Junkyards

[Qiko]

Hey guys

I am planning to go to a junkyard but I never been to one before. It is a pick and pull junkyard.

I believe I will need to bring my own tools, which will be a few basic tools. Should I bring my own jack stands and floor jack?

What do you guys take with you when you visit your local junkyard? How do you carry the heavier parts? Do they usually have carts? Or how about cutting sections of a vehicle?

Thanks guys!

[DarkHusk11]

Hey guys

I am planning to go to a junkyard but I never been to one before. It is a pick and pull junkyard.

I believe I will need to bring my own tools, which will be a few basic tools. Should I bring my own jack stands and floor jack?

What do you guys take with you when you visit your local junkyard? How do you carry the heavier parts? Do they usually have carts? Or how about cutting sections of a vehicle?

Thanks guys!

If its a honda your taking parts from make sure you take a 8mm, 10mm 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, and a 17mm sockets. Phillips screw driver and flat head.

Also an 8mm, 10mm and 12mm wrench

With all that you got your own honda tool kit

All the cars should be off the ground and in the dirt so don't worrie about bringing in a jack. If you do need it jacked up higher just ask them to bring the forklift.

Depending on how big the yard is there might be a entrance fee.

Make sure you bring shoes and grab a wheelbarrow from the front for your tools and parts.

[Jarrett]

Most will not let you bring jacks in because of the hazard a falling vehicle presents. They will typically be set on makeshift stands made either from scrap metal or wheels welded together. Expect to pay a small entrance fee ($1-2) and to have them search your bags on the way in and out. If none of those things happen, great. If they do then it's pretty normal. Also, do a quick mental inventory first before you walk up with a ton of stuff. You want to get a feel for their pricing first. Some are cheap as hell and you question their ability to stay in business. Others piss you off with how much they charge for stuff. They will provide wheelbarrows most of the time. Ask them before you cut a large section out of a vehicle. They may have different pricing structures on that type of stuff or they may prefer you wait until the vehicle has spent the majority of its allotted time in the yard before you cut it up. If you have anymore specific questions let me know.

[Qiko]

Awesome! Thanks! Nice to know about the wheelbarrows, jacks, and checking my bags.

This is where I am headed http://www.pickapartva.com/

[DarkHusk11]

Also depending on where you live, its gonna be hot as hell out there so bring some water.

[GeoffM]

I remember making this thread last year

Bring your own tools. The tool list above is good, but I'd also suggest a 17mm socket. It's very useful for the rear suspension, and for using as a pry bar.

The one time I've needed a jack I just carried it in. I've never seen wheel barrows or an entrance fee. I have one near me that won't let you take off your own parts, and they charge more than the dealership for what they do sell.

[danf20bcb7]

i always said theres no other experience like going to the junkyard for the first time, lol i remember my first time. came out spending over 500 full engine swap, full interior, and a whole rearend cut.

[Jarrett]

Yeah they're pretty easy to get carried away in. I've easily spent over $1000 in the 5 yards I go to in the past 3 months. I go to places in Houston because that's where I go to school. But I intentionally left my tools in Bryan this most recent visit home so that I wouldn't be tempted. I don't have class until 2:30 today so I've been having borderline withdrawals.

[Qiko]

Just curious about the fluids.

Like the coolant, brakes, transmission, engine oil, or even gas.

Do the junkyards drain these fluids? I am not going to use the fluids lol but just curious before I spill it.

[Jarrett]

Nicer places will drain most of these. But most places just ask that you use provided containers to drain them into.

[deevergote]

It will vary from yard to yard what you'll need to bring, what you'll need to do, what you'll be ALLOWED to do, and how much it costs to get in. Most pick and pull yards are not free to enter, because they know people steal things. If one out of every 10 people steals a part, at least they're making $10-$20 from the entrance fees!


In my area, I know of one yard that has all their cars sitting in the dirt on their bare brake rotors... so if you want something from under the car, you're SOL. Unless you get the dude to lift it with a forklift. The better yards have the cars propped up on makeshift stands created by welding two steel wheels together.

Ask abut fluids. Most yards DO drain the fluids, but be sure before hand. If you want a part that has fluid in it, you'll obviously have to drain it. They may provide a bucket to do so. They wouldn't appreciate you draining it on the ground.
Most cars should already have their gas tanks drained, if not removed completely. A car with a full gas tank is a potential fire/explosion risk.

[crazymikey]

In my local yard all the cars are sitting on the ground, so you need to jack them up to get under them. They're usually in mud and dirt, so it helps to have some wood or something sturdy to be able to place the jack on so that it doesn't sink into the ground.

My yards are free to enter and are also pick & pull. Basically bring whatever tools you need, go in, have fun, pull your parts, bring them up and pay for them.

I'm at my local one so often I almost know the inventory better than they do. Once in a while I help people out pulling parts. Had one guy pay me $40 to help him strip an interior.

[deevergote]

If a car is sitting in the mud, I don't want those parts!

[crazymikey]

usually the wheels are still on them, or if someone has taken a wheel or two or three off, it's usually supported by some old wheels. Occasionally they're sitting on the ground with no wheels, but not very often.

[GeoffM]

I needed to pull a trailing arm. After I got it, I put the wheel back on but since I had disconnected the shock, the car was too low for me to retrieve my jack.

I found an extra rim. (Literally just laying in the dirt) jacked the car back up, stuck it under there, and left.