Hello,
I am new to the DC area and would like to know if there are any good junk yards nearby (10-20 miles from DC area). Also, I have some subframe connectors I would like to have installed. Does anyone know of a good shop to have this done at? Thank you.

 

Welcome to TGO. Noticed that this is your 1st post. There is alot of great information here.

I'm up in Baltimore, there are plenty of junk yards to hit up, but it's a gamble if your gonna find anything. If you're just looking for basic parts, then the yards are great. I love going to the JY just to look at all the cars. If your interested, I'm going to one on sunday.

I know that Stevo, who lives in Springfield, VA, complains that there are no yards down by him. He comes up to Baltimore and hits the yards up with me a lot.

 

Roger that, the yards around here arent very helpful. Very overpriced and good parts are scarce. There is a Brandywine just over the woodrow in MD and also a yard owned by them in Lorton, VA. There are more yards further south towards Quantico and Fredericksburg but the best ones are north around baltimore. Thats where ill be heading this sunday. Good luck.

I had my subframe connectors installed at a shop down in Woodbridge. I cant recall the name of the shop when i remember ill let you know. They had a fair price, and did the job right. My car was a little harder cause it originally had dual cats.

 

I got quite a few around me, I'm right near Brandywine Auto, let me tell you that they are expensive. They also have a place that is partnered with them called Ransom motors, they usually have a couple of third gens to look for what you need. I haven't had a day off of work in such a long time to go there and look. Time to time we get third gens in my work, which is a car auction, if they aren't in the best shape the junkman at my work will then I'll buy it and take what I need and sell it back. Most of the parts I've been replacing lately has either been brand new or aftermarket, so I haven't needed to go to the junkyard.

I heard there is a Corvette junkyard in temple hills, I've been meaning to go by there but haven't yet.

 

I am located in Temple Hills and I have did not know anything about a Corvette junkyard in Temple Hills. Were is it located at?: Also this summer we must meet up at the Blvd.

 

i go up to crazy rays in jessup md and abunch in/near balmore
welcome to the bord

 

Toxic youre right about Crazy Rays in Jessup MD. Thats probably one of the better junkyard around. They also have a Crazy Rays in Balitmore MD.

 

I was told the vette yard is off of st baranabis rd. I work up that way and never came across it but i believe it's off of the road behind a storage lot or two. the place is called chuck's automotive?

Also crazy rays has nice prices but alot of the times you can't find a damn thing you are looking for. I heard that the one in baltimore was better than jessup just because less people go there.

 

the crzy rays in balmore is more strick not much 3rd gens that are usable. and in that one there is a cop that make you open your bag unlinke the crazyrays in jessup. its true its hard to find stuff at this yard but once in awhile they have some good finds i know there are afew yardsin rockville but i havent been to emyet

 

It all depends, little **** that fits in the pockets on my bag never a problem even if they said something id be like i got that from so and so...all of them are starting to check. Its how much they care that day, lot of the guys at those places are lazy. Figuring i go to 3 crazy rays daily, its all a gamble, sometimes jessup has the most sometimes erdman and hawkins point have more. I have got useful parts from them all its just getting there at the right time when the cars first come in. I wish i lived under 25 mins away and had the time like you guys id be hitting them every week!

 

I was at the one in Mt Airy when I pulled some sockets off a LT1 harness that I needed . When I went to pay the cashier waved me through. Seems like most of them dont care about bolts or little stuff. Nevertheless, I always clear my toolbox before going. After going to all 3 locations regularly the past 2 years I can say scoring parts is all about the lucky timing. My best scores have been a 4l60e already removed from the car, a LT1 pcm, a z28 fiberglass hood, and a mint dash. I gotta say my favorite yard is Hawkins point since its not as muddy.

 

im up at jessip alot b.c up the street literaly is one of the car auctions i sell cars at so b3fore or after the auction i go to the bone yard

 

well i scored this past weekend and wasnt even looking for camaro stuff. Down here in stafford they have a pick-a-part similar to crazy rays...mint dash pad, some emblems, aluminum gauge bezel, console clock, there were a set of iroc louvers but unfortnately he wanted me to buy the whole hood...there was several stuff i coulda also bought but i didnt have time. Im assuming the LT1 was gone from the car up at mt. airy?

 

Yeah The Lt1 was gone, it was from a caprice. I found my first Lt1 f-body there that same day, those seem to be really rare. That motor was gone also, seems that they last only about 2 or 3 weeks in the yard b4 they are gone....

 

down here in lynchburg va, hange thirdgen hunting up. we have 3 local yards. 1 is closing soon <guy retired> they used to have about 20 third gens. now only 2. and there stripped. 1 4th. has rear disc drums, he said hes take 100 for the rear, i need to figure out what rear it is tho=\, we also have another yard. nothing useful there. only 1 thirdgen, and its toast. and the last yard has a few, but wont let you look around, you have to go inside and tell them what you want, and honestly they reply with. we dont have any thirdgen parts, even tho you can see them from the road or theyll try to rape you. like 150 for a stock hood;p

 

Most of what was in Rockville has been cleaned out and is gone, the only one that I know of that is still there is Southlawn. Same thing with all the stuff that used to be in the what we used to call the industrial wasteland/hell in beltsville, it's all gone except one junkyard, as is the one in between that used to be on the corner of georgia and rt28.

