Junkyard car- what would you grab?

[Art Bailey]

Hey All,

 

I found a junkyard that has my particular vehicle in it...hooray. Can't drag it home, unfortunately--no room, and I'm saving up the big "asks." She's in a pretty sorry state, but there's some goodies left. Thus far, I've snagged a possibly rebuildable carb, starter, generator, fuel pump, other small doodads, lock cylinders, ignition, and I'm dragging home the semi-auto trans. It'll be great smashing my shins on that thing for the next 20 years in my overstuffed 2 car garage. 

 

So, in light of the slowly drying-up sources of good repro and NOS parts, what would you all recommend snagging and squirreling away, before it gets made into tomato soup cans? 

[Sniper]

Brake drums, if they are useable.

 

Door latch assemblies, if not all worn out.

[LazyK]

Rear window glass

Edited May 2, 2022 by LazyK

[Art Bailey]

30 minutes ago, Sniper said:

Brake drums, if they are useable.

 

Door latch assemblies, if not all worn out.

Good call on the door latch assemblies. For some odd reason, there are inside door plunger locks only on the back doors of the 4 door model, none on the coupe. I was thinking of grafting them onto my coupe, so I could lock the doors from the inside. The junkyard car has got some miles on her, but I wonder if the back doors were slammed less often than the front driver side...might get a couple good latches.

 

It's gonna be a task getting the drums off, they've been buried in the mud for who knows how long.

Edited May 2, 2022 by ratbailey

[MarcDeSoto]

Get the chrome moldings, dash board, seats,  trunk lid, hood, fenders if useable.  Stuff on the engine block, even the head.  Radiator.  

[chris 48 P15]

i would take everything i can remove

its all valuable to us

[FarmerJon]

11 hours ago, ratbailey said:

Good call on the door latch assemblies. For some odd reason, there are inside door plunger locks only on the back doors of the 4 door model, none on the coupe. I was thinking of grafting them onto my coupe, so I could lock the doors from the inside. The junkyard car has got some miles on her, but I wonder if the back doors were slammed less often than the front driver side...might get a couple good latches.

On my Plymouth coupe, no push buttons inside either, doors lock from the inside by lifting the handle up. Pushing the door handle down simultaneously unlocks and opens door.

 

I would grab entire brakes and spindles/control arms. Steering parts too. Wont even have to get drums free that way. Stuff like that can get damaged in collisions.

 

As others have said- trim, gauges, any small parts that unbolt, rear glass, any good sheet metal you have room for/can unbolt. 

[Doug&Deb]

Grab the Sisson choke and linkage if it’s there. If you got the trans maybe get the fluid coupling.

[Booger]

dashboard stuff

[James_Douglas]

It all depends on what your plans are for your car. If you plan on doing a full restoration then I would concentrate on more ordinary items. Things like the #14 (not 1/4 inch) screws which MOPAR used in these years to attach the main dash structure to the body. I had to rob some off of several cars in a bone yard to get them.  Things like every single molding clip you can get.  Pull out a couple of window runs in the event any of your look like the base may have rusted. On the same vain, get the door or back seat window bottom channels as inevitable some may be rusted.  Grab the heater motor and the radio for spare parts.  The other thing that can wear out is the clutch over ride spring, and the clutch linkage. In fact take all the throttle and clutch linkage. One can rebuilt all that stuff with the car running and then just swap it out on Saturday.

 

Grab the drive shaft and the universal joint blocks. See my posts on that as for why. Grab the all the parts associated with the parking brake.

 

last but not least if this a fluid drive car get the fluid coupling. BUT! Make sure you read up on the posts to make the little blocks to wedge between the coupling and the flywheel plate with wire to the plate can not move when you pull the trans out and the coupling out. You want to protect that seal in the coupling at all costs. Do not balance or pry or anything else on that flywheel plate in removing it, moving it, or storing it.

 

My two cents worth.  James

 

[desoto1939]

even the littlest item will turn out to be of some value t  you even the DCPC bolts with the logo stamped into the bolt heads.  Take what ever you can take oil filter lines and oil filter brakets any brackets on the engine, throttle linkage, horns and brakete, sisson choke and choke rod, heater and heater duct. Basically everything that you can store.

 

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[joecoozie]

All good advice.

BUT.....I did the same thing with (2) 46-48 Chryslers  (among other cars) and now I basically have two cars stored in my attic/basement/2 sheds and a tent.

Now I am reaching the age where I really need to start liquidating this stuff BUT where and how is the question(s).

[desoto1939]

If you belong to a major National Club and since you have a Plymouth, then join the National Plymouth owners club, or WPC club and start to list the parts for sale.  You can also list on Ebay but if you sell to much then a 1099 is generated at the end of the year and then you have to report the income so be careful with Ebay.

 

Also select some of the real good items and go to a local car show with them and sell the items in the flea market, non reported cash and also have a flyer stating that you have extra parts and also the local clubs will also list that you have extra parts.

 

If you live in PA then become a member of the AACA and then get a vendor spot for the Hershey event in October and sell parts there and again have a flyer with you name and contact info. There are over 8000 venders but people are always looking for parts. Also contact several of the major venders such as Ed Speigel , Andy Bernbaum Moparpro they are always looking for parts.

 

Where do you live in PA? In june 15-19 the National Desoto club will be having their car show in Altoona, Could also contact them and maybe come to the car show with some parts and also a flyer. Many people own different cars and can pass along your info.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

I live near Valley Forge, PA.

