As car guys, we’re all familiar with the right of passage that is a trip to the automotive bone yard. Whether you took your first trip as a 5-year-old or a 50-year-old, there’s something magical about crawling through the automotive history that is a encapsulated in the average salvage yard. You may be at the wrecking yard simply to drink it all in, or you may be there for a $2 glovebox door. Perhaps you’re there to find your next project car, and to rescue a machine from the uncertain fate that awaits it. Any way you slice it, you’re going to need a plan.

That being said, for the purpose of this article we’ll assume that you’re there for parts alone. In addition, we’re also going to assume that the places you’re going to visit still allow you to roam on your own and pull your own parts. In this day and age of lawsuits and liabilities, the “pull your own” junkyards are becoming more rare, but there are still plenty of them out there. We’re confident that there is one within range for you!

It’s All Part of The Plan

Before you hop in the truck and head out, a little prep work ahead of time will save you a mountain of headaches later. Know that you’re heading into territory where parts are rusty, power is unavailable, and that you may be infringing on the homes of snakes and varmints. You’re going to need to bring the right tools based on the job you have planned. Case in point, a couple of screwdrivers and a pair of plyers should be all you need to get that sun visor for your ’84 Dodge Omni. If you’re planning to pull an engine or cut some sheet-metal, screwdrivers and pliers aren’t going to cut it (literally).

To begin, first contact the junkyard that you’ll be visiting ahead of time and ask if they have any general rules over the types of tools that you’re allowed to bring. Some yards will have no problem at all if you show up with your own generator, compressor, sawzalls, and the the like, while other yards may restrict you to simply hand tools.

In addition, a few yards may actually provide items that will be of use to you, such as power cords. You’ll also want to ask as to whether you can drive your vehicle into the yard or whether it’s a walk-in/walk-out type place where only they can yank out the big stuff.  If you can drive it in yourself that’ll save you same time and is something you can factor in to your trip.

Just be aware that junk yards are a perfect place to pick up loads of crap that can puncture tires, so if you have a flat 3 days after your trip you’ll know why! You’ll also want to know from the yard whether you need to bring cash, credit card, or check. Believe us on this one; we’ve been sent home before to get cash when credit wasn’t accepted!

Once you know what type of tools you can bring and whether you’ll be walking or driving, plan accordingly. If you’re walking it, a 5 gallon bucket makes a great toolbox and can hold all of your tools in one handy place. It beats lugging around a big toolbox, for sure.

You can also load it with a couple of cans of WD-40 and your favorite brand of penetrating fluid, because every bolt you touch with your hand socket will be seized up solid. If you’re going in with power and are lucky enough to have an impact gun handy, the penetrating fluid is not quite as huge a deal.

Another thing to load in your bucket is bug repellent, and a few spare mice to feed the snakes with. You’ll find that nothing sucks more in life than to be crawled all over by spiders while you’re laying under a car, covered in sweat in the hot summer heat, and holding a transmission just inches away from crushing your chest as you try to wriggle out from under the car.

As such, use the bug spray early and often to keep the critters away while doing your work. It’s also a good idea to throw a couple of bottles of water in the mix to keep yourself hydrated.

Lastly, before you head to the junkyard, be fashionable. Overalls and work boots are perfect. Shorts and flip flops are a great way to open the door for a future tetanus shot. This is not the time to think about how great you may appear to members of the opposite sex; just dress appropriately for work and get to it!

Tools Of The Trade

When it comes to the kind of tools you take to a yard, quite honestly, you really can’t take enough. That being said, based on our experience as well as those of the members of our favorite forums, these items are must haves if you can only take in hand tools.

We’ve also found that most people have a set of “good” tools and “junkyard” tools, so keep in mind that the tools you’ll use here may not be your every day set. If you’re allowed to take in your compressor and generator we’re going to assume that you’ll know to take all of your favorite air operated items along with you! Here is our list:

This is a bucket-o-tools with a nice tool caddy wrap around. It’s functional AND fashionable.

• Breaker bars
• Hacksaws
• Hammer
• A few chisels and punches
• Side cutters
• Vice-Grips
• Set of screwdrivers
• Allen wrenches
• Cheapo ratcheting screwdriver with Torx and other assorted bits
• 6 point sockets
• Offset, double box end wrenches
• Pliers
• Crescent wrench
• 3/8 ratchet
• 1/2 ratchet
• Flex handles
• Folding knife
• Misc. open end wrenches.
• WD-40 & Penetrating oil
• Paper towels. Craftsman
• Mechanics gloves

In addition, one more tool to add to your arsenal is a charged up 12V drill battery, and this was a great tip that we learned over on the garagehournal.com forums: With the battery and a few jumper wires you’ll be able to roll electric windows up and down, move a power seat, pop the trunk (if it’s electric), and even test starter motors. Bring an assortment of jumper wires and include alligator clips and blade connectors.

