So... I'm at Harry's U-Pull it yesterday and I went there with the SOLE intention of finding a bearing for my steering column.

Well, I came across a 92 Firebird with a totally smashed front end, V6, auto, and a near pristine interior!



Seats, the entire dash (gauges, faceplate, dash pad, et. al.), headliner, all the trim, and the entire trunk were intact and in excellent condition. Everything except the center console (it was a little beat up but still saveable).

LOL so I pulled everything I could with the few tools I had on me. This is a good thing because I needed the seats, headliner, dash pad, steering column, and pretty much everything behind the driver seat. I even took the rear view mirror (mine is beat to hell). It all cost me $95. Not bad considering I've seen people asking upwards of $100 for JUST the dash pad!

The only thing I didn't end up getting was the nylon sliders for the trunk release because it had a different style hatch pull down. Weird.

Now, I have a question: What do I have to do to convert the auto steering column to a 5 speed? It looks like there's just that rod connecting the shifter cable to the piece in the column that locks in when in park.

 

Looks like Hazleton.I do a harrys road trip once a month.Usually hit all 3 yards

 

You lucked out, over here the 3rd gens are getting harder to find at the scrap yards.

 

my82roc, Next time maybe you are up for a car pool to harrys. Let me know

 

All you have to do to convert the auto column to the manual car is to remove the shift interlock cable. That's it. It's held in with one philips head screw on one side of the ignition switch. The hatch pulldown assembly was changed in 1991 and a half, so anything made later will have the late pulldown.

Sounds like you found a car similar to what I found a couple years ago and have more parts to pull from yet (91 with auto V6 that was smashed in the front end). Wish I had yanked those doors when I had the chance as I need them now . Oh, well, the rear bumper and pass quarter will be coming with me, however. Nice find, though!

 

dam, looks like you really came up! haha..and for $95!? thats nuts

 

Yep, it's Hazleton. I live about 10 blocks from Harry's so it's nothing to go there.

Anyhow, yeah I've never been to the other two locations.

Also, I'm going to have to pull the rear seat from that car, as well. Mine is torn to shreds at the top and it's badly stained. I hate how used car interiors are usually thrashed.

Lastly, about that pull down being 91 1/2... My VIN says it's a 91 but the door jamb says 5/90. Must have been borderline 91.

I should just go to hawksthirdgen and pay the extortion prices there for the nylon tabs I need yet for the damn hatch to work correctly.

Yep, I figured it out. I took the entire shift column from the car pictured above and the ignition cylinder from the steering column I tried to "rebuild". Bolted that right in and voila! Now my steering column is like the day it left the factory. LoL nothing on my old column worked... I have high beams and a properly functioning tilt again.

 

You may have misunderstood me on the 91 and a half... The pulldown was changed halfway through the 91 model year (I'd guess around Feb/March) and stayed the same through the end of the 3rd gen. 86-91.5 cars got the same pulldown.

Oh, and the guides really aren't necessary if your hatch and striker are aligned right. My guides were crap along with the motor housing when I bought my car and I haven't replaced them in the 7 years I've had it. I'd have an easier time closing my hatch were the striker loop not bent (I really wish I knew how PO did that!). And you can get them cheaper from Top Down Solutions... I'm just too otherwise occupied and broke with other projects on the car to get them (besides the fact that I'm cheap and the thing still works, so...).

TDS site: http://www.top-downsolutions.com/pro...products_id=48 Oh, and you probably will want the reinforced motor housing as yours is more than likely broken and the gear nut as well. I know the motor housing is expensive, but it's worth it to never have to replace it again.

 

Actually, my original pull down motor was there but broken like you've said. It was also unbolted from the chassis and the whole rear of the trunk was torn apart. Plastic bits and pieces everywhere. The hatch was being held down by a ratchet strap . I've since found a good working motor and hatch pull down assembly on Ebay. I still want the nylon guides. My originals were there but by no means serviceable. LOL I'm still not 100% sure how everything goes together but I have much larger issues than this right now.

 

I usually go on Saturdays, but I figured they were closed. Shortys in KOP was closed today. Lame. I'll probably go tomorrow.

 

Seriously? I'm headed down that way tomorrow. What is Shorty's?

 

Shortys is just a small yard. The guy that runs it is an a-hole. He works the window and theres no price sheet, he decides the prices. But I have got a few things out of there.

http://www.shortysautoparts.com/

The Address:
Shorty's Auto Parts-King Of Prussia, PA
541 Flint Hill Road
King of Prussia, PA 10406

 

Here in Indy the 3rd gens are all over Indy pic-a-part at least 5 or 6 3rd gen, and gen 4 camaros and firebirds. all scrap prices. got doors, nose cone and seats for 80$. can not wait till pull a thon, everything that you can fit on a cart
for 35$ and I mean anything. check it out if you live near Indianapolis.

 

Shorty is always an experience. Window guy always wants to check my tool box. Really, you think I am going to steal parts that can fit in a toolbox. Cars go through there at a fast rate. Best to check every week

 

Ive never had my box checked at shortys.I usually go every 3-4 weeks.Was there this morning and shorty was working the window with his wife.The big guy bruce must have been off today.Anyhow they had 2 4th gen camaros and an 83 5.0 H.O Z28 that was trashed.His jersey yard has alot of f body cars but they have been there forever and dont have much left to offer

 

Rossi on the other side of 202 has a few 3rd and 4th gens also

 

When I went to Rossi, they wouldn't let me look through their lot. But I did get a good salvage engine from them.

 

wut kind was it? v8?

 

My engine? a V6 from a 95 Camaro for my engine swap.

 

My buddy took me to rossi today.They were closed so we drove around back and climbed up a hill into the yard to see what was there

 

Hehe, well, I didn't actually take the auto console from the j/y car because I had already promised a guy I would buy one from him. Yeah, it may have been cheaper from a yard, but I'm not going to go back on my word.

That, and the one I bought from the seller was in mint condition.

Anyhow, I need to go back to Harry's on Friday and PRAY that the remaining parts I need for my interior are still there. This would include the trim panels covering the rear speakers, a new third brake light lens, the part of the center console that houses the radio, the top part of the rear seat, and I may grab the bezel for the dash gauges since it was in pristine condition (maybe sell it... I don't need it) I also need various hardware and maybe I'll grab the coat hanger hooks since mine seem to be missing.

The part that really SUCKS is that the carpet in the j/y car was just as bad as my current one. Otherwise, I would have grabbed that, too.

 

ive yet to find a 3rd gen in a scrap yard in the GTA. lol.

 

Not much in the TO scrap yards ,there are a few in the outskirts of the GTA but they have been picked over pretty good.