Junkyard etiquette

[85hauler]

I used to work at a yard in Colorado. We took great pains to perserve the parts in the yard. Employees and a select few others were allowed to pull parts. Hoods and doors are always closed. When pulling motors or whatever electrical connections were always unplugged and never cut. If a hood was coming off the motor got covered with what ever was available, plastic, metal, etc. The torch was used as a last resort and you better have a good reason for using it.

Even today I still follow these "rules" in whatever yard I may be in including the Pick-n-Pull yards where it seems that most people tend to destroy stuff. You never know what you may need in the future. You might not like a vehicle today but in 5 years you might own one and need parts that you carelessly destroyed at a yard and now can't find.

Unfortunately bent driveshafts will always be a fact of life at wrecking yards. It is hard to avoid it, they have to move vehicles. Towtrucks and jacks just don't cut it in the yard enviroment, frontend loaders are a must. There is always a few exceptions but for the most part that is how it is.

 

[swampdigger]

I hate latched hoods. Close em', but don't make me fight a seized hood release cable!

 

[Agnem]

I hate to say it, but how do we know those parts weren't ruined by the junkyard folks themselves? I've been to yards where the evolution of mankind stopped some thousands of years ago, and Mr. Cromagnon man who is probably the retarded son of the ****** cousin who's father is a scrap metal dealer and used to work at a steel mill until his arm was amputated and carterized by an unfortunate smelting accident caused by a buddy having too much fun with a compressed air gun while intoxicated with Wild Turkey. Needless to say "Cro" is not of the same class of individual as that caveman we see in the Geico commercial, and has less regard for the treasures he is surrounded with than that average bear. When confronted with such an individual, it is always preferable to pick and pull yourself, and even when you do, "Cro" is the kind of guy who puts the alternator on the counter where it promptly rolls off onto the floor while he is trying to pick up the piece of paper he started to write on when his pen went dry and he turned around to get another one but didn't notice that the glob of grease on his long sleeve flannel shirt had stuck to his invoice. He happily returns the dented alternator to the top of the counter and completes his sale in silence, with your "thanks" or "have a nice day" answered with a blank stare.

 

[subway]

I used to know some guys at a yard and they prided themselves on being able to pull a motor in 15 mins or less. they basically hooked a cable to the top of the motor and a smoke wrench took out the rest, wiring, exhaust, heater hoses you name it. i know not all yards or everybody is like that, but yea these guys would spend money on a new tattoo before feeding there kids.

 

[swampdigger]

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

There's a yard back home with a parts guy like that. There was a nice STX Ranger with power bucket seats I wanted. He destroyed all the motorized parts pulling them, and tries to charge me the pre-agreed upon price. *********.

 

[typ4]

Amen to that Mel, I have seen it so many times it is scary. I did score a complete turbo setup yesterday, all factory ford IDI, dropped a valve at 116k Beautiful truck. It is at the local u pull it and once the lowlifes find it , it will be trashed, I gotta get the t-case out of it, mine has 300k on and needs work. Sorry, drifted there for a moment.

I too love nice engines full of rainwater just so someone could say ,"thats neato"

 

[smitty97]

U know what really gets my goat however, yards that punch holes in fuel tanks, and any kind of oil pans just to make sure there isnt anything in it.

here in PA you cant even get a gas tank.. there must be some law. they drill a big hole in them, leave the fuel pump/pickup/sender in the backseat, and remove and crush the tanks. at least they leave the sender.

 

[Freight_Train]

EPA requires they drain all fluids from a vehicle.Trans,Engine,axle,tanks.Since most tank today don't have drain plugs anymore they have a little thingamagig that they stick to the tank that punches a hole in it and sucks the fuel out......or if the place didn't want to spend the big bucks on that thing-hammer,Punch,bucket method.I need to go by the local junk yards around here when I get the MM finished and see about getting a few drums of their Reclaimed Fuel/Oil mixture for fuel......

 

[TLBREWER]

I hate to say it, but how do we know those parts weren't ruined by the junkyard folks themselves? I've been to yards where the evolution of mankind stopped some thousands of years ago, and Mr. Cromagnon man who is probably the retarded son of the ****** cousin who's father is a scrap metal dealer and used to work at a steel mill until his arm was amputated and carterized by an unfortunate smelting accident caused by a buddy having too much fun with a compressed air gun while intoxicated with Wild Turkey. Needless to say "Cro" is not of the same class of individual as that caveman we see in the Geico commercial, and has less regard for the treasures he is surrounded with than that average bear. When confronted with such an individual, it is always preferable to pick and pull yourself, and even when you do, "Cro" is the kind of guy who puts the alternator on the counter where it promptly rolls off onto the floor while he is trying to pick up the piece of paper he started to write on when his pen went dry and he turned around to get another one but didn't notice that the glob of grease on his long sleeve flannel shirt had stuck to his invoice. He happily returns the dented alternator to the top of the counter and completes his sale in silence, with your "thanks" or "have a nice day" answered with a blank stare.

Don't sugar coat it Mel. Tell us how you really feel!

I have a buddy who will drive 30 miles to the pick-n-pull. Then spend 2 hours looking in the junk yard. He doesn't do this because he enjoys looking for hidden treasures. He does this when his truck (Bronco) is down and he needs a part. Last week he bragged about getting a master cylinder, vacuum booster, and carburetor for less than $50. These are parts I feel should be purchased new since they will probably all need to be replaced or rebuilt within 6 months after sitting in a junk yard. Then a few days later he went thru the whole process again to spend $4 on an electrical connector that costs less than $10 new. I just look at him and shake my head. I usually tell him "ya know you could have got that for X amount new" or " so how do you know the one you got at the junk yard is any better than the one you need to replace." He usually gets very aggravated with me and wants to argue. I understand this for rare or valuable parts for a collector or no longer available parts such as for our trucks. But being cheap in exchange for safety ...And there are probably a lot of people that don't know what something is actually worth.

Tom

 

[Agnem]

You need a new avatar.

 

[TLBREWER]

You need a new avatar.

I just changed it last week. It was kind of a test ot see how long it would take for someone to comment on it. You win. I'll change it back tomorrow.

But you know, there are more people contributing these days down at the Duramax section. I have to read that everyday as well. Even though the IDI section might be considered the basement for Fords, the Duramax area is farther down the site.

I need to learn how to get that rolling avatar like you've got.

Tom

 

[Agnem]

It would be neat if this forum software would allow you to have per forum avatars. That way you could have your IDI here, your GM there, and your whatever whereever.