Could this ’69 Impala hold the 010 block’d 350 that you need?

Plan of Attack

Once you are actually at the yard it’s time to scope out the goodies and see where you’ll want to start. Some yards actually have pretty decent maps of the kind of cars in the yard while others will simply point to the yard area and tell you the cars are “that way.” Take some time to survey the field, and don’t simply start wrenching on the first car you see.

You may find that just a row over there is another car just like it that the guy before you has already dissembled half way and given up. You may also find on your perusal of the yard that there are a few gems there that weren’t on your “to get” list, but that will may great eBay fodder, such as MSD ignition boxes, Borla mufflers, COMP Cams roller rockers, etc.

After you have completed your survey it’s time to get down to business and start pulling the parts that you’ll need. Keep in mind that equivalent parts are what’s most commonly pulled in a junk yard, so do just a little homework up front if you have an idea that your particular car or truck may not be there.

What do we mean by this? Say you’re building a ’68 Camaro and would like to find a 4-bolt main 010 small block Chevy for it.

Any car guy will tell you that a small block Chevy in a junk yard is like a soiled baby’s diaper; it’s readily available and easy to find anywhere. You won’t necessarily need to find a ’68 Camaro at all to find the block you’ll need as any 350 010 block will do, meaning you can look at Impalas, trucks, and anything in between.

When it comes to more closely related items, such as doors as an example, you’ll need to be fairly familiar with the equivalent match up before you get there. As an example, a Cadillac Cimmaron door will work on it’s sister car, the Chevy Cavalier. The doors on a ’96 Ford Taurus will work on a ’00 Taurus even though the cars look nothing alike (only the doors are shared). If you’re working on an old Mopar, Ford, or GM car you likely already know which sibling cars parts will work with which.

A great online resource to find parts that match up is to use www.rockauto.com and look up the part you want, click on the Blue part number, and review the listing that’s returned for all the other vehicles that part fits. If you have a cell phone with internet access, such as an iPhone or Android phone, you can literally pull up part numbers and equivalent car/parts right there in the yard.

If All Else Fails, Try Somewhere Else

Junkyard hunts can be well accomplished online, and if the yard has a great website you may be able to locate everything you need up front!

If you find that every single HEMI B-Body Mopar shell has already been stripped of it’s K-Member, or that every single 12-bolt equipped Chevelle has been deprived of it’s 12-bolt already, don’t despair. You’re likely not going to be the first guy to go into the yard looking for those key pieces of automotive jewelery, and it’s very common for the “good stuff” to have been stripped away already.

Expect to find the more desirable cars, like this ’70 Challenger, to be picked over pretty cleanly.

You can always try another yard, or simply come back to the same one at a later date once the inventory has been turned over a bit. Of course if your interest is in the older cars the inventory change will be quite slim and you’ll need to try swap meets and Craigslist.

If more modern car parts are your goal you’ll find that it may just be a matter of a week or two until that next LS-powered Chevy Silverado wreck comes in, just ripe for your plucking.

If you’re one of those rare birds that really does not have access to a good wrecking yard withing driving distance it make make sense to try your approach completely online. Several prolific junk yards have started to catalog their entire inventory on their websites and an give you a very good idea of what they do and don’t have. Here are a couple of our favorite online bone-yard resources:

• www.dvap.com
• www.dansgarage.net
• www.wildcatmopars.com
• www.oldride.com/directory/junkyard.html (This is is actually a full directory of junkyards!)

In the end, go with what you know, and a little that you don’t.

Finally, once you have completed your junkyard trip with the prizes you originally came for, take some time to give some thought to taking a few other treasures with you that you weren’t planning on and that you may not directly need.

Just because it’s not exactly what you’re looking for doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable to somebody elese. Don’t be afraid to pick up parts that you’re wanting for your build, because you might be able to sell it for a profit.

As an example, while you may have came to the yard for a 440 block for your ’69 Charger, the front clip on that ’55 Buick may be cherry enough to pull off and take to the local swap meet.

After all, you’re already there, are already filthy, already have tools in hand, and have already cut yourself up pretty well. You may as well grab a few other treasures while you’re at it. As they say, one man’s junk is another man’s prize!

In the end, a trip to the junkyard is about more than just getting a part for cheap. It’s about the hunt. It’s about the challenge. It’s about the adventure. It’s about bringing parts back to life that were cast off for dead.

Even though many of the great old muscle cars parts are gone from the most common yards, the fact remains that there are still plenty more out there in obscure locations.

Perhaps you may choose to make a road trip to a junkyard with buddies instead of just a day trip over to the local place. In fact, chances are that you may be better off by heading to a small out-of-the-way yard to find the parts that you want, and the adventure you’ll have in doing so will simply be a little icing on the cake. Either way you slice it, be sure to enjoy the process of it all. Remember, a day sweating over rusty car parts beats a day working, anytime!