I went fishing for parts today at my local Pick A Part Junk Yard. In a sea of imports and Fords there was a small section of GM cars. In it there was only one 3rd gen Camaro. Luckily it had one of the parts I was looking for, an inside door handle. I only needed one but I took them both just because they were there and so was I. These old cars are getting scarce.
I also needed the trim piece but someone had already taken it along with the door panels. But since they were gone it made removing the handles pretty easy. I used my cordless drill to drill out the rivets and those handles were mine! Good thing it was easy because it was hotter than H today. Can summer please be over now? It's the end of November. SMH.
Anyway, after reading comments here about how the aftermarket handles were slightly smaller than the originals and cheaply made and prone to breaking again I decided that junk yard parts would be a better idea. The aftermarket handles are $25 each while I paid less than $7 for the pair plus the $3 entry fee. Good times!

 

Only trouble with used, is that the handles are pot metal, and the rods like to vibrate in the holes. So you end up with worn out holes and rattly rods.

 

An afternoon in the boneyard is one thing,..... but these days finding a Thirdgen with ANY usable parts still on it in a junk-yard in 2017 is another thing all together ! I also agree about the original vs the repro door handles - I've even removed repro handles to re-install used parts in the past on cars that I've rebuilt,... biggest problem I ever had with the repro units is the plastic clip that holds the rod in place. Also had one that had the "arm" the holds the clip and moves the rod snap off too.

 

There are about a half done 3rd gens in the yard near me. Should I go picking? And what's the best to grab?

And what's the best tool kit to bring?
13 mm
10 mm
8 mm
Extensions and swivels, plus the same in box/open end wrenches?

 

When I go to the yard I bring 2 boxes,.... 1 with every socket/extention imaginable and 1 with every other tool I can fit inside and still close the lid. I also buy every usable Thirdgen Part that I can afford.

What tools you're going to need to bring depends on what you want/need. I can almost guarantee that you don't need a 8mm anything,... but don't even bother going to the yard if you don't bring a 7mm.

 

My recent experiences at yards in phoenix and las vegas were similar. Over a dozen fourth gens at any yard but at most 3 thirdgens and most of the desirable parts on them are gone. With the scarcity of these cars in yards now I also will start to go junk yarding for any usable thirdgen part that is worth keeping/selling.

Something else that I am starting to see a niche market for is stock parts from other vehicles sold to guys who are looking to modernize their car. These are parts that come stock on newer vehicles that the aftermarket used to charge an arm and a leg for.

 

Last Feb. I was in Fla. and hit several PnP yards in Tampa, Daytona and West Palm looking for a fan shroud.
One Tampa yard had 2 v-6s, 1 v-8 and no Zs. A couple v-6 birds and 1 T/A.
All picked over pretty good.

Daytona and West Palm had 1 picked over each.

I did score my shroud and some clips in Tampa for $20 bucks!

This season I will be on the hunt for some t-top strikers and end cap trim.
That stuff is $pendy used on fleabay.

And take pics!

Its great some yards have inventory and pics on line .

 

I bring a couple of toolboxes with almost every wrench and socket I own including torx and hex, screwdrivers, and pliers. I use a small dolly to wheel them around. I also bring a cloth shopping bag to put parts in, also a rag and gloves and a bottle of water, and of course my leatherman.
A guy working on a 4th gen Camaro borrowed an 11mm wrench from me.
The best thing to grab might be the center console lid if it's in good condition. That is one thing on my wish list. People seem to think they are worth $100 on eBay. I'll keep fishing.

 

Thirdgen parts still don't sell for enough money to even bother cleaning out my attic. Working on the current project bird, I've found hundreds of small parts in storage that are in better shape than the ones off the project. It'd cost a fortune if I had to track down those parts on ebay or even the forum, but a person couldn't make a profit selling them either. Funny how that works.

When I go to pull thirdgen parts, I usually have a variety of cutting tools, a big *** prybar, a 32oz or better ball peen hammer, a big rubber mallet, and the usual screw drivers, sockets, breaker bars, etc. Bolt cutters, good tin snips, and a hacksaw with a good quality blade can mean the difference between leaving a part behind, or getting it off the car in a timely fashion. Also, shout out to the cold chisel. Cordless Sawzall... I could go on all day.

 

Just checked PnP yards around Tampa, Daytona and West Palm.
Pretty slim pickins for sure!
Most had ONE 3rd gen..................

They had a bunch of 4th gens tho.

 

The yards in my area must be a bit cheaper then yours. Recently for my interior redo I purchased the complete center console, half of the interior panels, a power rearview mirror, a bunch of heater vents, misc switches and a few other parts for $55. Just the upper and lower center console (as a set) on eBay usually sells for $80. The best find is good condition black door sills since they are going for $50 a piece on eBay now.

 

There are three junkyards in the area. One is of the scrap metal variety, more interested in recycling siding and soda cans. Another keeps the yard locked up like Fort Knox and "Nah we don't have anything like that" whenever you say you're looking for anything interesting. The third is sort of a mix of scrap metal recycler and U-Pull-It. Ask and you get "Nah we don't have anything like that" or maybe "Hey Joe-Bob, what's that car out by aisle 4? Well you can go take a look". I'd qualify their staff as kind of a Wrong Turn at the corner of Duelling Banjos and Squeal Like a Piggy. The yard is a mix of swamp, and demolished construction debris, busted concrete, bricks, and so forth, with junk cars piled on top in no particular organized system.

