↓PARTS AND SERVICE
DRIVING
↓PARTS AND SERVICE
How to Hit
the Junkyard
The world is dotted with fields full of components that will fix or
upgrade your car for cheap. You just need some tools. And a plan.
/ BY EZRA DYER /ACT FAST
When a car with the right parts comes in—
my local salvage yard lets you set up email
alerts for specific models—get there quickly.
The longer a vehicle sits, the greater the
chance that whatever you need will be gone.
When I got an alert for a mid-’90s Ford F-150
4 x4 at 9 a.m., I got there two hours later.
By the time I arrived, some guy was already
tearing into it. I graciously asked if he needed
the left front spindle assembly. “No,” he said,
and we both commenced hammering and
wrenching to our own ends. If I got there the
next week, there might’ve been very little
left. Go early.PACK THE RIGHT TOOLS
Consult a Haynes manual or credible You-
Tube video to divine the necessary tools
for your intended job. You’ll save yourself
a lot of aggravation. I’ve been in deep only to
deduce that I need a socket that I don’t have,
necessitating a demoralizing trudge all the
way out and over to an auto parts store. And
before you assemble your tool bag, check
whether the junkyard prohibits anything
specific. My go-to place, for one, doesn’t like
power saws. And yes, they will search you on
the way in.TAKE MORE THAN YOU NEED
If you’re pulling a left front half-shaft, maybe
grab the right one while you’re under there.
You’ll probably need it anyway, and the prices
are so low that it’s worth coming home with
both. I once watched a friend get an entire
6.0-liter Chevy V-8 from a junked van for
$200. He only needed the heads, but con-
sidering the labor of swapping out smaller
parts, it’s often easier, and just as cheap, to
come home with an entire intact system.STUDY UP ON COMPATIBILITY
Ford Broncos like mine rarely show up in
junkyards, so parts can be hard to find. But
mid-’90s Ford F-150s? Those are much more
common, and have a lot of the same drive-
train components as my Bronco. The same
goes for badge-engineered vehicles—cars
with the same components that were sold
under two different brand names. Can’t find
parts for your Honda Passport? Look for an
Isuzu Rodeo! It’s the same thing. You can also
upgrade your mid-level car with parts from
the fancier model. Time for some Infiniti
wheels, Mr. Nissan. Bonus points if you can
use parts from something campy or strange.
Because, of course your Cherokee should
rock seats out of a Mercury Villager Nautica.LOVE JUNKYARDS. They’re full
of interesting and potentially
useful parts that you can’t get
from the dealership or Ama-
zon, and at bargain prices. Need
a whole engine for a few hun-
dred bucks? The junkyard is
your place. There are two ways
to approach it. One is to wander around
without an agenda. It’s one of life’s finer
pleasures. Look! That old Infiniti still has
its analog dashboard clock. That would
look nice in your Kia. Or on your bedside
table. The other method: Arrive on a mis-
sion. Know what you need, and get there
before someone else beats you to it. If that’s
what you’re here for, I can offer some advice.I
In 2014, LKQ Pick Your Part, my local purveyor of derelict automotive
treasure, recycled 2.5 million gallons of gas, a half-million gallons of oil
and antifreeze, and about 750,000 tons of steel. That’s not including the
alternators, compressors, and whole engines that got reused rather
than manufactured anew. See? Part pickin’ is good for the environment.46 May 2019 _ PopularMechanics.comDRIVING