My first trip to a junk yard

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
08/29/2020 at 15:33 • Filed to: None

One of the welds broke on the driver seat of my 03 Odyssey. So I phoned a friend who has experience in such things, and the two of us went out the local Wrench A Part to find a new-to-me seat. They had six or seven Oddys of my vintage, and we found one that had a powered seat that was still in pretty good nick. Four bolts, a couple of wire connectors, and it was out. Pretty darned easy. Took it back to Tom’s place, got the seat installed in about 20 minutes. All of that done for $50 and a cup of coffee.

Dig the bullet holes

Kind of nasty

Meanwhile, back at Tom’s house, this is his 77 Midget (I think he said 77). He bought it for $500 and trailered it home, got it running, rebuilt the seats, replaced the carpets, got in inspected, and it’s completely drivable. A bit of an electrical gremlin in the turn signals, and some hail damage from sitting in his brother’s yard for 10 years. And only 56k on the clock.

The tach is out to have it calibrated

DISCUSSION (46)

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 15:38

Cute little car. Optimistic speedometer.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove
08/29/2020 at 15:39

Very optimistic.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 15:49

ThatG looks very nice in blue.

For Sweden > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 15:49

How was the coffee

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher
08/29/2020 at 15:52

He’s interested in selling it.

ttyymmnn > For Sweden
08/29/2020 at 15:52

I don’t know. I had my own from home. I bought him one.

f86sabre > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 15:54

You- pull places are interesting. A long way off from the junk yards of yesteryear. It is always fascinating to see what folks leave in their cars.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 15:55

I’ve never had occasion to venture into the junkyard but it sounds like a land of infinite amusement. Albeit not the kind of place you’d want to hang around too long. Like, how did that axle end up embedded in the roof of that Jeep?

That MG story is worryingly free of problems, which concerns me because it makes me foolishly think I could replicate it.

onlytwowheels > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 15:56

As a very young boy, I loved going to the junkyard, to the point that my parents thought I would prefer to live there.

ttyymmnn > f86sabre
08/29/2020 at 16:05

Might have been interesting to walk around, but it was, as my Uncle Don was fond of saying, “Hotter than the hinges of Hell” in that yard. They were looking for general labor help, $15/hr. Not bad, but I bet it’s hard, hot work.

DipodomysDeserti > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 16:05

I once drove past a van that looked like that at no good o’clock near Hayden, Arizona (middle of nowhere) . It was pulled off on the shoulder of the 77. State police had the highway shut down to one lane and were checking out everyone driving by. I had several rifles in my back seat, and was very thankful they didn’t ask to search my truck.

ttyymmnn > onlytwowheels
08/29/2020 at 16:07

Nobody under 18 admitted.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/29/2020 at 16:22

I love going to the pick n pull yards! I usually spend hours there looking around at everything even if I am only there for like...one thing. Sadly, the closest one to me is over an hour away :(

SiennaMan > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 16:25

If I had less sense, I’d be interested in buying it . (though that’s a fantastic blue and I’d love a drive in one)

Sadly, I lack both the mechanical chops and the funds to keep one on the road.

ttyymmnn > SiennaMan
08/29/2020 at 16:27

And it needs electrical work.

facw > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 16:56

I wanted to go today (one of my window switches shattered (?) and it’s about the same price to get the whole control unit at a junk yard as to order a single new button), but it was raining all day.

facw > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 16:57

I don’t think you even need to mention that when talking about a ‘70s MG, it’s assumed. Maybe an MG of any vintage...

HoustonRunner > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 17:00

“It needs electrical work” is implied.

facw > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2020 at 17:01

There’s a real shortage here in eastern Massachusetts. The closest is in Worcester. Apparently there was another slightly more convenient one near the Rhod e Island border, but it closed several years ago.

That said, when I lived in Houston, I went to one within the city that was probably just as far as the Worcester that was still in Houston (stupid massive sprawling city...)

promoted by the color red > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 17:05

T he junkyard - where the previous owner(s)‘s sins are on full display. Did you guys find yourself wondering how a particular car ended up there?

I plucked a blue velour interior out of a low-mile Volvo 240 that suffered a right-rear impact. Car was well-loved and its halfway decent interior was littered with grocery coupons and some small cig burns by the driver’s-side bottom . Always wondered if its driver let a cig fall on his/her lap and then crashed while trying to brush it off.

VincentMalamute-Kim > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 17:06

You want any Odyssey parts for the cost of shipping? I have brand new, in-box, never opened headlights, AC compressor, sliding door handle, and I think an alternator. All from RockAuto.

I bought them like five years ago to fix up an 01 Odyssey a friend gave me. Then I moved and had whittle down cars I didn’t need.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > facw
08/29/2020 at 17:07

There are only two around here and both are over an hour from me near Halifax :(

ttyymmnn > facw
08/29/2020 at 17:11

Pls send rain.

onlytwowheels > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 17:11

I nsurance compan ies must have been involved in the rule changes. But, then again, most young kids probably have next to zero interest in going to a junkyard. I could see a small percentage teens wanting access to inexpensive parts though.

ttyymmnn > promoted by the color red
08/29/2020 at 17:12

Didn’t wander around, we were pretty much on task.

ttyymmnn > VincentMalamute-Kim
08/29/2020 at 17:13

Don’t need those parts.