So in other words, I don't waste time with local junkyards. It'd be harder to ignore the allure if the few thirdgens in the yard weren't so hacked up, and picked over to be completely devoid of parts worth salvaging.

 

Oops I almost forgot the last junkyard I crawled... Completely stripped to the bone 82-85 ish base models made up the bulk of their thirdgens. There was a complete, I mean COMPLETE 89 Iroc L98 car with busted windows, been sitting there for at least a few years. Interior was completely destroyed by the weather but obviously was nice when they parked it. 16" wheels, 140mph cluster, Iroc hood, foglights, everything was there, engine wasn't locked up. Asked the guy up front "the owner wants to swap that engine into blah blah landyacht". Asked about a piece off another car, trim piece off a hood, rest of the hood was mangled... "Won't separate it from the hood" Uh what?

So yeah...

 

This is the last Junkyard Thirdgen I've found around here........ spotted it about 2 months ago - stacked at the top of a field of cars stacked 3 cars high. Didn't even know it was there till I managed to climb to the top of the pile and took a look around and happened to spot a Formula Wheel.



This is the second to last Thirdgen I found,... that was back in August and actually in another State (Mass.) This was someone's garage queen - till the interior caught on fire. ZERO rust rot anywhere and there was barely even any surface rust on the front & rear suspension parts. Returned to the car 2 days later and the rear end was already gone.


The third to last Thiredgen I've come across was Last Year,.... December 24th to be exact. ( No Pics, 84 Firebird ) I clearly recall because I found the car on the yards website the day it was put out for customers ( the 23rd.) The next day being Christmas eve - and raining pretty hard - I figured I had a good chance to get some decent parts. I began to pull back out of my driveway and the inner parking brake shoe locked up and I had to remove it so I could drive the truck; this caused a bit of a delay in getting to the yard at opening. Got there about an hour after they opened and as I approached the car - there was a dude already in it stripping the dash housing from it. And, he wasn't even the first guy to the car,... I saw the first guy to get to it when I was checking out, he had pulled the center console from it.

Any other Thirdgen in a 'local' yard has been there for 5+ years and is basically just a shell that has absolutely nothing of value left on it. In short; There's pretty much nothing left in the 'local' yards and when it does appear it DOESN'T last so my advise on Boneyard Thirdgens,... get what you can while you can !!

 

Here is the most recent third gen to hit one of my local yards.92 rs convertible 6 cyl 5 speed.A few months ago they had an 85 z28 with a decent leather wrapped steering wheel and center console clock.Another local yard had an 87 Iroc 5.7 tpi car over the summer

 

Also picked on this one during the summer

 

And this is why I much prefer dealing with individuals parting cars. The last two cars I got parts from were parked in driveways! Paved driveways! Both times I brought home enough parts that the back of the Exploder was packed to capacity. Time before that, took three trips with a Dakota pickup to get the spoils home. Twelve hours pulling parts, driving back and forth, and tucking parts away for safe keeping.

At this point I really hate to bring anything home that I'm not planning to use directly. My storage space is packed to capacity. My plan is to finish my current project, and find time to finish some of the plans for my other cars, then get rid of the leftovers I don't plan to use. Having parts laying around is how I ended up with the latest project, I needed a car to use the parts. Then I stripped the project for cleanup and body work, so there are parts everywhere.

 

The junk yards my way would make you giddy- probably half of them are paved. Imagine a parking lot with parts cars parked in all the spots held up on the typical welded together wheels in a T shape. To top it off, it seldom rains so the interiors stay in OK shape being out in the elements. It really is great.

 

Down here in Fla. right now!
SLIM pickins on 3rd gens at ALL the LQK pic a part yards on line.
Gonna check a few other yards out while in Tampa, West Palm and Daytona
also while I travel the state visitin' family and escaping the brutal winter up
north.
Wanna buy a late 80s early 90s 4.9 or 4.5 Cadillac for a winter rat as my
trusty old Buick rat has about had it......
Caddys are dirt cheap and low miles down here.
NY winters are brutal on cars.

 

LOl none of the yards around me get ANY 3rd gens OKC area !! Just 4th gens up that wazoo !!

Luckily past few months, I picked up 3 rust free 82 t/a parts cars for the $$knight rider$$ crowd lol

And I have my eyes on 3 complete GTA parts cars around my area also lol

Dave

 

While definitely getting tougher to find good ones to grab parts up here in PA also, sometimes you luck out and find one that while really rough is still a gem to you!

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...inal-88-a.html

 

One of my local yards just got in a 92 rs camaro.Red with black interior 5.0 tbi.Car is still pretty complete less the stuff I've already picked off it

 

I went to a yard a couple weeks ago, I needed the trans mount frame rail. Found a super solid car that was missing hood, fenders, rear lights, interior, and drive train, but the shell was in awesome shape. The yard owner said he was shocked when the car was driven there in the first place. I felt bad cutting the car apart to get what I needed.
When I went up front to pay, he said I could buy the entire shell for $250! I wish he would have said so before I cut the rail out of the thing!! He knew what I was going back there for too.

 

I'm always on the hunt for items that are either in near perfect condition, or ones that can be easily restored. In my spare time I refinish those parts and store them away for a later day. There is a big swap meet in my area every March and you'd be surprised how fast simple interior parts I've freshened up will sell.

 

HMMMM...........
The Fla. parts yard crawl was a bust this year with just ONE picked over RS!