To some extent a lot of these yards are doing it to themselves, with the exception of Crazy rays and a few others they somehow got the idea that there used/beat to hell/incomplete stuff is worth 50-60% of what the part goes for retail at the dealer (check what it’s retail price is and then call the jy, a lot of them _will literally_ do the same thing to quote you a price), which by the time you clean it up, buy new hardware and compare what it would cost you new (NO ONE actually pays retail for stuff anymore), you’ll find that most stuff is more expensive then buying it new.

 

good to know so not worht chekin out?

 

I just moved up from Baltimore. Any good yards up here?

 

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I hear that PA has some killer yards...

 

Dont know about where he is, but theres 2 yards just across the DE/PA border that i frequent for my other cars, and they suck when it comes to 3rdgens to be honest...their other yard that has the 3rdgens are older models that were v6 cars...

There are a few in downtown Wilmington that are apparently good for stuff like our cars but I havent checked it out yet.



..I just realized he doesnt want to travel that far though

 

Traveling isn't really as much an issue, as is finding some other viable yards; aside from the few I frequent in Baltimore.

I heard there was one called Banks(?) just across the river here, just haven't gotten over there yet.

If I get a chance to check out Willmington, I'll post my findings...

 

Come down by me in pg about 10 miles before waldorf and we can hit up Ransom motors. They aren't the cheapest but they aren't the most expensive. They usually have 3 or 4 decent third gens to choose from. They mainly have alot of dodge and jeep but carry gm and ford also.

 

Ive been there a last week they have a 91 formula with a 305 tbi that interior is completely striped, a 82 firebird that is burnt up but has a flowmaster catback in the back, a sport coupe that is pretty much stripped, and a rs that is probaly crushed by now.

 

Ernies salvage outside of Martinsburg, West Va. usually has a few third gens... last summer they had a decent 1984 L69 H.O Z28 with 5 speed and factory 3.73 posi (RPO sticker was still in the console)... tranny was already gone, but the clutch pedal assembly was there... went back the following weekend to get the rear and everything I could fit in the back of my truck, and the whole car was gone! I did manage to get the dual 5.0 H.O breather assembly for $25 (which sell on eBay for around $200) and the 5.0 H.O dash plaque for $2

Winchester, Va. has a yard named G&G salvage that sometimes has a few cars as well... Last time I check (last fall) they only had two Z28s left that were picked over pretty good. Last summer they had a 91 Firebird with perfect "black" interior...

~John King
Winchester, Va.
1990 G92 IROC 5 speed

 

and there stripped. 1 4th. has rear disc drums, he said hes take 100 for the rear, i need to figure out what rear it is tho=\,
=========================================================
Check the RPO sticker in the console (actually I think it is in the glove box on 4th gens) if there is code G80, that is a posi rear... also look for GU5 or GU6 codes (GU6 is 3.42 gear ratio and GU5 is 3.23)

~John King
Winchester, va.
1990 G92 IROC 5 speed

 

glovebox left open. sticker dry rotted/faded but i dont think drum rears came posi to often in 4th gens did they?

 

I've scored some good parts for my camaro at Banks Auto Salvage on 234, just take I-95 to exit 152 toward Manassas. They have a few 3rd gens in there. I still have the flawless firebird dash pad I bought there and then found out that it's different than the camaro, anyone need one?

 

Which yard in Mt. Airy are you guys hitting up?

 

You know what over on Spriggs road when i did my T56 swap. After pulling out of the driveway i was testing through the gears i actually passed a yard on 234! It was huge i completely forgot about that yard! How are thier prices? I believe this was the same yard as its the only one i know of on 234 im heading down that way this weekend ill have to check it out.


Crazy Rays.

 

There's really three yards right in a row. The one in the middle is where I've found the most stuff, and their prices are a bit higher. Stevo, what were you doing on Spriggs Road? Thats my area. I'm a member of the VFW at Spriggs and Minnieville; I live down by Minnieville and Dale Blvd. 234 is now four lane all the way.

 

yup right at that shopping center if you go spriggs there is a church like 2 houses down on a big hill was were i was working on my car. Its my gf's fathers house. He gave me the room to keep my car and work on it there for 2-3 weeks. Im amazed when i was down there couple weeks back they have actually finished a lot of the construction. God damn it was so noisey on that road when i was working on it.

 

I got a mint factory 82 SMC hood from the yard on Norman Rd in Stafford. Well, I wasn't planning on it, I had driven down in my Camaro. So I put a blanket on the roof and put the hood on top of it . Drove up Route 1 and Spriggs road with the my t-tops out and the hood on top of the car with one rope around the rear of the hood and Stevo and I holding the front of the hood with our hands while driving. It was a classic red-neck moment in both our lives. We dropped the hood off at Stevo's girlfriends fathers house. I returned a week or two later with a truck to get it. There was no way I was driving back to Baltimore with a hood on my roof.

 

That was truly the most red-neck experiance in all 20 years of my life. lol