A Diesel Head muses about Nirvana at a U PULL IT yard... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Carrameow · #1 06-20-2007, 09:40 AM

( Hi Webmaster and BC, please let this live for at least several hours....)

Anyway, some guys love yachts and some guys love golf, and my thing is U PULL IT Junkyards.

I remember last summer at this time strolling through a U PULL IT junkyard in South Jersey on a summer afternoon. Some people see junk as junk, but I was fascinated and in an incredible high. There was so much machinery and technology for pennies on the dollar! I lingered and walked slowly, just like some people linger and walk through Yosemite. I was in total exhilaration investigating the cars, seeing how they were built and came apart and were put together. I might as well have been at the Smithsonian. The inventive creative type in me was drooling. I was in Diesel head Nirvana. I’m serious.

For those not in the know, there are two kinds of Junkyards.

There are the mean, ugly, nasty types on the factory city’s fringes whose hardened ruthless owners extract fortunes from you and you don’t turn your back for a second. The cars sit on racks piled high to the sky and the crusher is in the back of the yard. You draw your shoulders up and wear a serious face, because violence occasionally happens among the gritty workers and customers.

The second type is located in a rustic area in the middle of nowhere in the and there in some meadow some eccentric type runs a U PULL IT, not really trying to earn a fortune and instead just to earns some spending money. Peaking through the trees, you see row after row of car parked in neat procession, and you see all types of customers there: students, moms, gear heads and kids.

Anyway there was a Yard like this where I lived in South Jersey.

The owners saw me there so much that they waived the $2.00 admission fee and gave me credit.
It was there, only 5 miles from my house! I found 3 Mercedes W123 300D’s. From one, I extracted the new interior from for $90. The transmission was $100. Someone else beat me to the engine, but I got the IP for $30 and a nice cluster for $15.00 I found brand new rear transaxle joints on a rusted out ’79 with the front end smashed for $25. When I opened the boots, there was OEM oil still in them! And a radiator for $15.00 that was probably an year old.

I found a brand new SAAB interior that sold for $500 on the Net for $80. (There was a fixed price schedule) I found tons of Volvo’s with their priceless fuel pumps and AC Clusters sunroof assemblies and turbochargers and in the end I mined that yard for probably $8000 of parts for a total of $1000.

And you know what else I found ( besides some 30 pairs of sneakers in various Trunks?) I found mY Soul.

TheDon · #2 06-20-2007, 09:42 AM

brother.. you need a blog

vstech · #3 06-20-2007, 10:07 AM

I am with you indeed.

JohnS · #4 06-20-2007, 10:13 AM

Where is that yard? I am in that area.

LUVMBDiesels · #5 06-20-2007, 11:08 AM

I too like to stroll through the yards. I do it even when I am not in search of a particular part. I like going over the rows of cars and thinking about the lives they led before coming to an end. Of course, I never leave without something cool!

I was able to find goodies for my Corvair, GTO, etc in the local yards. I have not had as much luck with the BMW or Merecedes

Benzcrusher · #6 06-20-2007, 11:20 AM

In the 80's while tying to keep my Volvo 145 running I'd go to Michael's Foreign Auto in East Brunswick, NJ. It is most likely a housing development today... The had them all including a 300SL with a tree growing out of the engine compartment. I wonder what they sold that for or if it went to the crusher......

Back then windshields were $15 and gauge clusters were $40.....

SD Blue · #7 06-20-2007, 11:25 AM

Yes, the yards are a great place to find many treasures! Do you also have flashes from the parts pulling experience in freezing weather and in your scivies?

Hang in there! Once you find another salvage parts yard in your new location the feelings of longing will subside. It's a little tough to relocate to a new area and not know where things are, and not knowing many people. You often don't realize how many aquaintances you have, even on the most superficial basis, until you move to an unfamiliar area as you have done. You will probably have to visit quite a few yards until you find the one that "turns your crank".

rs899 · #8 06-20-2007, 11:36 AM

I'm with you bro....

Luckily there are about 3 of these upullit type yards in my area. I frequently visit two of them after work on Fridays (dressed in my casual jeans ) and try not to get too dirty for SWMBO. The best one I usually save for Saturdays (after calling and finding out what the "specials" are for the weekend).

I couldn't possibly operate the 3rd world fleet without them...

Rick

You should take a road trip to the SF bay area - I remember our dear departed brother Dave Sidlauskas used to have similar feelings about the ones in his area.

pitansk · #9 06-20-2007, 01:02 PM

the hippies in seattle haven't drugged you?

Jim B. · #10 06-20-2007, 01:02 PM

You deserve a Pulitzer prize for junkyard journalism!!

Well written indeed. I have always loved going through places like that, it's a real treasure hunt, and exhilirating when you find something you need, and even better when you find something you didn't think you need, but would be perfect for your car.

I never met a woman who could understand this.

One of the last Northern California Mercedesshop diesel drives ended up, not surprisingly at a Pic 'n' Pull in Sacramento, with Diesel drag races held outside the yard.

vstech · #11 06-20-2007, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

You deserve a Pulitzer prize for junkyard journalism!!

Well written indeed. I have always loved going through places like that, it's a real treasure hunt, and exhilirating when you find something you need, and even better when you find something you didn't think you need, but would be perfect for your car.

I never met a woman who could understand this.

oh, so true... I am sure they are out there, but where oh where are they?

speedy82 · #12 06-20-2007, 02:11 PM

Hey now, they know me at the yards in the south suburbs of Chicago! I walk around with my bucket of tools, from one yard to the next...and I AM A WOMAN

So there!