[Art Bailey]

1 hour ago, joecoozie said:

All good advice.

BUT.....I did the same thing with (2) 46-48 Chryslers  (among other cars) and now I basically have two cars stored in my attic/basement/2 sheds and a tent.

Now I am reaching the age where I really need to start liquidating this stuff BUT where and how is the question(s).

HA! Yeah, I have hoarder tendencies that I'm trying to curb, as you can clearly see from this thread ?

 

So, I see that the basic advice here is pick this thing over like a Christmas turkey. James, your thread on the u-joints actually prompted me to try to be selective, and grab stuff that's going to become increasingly difficult to find. In the past, I wouldn't have thought of something like a u-joint becoming scarce. The advice to grab little bits like trim molding is good, and will save me from having to fab up a bunch of little metal clips. Ditto for wear items like door latches, clutch and throttle linkage. Thanks, folks...

[andyd]

If you can I'd get anything that is shiney, any steering and suspension part, brakes anything that bolts onto the frame & engine......if you can't get the whole door then anything that bolts in or on it, glass, lights, etc, etc...........the storage area  or space that you have will basically determine what to get but get whatever you can see you may need or would like another piece to choose from.........my motto is "if its not bolted down or can be unbolted then its fair game"..........lol.............andyd. 

[Los_Control]

Windshield wiper parts .... GET YOU SOME OF THAT!

It sucks but yea something we / me am looking at on my truck, I removed all for paint but re-installation will require some new or modified parts.

 

If you have them it may make your life easier ... though lying on your back in a wreck that has no floor .... not ideal.

 

[squirebill]

If you can get the drums off also get the wheel cylinders.  They will be good USA castings that can be sleeved if needed.  Current new cylinders are of questionable quality and origin.  Same with the master cylinder.  On a 1949 Plymouth the master cylinder comes out from the top...guessing the 1948 would be the same.

[harmony]

I was in a similar situation.  I came across an entire parts car pretty much complete for $500.  But I had no place to keep it.  My small one car size shop was already full and all I had was a 4 x 8 utility trailer.  My friend offered me his shop to dismantle the car if I wanted to, but I had to do it in one day.  He had a plasma cutter and I had a 5 in. grinder with a dozen or so cut off discs and a sledge hammer.  No time to use wrenches or screwdriver.  I simply cut out things that I needed.  Like the trunk latch and centre brake light assembly.  Door handles and locks, latches, window cranks, were also cut away.  He had an engine hoist and after attaching it to the engine head, it was just a matter of cutting with the plasma cutter and grinder until the engine, fluid drive, and trans lifted out.  That was the first thing to go on my trailer.  I covered it with the hood and the fenders.  I simply used the plasma cutter and cut around the hood hinges, and cut the body on the far side of the fenders with the grinder.  I then filled the cavities around the corners of the trailer with drums, backing plates, axles/hubs, front control arms, torsion arm, complete dashboard assembly (with radio and clock), bumpers, grill, driveshaft, all side windows and back window, radiator, etc. 

I started around 8 am and finished around 5 pm 

In hind sight I wish I had cut the centre out of the differential and kept the gear assembly/pinion.  What was left ( frame, differential, leaf springs) was hauled away to the scrap yard.  It took about a week to pull everything apart when I got back to my shop with everything,  I bought 8 huge plastic totes for all the goodies and filled about 6 peanut butter jars with nuts and bolts, fasteners, and knobs etc. 

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by harmony

[Art Bailey]

14 hours ago, harmony said:

I was in a similar situation.  I came across an entire parts car pretty much complete for $500.  But I had no place to keep it.  My small one car size shop was already full and all I had was a 4 x 8 utility trailer.  My friend offered me his shop to dismantle the car if I wanted to, but I had to do it in one day.  He had a plasma cutter and I had a 5 in. grinder with a dozen or so cut off discs and a sledge hammer.  No time to use wrenches or screwdriver.  I simply cut out things that I needed.  Like the trunk latch and centre brake light assembly.  Door handles and locks, latches, window cranks, were also cut away.  He had an engine hoist and after attaching it to the engine head, it was just a matter of cutting with the plasma cutter and grinder until the engine, fluid drive, and trans lifted out.  That was the first thing to go on my trailer.  I covered it with the hood and the fenders.  I simply used the plasma cutter and cut around the hood hinges, and cut the body on the far side of the fenders with the grinder.  I then filled the cavities around the corners of the trailer with drums, backing plates, axles/hubs, front control arms, torsion arm, complete dashboard assembly (with radio and clock), bumpers, grill, driveshaft, all side windows and back window, radiator, etc. 

I started around 8 am and finished around 5 pm 

In hind sight I wish I had cut the centre out of the differential and kept the gear assembly/pinion.  What was left ( frame, differential, leaf springs) was hauled away to the scrap yard.  It took about a week to pull everything apart when I got back to my shop with everything,  I bought 8 huge plastic totes for all the goodies and filled about 6 peanut butter jars with nuts and bolts, fasteners, and knobs etc. 

 

The junkyard owner keeps saying to me, "Why don't you just buy the car?!" I think I might invest in some battery powered cutting gear, and do that. Great ideas here.  I could definitely chop it to pieces where it sits, though, and fill plastic tubs. Maybe even rent a big box truck of some kind, and go nuts on the poor thing for 8 hours, or for as long as my sad 50-year-old carcass will allow...