A couple of helpful hints from yesterday's trip to my local auto recycling establishment.

The 86-90s GM FWD full size cars (88, Bonneville, etc) have a nifty scissor jack in the trunk. The jack and handle (that doubles as the lug wrench) store in a plastic box on the RH side of the trunk. It's infinitely better than the tinfoil bumper jacks and takes up little space if total correctness isn't important to you. The storage box also has two pockets for wheel locks or spare lug nuts. My local yard gets $5 for the complete jack, handle, and storage box.

Virtually all new GM cars have really cool fuse and relay panels scattered all over the car. I found a full size Caddy with several in the trunk, including plastic covers. Early 90s GM pickups have a nice power junction block on the passenger side firewall. Several power studs and a couple of relays.

If you plan to run an electric fuel pump, get an inertia switch to shut it off in an accident. The Ford switch is the one most rodders use. The Windstar minivans have the switch located in the RH quarter panel, just inside the rear door. Pop off the inner panel cover and the switch comes off with two nuts.

 

I sure miss those types of junkyard deals, as well as the ability to pull parts yourself. It was like that here 15 years ago - a whole armload of parts for 20 bucks or something.
I walked out of one place then with 2 G-body sway bars, 2 power antennas, a whole pwr door lock system and a radio for 50 bucks.

But now in the dallas area, yarding is no fun any more, at least at the places I used to enjoy.

You can hardly walk around and look alone. And if you find something you want, someone has to pull it and you are charged about half of new prices. I have been stiffed a few times as well. 60 bucks for 2 door lock solenoids and switches that did not work. I fixed the solenoids, but the guy wanted me to pay another 20 for another switch that may not work either. He lost my business for good.

The classic car yards here are even worse. Imagine, 45 bucks for a cruise servo bracket (5" long metal piece) that you cannot even see before you bought it. (And no, I was not this desperate or stupid.)
Sickening....

 

Great info Joe. I need a under the hood fuse unit for the fuel pump and underhood items.

 

Scissor jack? Is that the kind with the worm drive? The ratchet type jacks that were in gm cars from the early 80's are absolutely amazing. I wouldn't part with mine for anything and I can't count how many times it has saved me. They are a little bigger and heavier than scissor jacks but I can get a car up in the air in about 15 seconds with one. The best part is that the lifting pad is so low when the jack is all the way down that it can be stuck under a car with no tires or wheels even on broken up ground. It is perfect for pulling parts off wrecks and very quick tire changes!

 

I agree that bumper jacks are not good. I think they are very unsafe too. Not familiar with the 80s type ratchet jacks but for every car I purchase that does not have a scissors jack (Like the '99 LeSabre) I immediately buy a hydraulic floor jack. I know, I know they are bigger and heavier but I think they are safer by far than the alternative and frankly, I think they are safer than a scissors jack too. If you shop around you can find one that has a storage box and usually you can make it fit up on the shelf below the package tray in an older (pre 80's) car.

 

I know the jack that smcurro speaks of. We snag one from every full-size parts car that goes through our hands. We have 3 or 4 sitting around the garage, and of course the original ones in our drivable cars. These are a heavy duty, simple and compact jack for sure. You're right about the low-ground clearance too. A miracle if a car has slowly started sinking into the ground!

They are ratcheted up by using the tire iron as a handle. A small switch conrols up/down movement.

 

exactly!!theyre taking their chances to earn lots of money..too bad..ive experienced it when I was looking for old toyota oem parts..

 

The ratchet jack looks like a bumper jack lying on it's side..get the one with the large round button that fits the frame hole near the two wheels...we have one in each car...and spares of course..

 

Well, I did happen to find an old fashioned, pull-it-yourself yard in deep south dallas, called LKQ. Far away from me in the rough side of town, but very cheap. Mostly mid-80s - mid90's though. It was so cheap there, I was helping a buddy of mine strip a rare 78 Pinto down to a turkey carcass, while keeping some stuff for my own car's future resto. See pics below - this was lots of fun...
Never before had I seen a yard counter guy shake his head, saying "that poor car..."
I have resold a lot of the unneeded stuff already to help others and their projects!

Since they have an abundance of the newer stuff, some bargains can be found for stealth upgrades or crafting projects on older cars...

Inside mirrors with lights or compass - 6 bucks
Consoles - 15 bucks
Sunvisors with dimming lighted vanity mirrors - 5 bucks
Garage door opener and bezel - free with a brake booster I picked up for my friend... (Lady gets this one... )
Nice premium 89 Caddy radio / tape player for my '86 Olds - 13 bucks.
Power antenna for my caddy - 15 bucks (GM mast and cable was 55 bucks at my local dealer...)
Chrome wheel center caps for the caddy - 2.99 each and they were nice! I got scammed on ebay by getting a tore up one for 30 and no resolution...)

This yard was on a highway with 5 other BIG yards, so competition is high there. They provided wheelbarrows and treated parts equally. A stock 78 Ford AM radio cost the same as a premium 89 Caddy radio with tape....

I saw 2 late 80s Olds wagons but were missing lots of parts. One did have a good looking cruise servo though!
There was one later Olds something that was so smashed up I could not even tell what it was. An Alero or achieva or something. I had to ask myself "How the #$&@ did that happen!"

 

In southern Ca we have many pic a part yards. In upstate NY there were none and cost more for a used part that I could pick up on ebay new for less.

 

Rob:

There are a couple yards in our area I have passed by but have not stopped. One is on Hwy 205 between Rockwall and Terrell. It is on the left and has a woman's name that I cannot remember. The other I noticed is a pull it yourself yard on 35 near Oak Cliff. It is right after 35 splits off where 67 goes to the right. Take the Laurel Land exit after about 2 miles and it is on the service road as you exit. There are also a couple yards out toward Nevada off Hwy 78.

 

I will by on this route this afternoon towards Cedar Creek lake - i will look!

The ones on Hwy 6 (or 8) I assume... They were small and expensive. One wanted 25 bucks for a small wheel center cap. The cool yard I was at above (LKQ) charged me only 2.99 each!

 

I have a derby buddy that works at the Loacl LKQ here in my area he alerts me to whenever cool old cars come in and I want them they will let the salvage part slide and sell me the whole car LOL WOOT WOOT

 

And presumably your Ca parts are rust free ?

 

Nah but most have not seen the salt of the cars in the north eastern us.

 

LKQ junk yards in my area are very well managed and the prices are usually the best you can get at any junk yard and LKQ will refund your money if the part doesn't fit, work or stops working within 90 days.

But finding cars like we're looking for are rare.

If you own a Mustang or Camero/Firebird, you'll love LKQ.

 

All of the yards around me are not pick a part places, but I just love wandering around. I had to convince one place that I wasn't going to touch anything, I just wanted to walk the yard. They gave me the insurance thing and again I promised I just wanted to look. There is always something interesting to see in a boneyard.

Finally they relented and allowed me in but I'm sure they kept half an eye on me the whole time.

I fantasize from time to time about owning my own yard, then, I think about having to pull parts off of a car in freezing drizzle and the thought evaporates.

 

I stopped at the Pick N Pull in St Lewis MO on the way home from the National Meet. For anyone who's interested there is a '76 Cutlass Supreme coupe there, as well as a '66 Delta 88 sedan. The sedan is moderately picked over but still has what appears to be the original and complete 330 including the carb and distributor.