Reached under the rear fender to retrieve a gas tank filler neck I had removed the fastening screws from. This was in Alabama twenty or so years ago. The wasps or whatever those small birds were caused so much instantainious pain I threw the tools in the other hand fifty feet or so. We have wasps and hornets too but not the size of small birds.
I guess nothing really obsessed with this. Just a salvage yard story with my clothes on.

Back when I first got into International Harvester stuff I found a semi-local old time junkyard plum full of stuff I needed. The only trouble was they only let you into the yard through about a 30" swinging door. The policy was that you could only take with you what would fit through the door. Now, I tend to need a lot of tools to do anything and I was after doors, fenders, trim, etc so I needed more than I could just carry. I got to looking around my place and found one of those high wheeled garden carts I hadn't used in a long time. The kind that's made out of plywood with bicycle wheels on it. It was about 3' wide, 4' long and about 30" tall. So, I went back to the JY and double checked the policy about going into the yard. Then I went out to the truck, brought in the cart, turned it up on end, slid it through the door, and went back and got my toolbox and high lift jack. The owner just shook his head. The real fun began when I tried to pull that cart up the first hill. It was about a 100 degrees in the shade and the yard covers 250 acres. My legs were burning, sweat was pouring in my eyes and I was sure I was going to have a heart attack any minute. When I finally made it back to the office with 2 doors, a fender, 2 bumpers, and misc other stuff, I was played out and the tires on the cart were almost flat. The owner said he had never seen anything like that and we actually got to be pretty good friends over the next several years as I revisited the place. That's probably my most hard core trip, but there have been many more notable ones right up to the current 240TD in the garage. There aren't any more help yourself yards around here but I did find a 300TD in the back lot of a repair shop that he said he was willing to sell parts off of. The engine was out, but the body is still pretty good. That was too easy though because I could pull my truck right up to it with the air compressor and tool box in the back. I'm probably too old to be toting fenders a mile through the woods anyway. Call me crazy, but I really miss being able to go out in the junkyard. Something about the smell of stale gas and old 90 weight just gets my blood stirring. Especially when I know there is a super deal on a part just waiting to be found.

I guess buying a whole spare car is up there, ...and keeping it in heated storage. Until today when it took a truck ride to the local junkyard.
My 9y/o son will miss playing in it, he was getting pretty good with an air chisel in the last couple of days.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Driving forty miles to snatch all the sun visor clips and screws in a salvage yard, 3:00 AM Sunday.

The yard owner was with me..

whunter - are there any junkyards worth going to in Metro Detroit?

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95 E300 Diesel 265k and counting

daw_two called me yesturday asking about w123 coupe window glass since he just so happened to be in a junkyard in Tennessee while out on a business trip(I think)... lol

no tools, probably in good clothes, asking about how much they are worth lol

i'm about to do the most desperate thing i've ever done for parts, funny this came up. i'm literally in the middle of an e-mail to a guy in italy asking about these parts: WTB: Euro Bumper Front Metal Brackets and Rear Rubber "Wings"
. yes, i'm willing to pay the shipping if he's got them and i've had NO bites yet from anyone on this site, save for DeliveryValve who said he might have seen something. if anyone wants to sell me these parts and save me the hassle of international shipping, i'm obviously desperate!!!

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1985 300D - 1984 Euro 280E AMG Clone (SOLD) - 1978 280CE (SOLD) - 1983 300D (SOLD) - 1981 300D (SOLD)

I actually was looking for Euro bumpers yesterday because of YOUR post.

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daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

And I pulled both of the rear windows out. Let me clean them up and then they are for sale....well, they are for sale with the dirt on them, too. At least, I had bluejeans and tennis shoes (best pair) on and the junkyard was not muddy.


LOL. This kind of reminds me of the couple of times I've called JimmyL from the junkyard. Once was when I found the blue 2nd row seat for him for his wagon (wrong pattern...won't work), then the time I found the perfect burgundy w126 dash (no cracks), and then during the Texas wrenching GTG when I found the 87 300TE with the trailer hitch on it.

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daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

While on vacation a couple of weeks ago, I went and looked at a 300SDL parts car that was intact except for the #14 head. I bought it the next week and it arrived today.

This is a car from Florida.


Am I crazy? That is a rhetoric question --- no answers necessary.

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daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

Thanks man! That's great! I think most of my problem with fixing up my car as been my total lack of patience.....

And right now my bumpers look droopy....

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1985 300D - 1984 Euro 280E AMG Clone (SOLD) - 1978 280CE (SOLD) - 1983 300D (SOLD) - 1981 300D (SOLD)

Patience, grasshopper. Patience. Take a look at the first pics of Coda. I'll post some more soon, since I just got my other daily driver running. Time for Coda's "overhaul" to begin.

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daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

Drove to all 3 atlanta pullaparts saturday, in search of a water pump pulley, alda bolt, and a antenna. I saw a total of 1 617, totally stripped..


so my question is:

WHO IS PULLING ALL THE 617s IN ATLANTA?

I saw 5 300D/SDs with the engines pulled...

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Ich liebe meine Autos!

1991 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL | Megasquirt MS3-Pro | 722.6 transmission w/ AMG paddles | Feind Motorsports Sway Bar | Stinger VIP Radar | AntiLaser Priority | PLX Wideband O2 | 150A Alternator | Cat Delete
1981 Mercedes-Benz 300SD | Blown engine, rebuilding someday...
1981 Mercedes-Benz 300SD | Rear ended, retired in garage.
2009 Yamaha AR230HO | Das Boot

Excessive speeding? It ain't excessive till I redline!

Not me. But if you need some 617 parts, just post over in the PARTS forum and I'll see what I can do for you.

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daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

this guy even asked if it could stay at my house lol.. I dont even have room for one SDL lol