Jewels in the Junkyard - Junkyard Types

In our first installment, we focused on the virtues of scrounging through a salvage yard for resto parts. Digging for automotive treasure in a junkyard can be rewarding and fun, as long as you can differentiate between precious metal and fool's gold. For this second part of the series, we'll show how not all junkyards are created equal, and how to differentiate among them.

Types of Yards
There are many types of salvage yards, but not all of them are enthusiast-friendly. Most yards, particularly ones near big cities, cater mostly to repair shops that need late-model parts delivered quickly to their door. These yards will seldom allow you to wander the lot, and will want to know the exact description and, preferably, part number of what you are looking for. They often set their price at 50 to 75 percent of the cost of a new part, but this can vary by demand or the availability of new items.

A smooth-talking salesperson will assure you the yard has whatever you ask for.
For instance, if the local Chevy dealers are backordered on late-model Camaro fenders, the salvage yards seem to know as quickly as the parts counter supervisor, and may jack up their prices accordingly. These yards seldom keep cars long, immediately stripping them of salvageable items and crushing the rest to make room for more cars.


Restorers and rodders will seldom have much luck finding gems at high-volume, late-model parts yards. For rare and unusual parts you will need to get out of the city to where land is cheaper and salvage yards are more likely to hang onto older cars that still have a handful of usable parts attached. As you cruise past salvage yards (a delightful hobby sure to entertain the entire family), make a mental note of ones with pony cars, Fifties-era sedans and maybe a sports car or two. These are the places to start your parts searches.

Virtual Hunt
Let's take a stroll through an imaginary salvage yard in search of a rare left-hand whatzit off a 1959 Fiasco-Bordello sports model (and if you want to buy one of those cars, we have a bridge for sale in Gotham City as well). First call the lot to see if they have any Fiascos in stock. A word of caution: the person on the other end of the phone may have no idea what they have in the yard, particularly if you are looking for an obscure item. Often the phone person is being paid minimum wage (with no supervisor is in earshot), so they may automatically tell you that they don't have one.