I plan on going down to the Anaheim Pick-a-part tomorrow, after the World Cup that is. Never been to one, so I figured I might as well get accustomed to going to one if I'm gonna do a full restore on my Camaro.

Anyone have any suggestions/comments? Also what is it like at one, pretty much just show up and search for your parts for hours? And before anyone asks, yes I do have a rather extensive toolset that I'm bringing along, so I shouldn't have any problems there.

 

Yes, I have a suggestion. Go during the World Cup. All the people who watch that event wont be at the junkyard and it should be less crowded. More cars for you. Also, its always better in the morning than the afternoon.

 

A Wagon or a Two Wheeler with a milk crate tied to it is also very helpfull. Rubber gloves,water and a hat.Have fun.

 

I've upgraded from the dolly with a milk crate bungeed to it to a wagon. This is best rather than relying on them supplying a shopping cart especially on a half-price day. The amount of tools to take depends on what you're planning to get. I'd suggest sorting through your box and deleting any duplicates, then take a minimum into the yard, keep the jack and extra tools back at the vehicle. If you hit gold and find a 9-bolt rear or something else you need that the tools you can go back to the vehicle to retrieve them. I often go alone since I generally go mid-week, but it is better if you can take someone with you. I take a small soft-sided cooler with a couple of frozen water bottles and a couple of cold ones. The frozen ones will keep the cold ones cold and as they thaw you can drink from them and replenish the space in the bottle from the cold ones. There are actually two yards there in Anaheim. I've sometimes had better luck at the smaller of the two.

Lon

 

 

back, had a fun day. The 2 main things I was looking for were dash pads and front spoilers. I figured I wouldn't find any front spoilers as they get cracked and damaged easily. But I did find 2 mint condition dash pads in there.

Lon, which one are you talking about? The one I went to today was the one on Beach, I think the address is 1235 Beach Blvd. I know there is another one in Anaheim, don't know how big or small it is. This one had bout 5 Camaro's, 3 were pretty much already gutted and the remaining 2 were sitting right next to eachother. One was a red IROC, probably 85 I think. That's where I pulled most of my items from, including the first mint dash pad. The one right next to it was a later, probably 89 RS. I wanted so badly to get the rear spoiler off of it but someone gutted the center console and there was no switch to pop the hatch. I didn't spend too much time on it, I think if I spent another 15 min on it I could have gotten the hatch open.

All in all it was pretty fun. I do need to get a bigger wagon, the one I have is pretty small. I did 3 trips to and from my truck. I'm happy I found the 2 dash pads though.

 

Pick Your Part - Your #1 place for used auto parts!

It's on Katella, very close to the yard on Beach. It is on the South side, with a dusty dirt parking lot. Actually that pretty much describes the entire place. Just click on the link above for maps and addy.

Lon

 

How many Camaros do you usually see there? The one on Beach only had roughly 5-6, 3 of which were already completely gutted and useless. Wish I had found one with a black interior, could have gotten the rest of the interior I need.