loss these days?

I remember when I was growing up and my dad would take me to the yards when old F-bodies, Novas, Chevelles, and other potentially awesome donor cars would be stacked on top of each other waiting for their small blocks or transmissions to be pulled from their chassis.

Now all we are left with are piles of front wheel drive cars from the ‘90s and ‘00s with underpowered four and six-cylinder engines and crap styling cluttering up the junkyards of today. Occasionally, you’ll run across a late-model Mustang GT or maybe a V8-powered 4th-generation F-Body, but usually it’s more than likely you’ll be passing rows of Ford Taurus’s and Chevy Luminas as you try to find an alternator for your S-10.

Image: Motortopia

Thankfully it isn’t like this everywhere in the country, as there are a countless number of junkyards across this nation that specialize in classic cars; be it a specific model, brand or an era. As a current resident of the Midwest, I drool over pictures of rows and rows of abandoned shoebox Chevys, fastback Mustangs, and other various collector cars that litter the Southwestern part of the country, and are just waiting to be rescued to their former glory.

Unfortunately, the downside of these places is they are usually owned by a guy who refuses to sell anything, and seems to enjoy turning down people with cash in hand looking to buy something.

Image: Desert Survivor

But why must there be a no admittance policy –even at some of the more typical ‘yards? Do the insurance companies and the Health and Safety antagonists really have all of the bases covered now in what they would call a “safer America?”  There was a time in our country when you could go to an automotive graveyard, bring your own tools and pull whatever part you need for your project car for pennies on the dollar.

This brings me to another point; with the popularity of websites such as eBay and Craigslist offering second-hand components for swap meet prices, there’s really no such thing as a $5 water pump or a $50 small block anymore.

Image: Classic Car Auto

But it could be true that part of the reason for that is because a lot of people who used to frequent the yards in the earlier days would fill up their tool box with all of the smaller stuff they could fit into it without paying for it.

As a result, the yards have all been turned into somewhat of a monopolization, and their owners don’t want you leaving with anything that you haven’t paid for. The only benefit from buying through a junkyard these days is the fact that you can usually haggle with the guy at the counter much like you can at a swap meet.

As far as how things turned out with the woman’s Toyota, well let’s just say they turned out well. For a hard to find component that would’ve cost me $50 to purchase new, I was able to pick up a used one with a slight crack in the lens for the get it out of here price of $2.

That wasn’t a typo. Of course the price normally would have been $25, but due to the flawed lens the guy told me to name my price. But it had to be cash. I made him the half-joking offer and he was happy to take it.

Even in today’s watered-down, politically correct era of junkyarding, it’s good to know that there are still remnants of a better time. Plus having junkyards with limited access is always better than having none at all. While most of the local junkyards of today don’t really have anything I need for my current projects, I still look forward to my next venture for when a friend, family member, or my girlfriend needs something for theirs. I’m always happy to go. Happy searching.

Keep on rollin’
-Rick

About the author

Rick Seitz

Being into cars at a very early age, Rick has always preferred GM performance cars, and today's LS series engines just sealed the deal. When he's not busy running errands around town in his CTS-V, you can find him in the garage wrenching on his WS6 Trans Am, or at the local cruise spots in his Grand National.
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