Yet.....

facw > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 17:30

We need it here. Probably not as much as you, but I saw a lot of water use restriction signs when I was out oppohunting.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2020 at 17:46

There were a few near me but I never went. I never was free until after they closed. I get the feeling I would like looking around. I don't have to speculate since I do like snooping around shop yards.

atfsgeoff > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 18:06

I take my girlfriend on dates to the junkyard. She loves the place too because she likes looking inside other peoples’ cars and learning things about them, even if they’re total strangers.

bison78 > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 18:13

And only 56k on the clock.

Chan ne l ing Top Gear: so the one thing you know about it is that it *hasn’t* done 56,000 miles. It might have gone around the clock -- actual mileage could be 156k miles. Or it could have had a speedometer replacement.

ttyymmnn > atfsgeoff
08/29/2020 at 18:15

The van we took the seat from had a Mexican driver’s license in it. I don’t know if it came with the van or if somebody who was taking parts left it behind.

ttyymmnn > bison78
08/29/2020 at 18:15

Good point, but I think my buddy was pretty sure of the provenance.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 18:31

Always concerning when you see there's 7 of your car in a junkyard...

shop-teacher > shop-teacher
08/29/2020 at 18:54

Its too far, and I'm too broke :)

ttyymmnn > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
08/29/2020 at 19:37

My van is 17 years old, so I’m not surprised.

Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 20:32

Every time I go to the junkyard there are DOZENS of PT cruisers, Chrysler LX platform cars, and V6 Acura /Honda models . And there has only been 3 LS400's. But only 1 Jaguar, and we all know those live in the junkyard.

facw > onlytwowheels
08/29/2020 at 20:36

The one closest to me doesn’t allow anyone under 16. Though at least at the ones I went to in Houston, I really doubt they would go out of the way top stop any kid who could even remotely pass as 16 and had their $3 ready.

More annoying, they banned photography which is like the second best thing to do in a junk yard after extracting cheap parts.

pip bip - choose Corrour > ttyymmnn
08/29/2020 at 20:36

hail damage is nothing to worry about.

blame Lucas for the electrics

onlytwowheels > facw
08/29/2020 at 21:02

That no photo rule seems peculiar. but I can’t imagine that they are 100% monitoring your activities.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > facw
08/29/2020 at 22:27

‘Sprawling city’

Yeah...my entire province has around 900,000 people in it... :P

I think the two I mentioned are the only two pick-n-pull yards in the province...there may be one more here, but all the other salvage yards are the kind that take the parts off of the cars themselves and resell them, so they are more expensive :(

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/29/2020 at 22:29

I have to write-ups I did when I visited the one yard I like from the last few years...can’t remember if you were around then to read them, but here are the links if you hadn’t and wanted something to do, haha!

First trip:
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/rallydarkstrikes-pick-n-pull-yard-adventure-a-photo-e-1819940723

Second trip:

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/rallydarkstrikes-pick-n-pull-yard-adventure-a-photo-e-1830326406

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/29/2020 at 23:49

I thoroughly enjoyed reading those. Dang, you done got me wanting to visit a junkyard and I’m a carless urban dweller right now. It’s annoying because I came close to leaving to see if the local U Pull It had any Volvo s to get new headlights and taillights for my mom’s car but I never ended up going.

Oh well, there's plenty of amusement within walking distance of here right now. I enjoy urban living a lot. And rural areas fascinate me. It's the suburbs that get a little tedious. I might end up walking around again tomorrow but I need to put in the studio time for a project. Being a collegiate is after all exactly the change of scenery I wanted.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/30/2020 at 10:04

Defintely go sometime, I find it quite calming, in a way...just walking around the yard exploring by myself! :)

You may not be able to afford a car, but you could always get your bike license and a cheap 50cc scooter so you can go farther afield? :)

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/30/2020 at 10:47

I’ve considered it. They are fairly popular on campus for that very reason as you don’t have to pay for a parking spot (I think it was over 2k a semester so that’s gonna be a nope from me). Besides, I don’t need my car here at all.

I've got a pedal bike but I am so out of shape I can barely ride it. Sometimes I take it across campus but I always arrive much more tired and sweaty than had I walked. I've got one friend with a car (attending a nearby college with less extortionist parking fees) that I've already mooched off of a few times. Not that I have much time for late night dinner excursions. And his car has no AC.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/30/2020 at 16:32

Is somebody taking care of your car while you’re there? Taking it for drives and stuff? Yeah, a scooter sounds like it would be a good alternative. You could also get one of those motor kits for your pedal bike...?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
08/30/2020 at 16:36

Yes, my mom occasionally takes it for errands when my sis is using her car. The plan has been to buy it off me for her to use sometime at the end of the year so I do t really mind the few extra miles.

Eh, no. I need the exercise. I do think looking into some scootlopnik would be a fun summer activity.