Junk yard wisdom or junk yard myth, a good find and one that got away (somewhat OT)

[greg g]

So I am out scrounging for a transmission for the Studebaker project. Boy for there being several million out and about, the trannies are sure scarce. So I happened on a place just up the road from wher I lived as a kid. The fellow dabbles as an old car dealer. Today's selection comprised a couple of 49/50 Fords, a 51 Coronet, a 53 Buick, and 55/6 Continental Mark ? and a 56/7 chopped chevy pick up. None are in running condition but most were in better shape than my truck. the fellow was busy with another customer so I wondered around his shop yard. On a flat bed roll back are 6 or 7 engines and transmissions, with one that looks familiar. Upon closer inspection it is a studebake V8 complete with Supercharger, and automatic transmission. So I just stood there getting familiar with it. He walks over and says can I help you, I say what I'm looking for is right here. Studebaker he says, well its sold. 62 golden hawk with 42000 miles on it. Gone Ahhh Crap!!!! Oh well got any gm OD automatics??? Yep got on in a 90 Suburban. Drove it through the winter works good. Sure it OD? Yep. How much??? 150.00 Sounds good to me. Well hope your not in a hurry though won;t be able to get to it till next week. Perhaps there is an old car dabblers convention some where, cause his place doesn't look too busy but for that price if it was in a driving truck, I'll be patient. Also got any Carter WCFB carbs? not good ones but bring the base gasket and weel figure something out. There is a Chevy truck there with a 283 that should be the same carb unless somebody switched but we'll look later. So things may be looking up.

Up the road a piece more I stop for an Alternator. Got any single wire GM's?? They still put those in car???? Counter guy asks. Well I don't really know. He says why you want a single wire? Easy to install. Well here is a secret, any GM alternator with an internal regulator can be wired as a single wire. Just hook the two other wire together. Says he runs them that way in race cars all the time. Can anybody confirm or bust this myth??? Could these two wires be directed through an ammeter? If it's myth I wasted 20 bucks on an alternator and pully. If it is the real deal, then I'd say 20 buck for an alt is a pretty good deal.

Observation; Modern junkyards (er recyclers) have gone the way of the bubble pack store. So I aske for a gm 200 r 4 transmission, counter guy says what's it out of??? I don't know can't you look it up by series they were used in just about all late 80 to early 90 GM rear wheel drive. Nope go the dealer find out whet models they came out of and then come back. So I guess the days of Hollanders are over, and the gum chewing, phone answering computer jocky is here to stay. And the states keep passing more and more strigent rules which knocks all the locally run yards to the crusher and out of business. We'll all be driving toyota priuses soon if this keeps up.

[martybose]

(snip)On a flat bed roll back are 6 or 7 engines and transmissions, with one that looks familiar. Upon closer inspection it is a studebaker V8 complete with Supercharger, and automatic transmission. So I just stood there getting familiar with it. He walks over and says can I help you, I say what I'm looking for is right here. Studebaker he says, well its sold. 62 golden hawk with 42000 miles on it. Gone Ahhh Crap!!!!

Boy, would that have been a neat drivetrain combo to put in your Studie! Sorry to hear it got away!

Marty

[Plymouthy Adams]

Greg..any decent online junkyard can cross that tranny to every model carring it..but first they have to have a starting point I think...give them one model know for sure..should be in like Flynn

[Plymouthy Adams]

Shel..I went to one of them with couple of the motor heads here in this area..local pick an pull...seems his all you can carry was limited to one section of the yard and the bodies were so stripped by this time that it would be hard to get your entry fee back much less a volume of goodies in a bag...felt very ripped off..of course..could be just a local rip off...

[greg g]

Don'tmind the pick and pulls for little stuff. Not much for laying under a car up on 50 gallon drums trying to get a tranny out. And unless I know exactly what I'm looking for or at, I don't mind paying a bit extra for the expertise and others doing the grunt work. I have seen the carnage. saw a guy hack saw a radiator support, destroy the radiator ac condensor and fans to get a water pump out. Although I did stop at a yard down by Binghamton, that was a pretty high class place. They had one of those rental car type van busses with the luggage rack still in it, and a trailer towed behind. You could ride the bus to the remote parts of the yard, and once you had your stuff, jump on the bus put your stuff on the rack or on the trailer, and then ride back to the checkout counter area. they also had hand dollies and Home depot carts to get stuff from the bus stop to the counter to a loading zone. There were a couple guys that would help load the heavy stuff. They were high school kids working for minimum wage and tips.