My dad just called me and told me he found a dick rear on an 87ish firebird(or TA not sure) with a five speed. Isn't this a rare find? maybe a G92 car? The boneyard wants about 375 for it and about 35 to take it off, is this a good price for this rear? I am thinking it is a 3.42 nine bolt w/posi am I correct?

 

$375 is a bit steep, but if it's a G92 5-speed car (did they have those in 87? IDK) it might be a 3.45 9-bolt. In any case, it'll be the crappy iron-caliper brakes, assuming it's still the 87 rear.

On the other hand, it might be a LG4, in which case it's probably a 26-spline 3.08 10-bolt.... utterly worthless.

No substitute for going and looking at it. Pop the cover, don't trust the "codes" or any of the supposed "tests"; after all it's real money we're talking about here, not mere curiosity.

 

Check the following thread for some help:

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=223710

JamesC

 

As a general rule I don't ever pay more than $150 for a junkyard rear. If they offer a decent warranty I might go $200. At $375 and $35 to pull it they saw you coming. You have to remember that junkyards are mostly cash businesses for one thing, so it isn't like they pay taxes at the end of the year. They also only pay about $300 for a car tops, and a lot they get for free or a tow bill. Don't ever take the first price they give you as carved in stone. They aren't the dealership with brand new parts for sale. Haggle with them, which is an art form all to itself. If it still seems too high walk away and go back in a week or two and see if they're willing to budge.

Unless you've got a 9-bolt you can get new gears and a complete overhaul kit for your rear for $375 delivered. Then you have to set it up, but that's not all that hard IMO, just time consuming.

 

Well, around you, there might be a lot of 300$ cars because they're rusted out piles of junk from road salt.

Around here, the salvage auctions which are NOT open to the public get around 100$ in fees or more on a 400$ car and there are LOTS of 400$ cars and LOTS of cars that go for way more than 400$.

It doesn't matter if they paid 1$ for a car. The parts are still worth what they're worth. Say a yarde gets an 89 GTA in that's completely hammered up front and got it for 250 (which ain't gonna be the case unless there's not much ahead of the b-pillars). Is a G92 aluminum caliper rear only worth 100$? I don't think so.

If you can get parts cheaper than what they're "worth," great. Saying they're not worth jack squat just because someone else didn't pay full price isn't true.


Agreed.

 

Obviously geographic regions will differ with price and availability. I can buy rears for 3rd gen cars all day long for $150 or less. It could be a 10-bolt, a 9-bolt, or whatever is slung under the car. There is a junkyard around here that specializes in 3rd gen F cars. They must have 100 of them. I see tons of cars with rear discs, even a few with PBRs. That's why I wouldn't pay $375 for a junkyard rear, especially when you can rebuild the one you've got for the same money. The difference is that you know the one you rebuilt is good.

BTW, I've never heard of a yard charging you to pull a part. Is that common in other states? Here it is either pick and pull yourself, or they just bring the part up front. Even if they pull it there doesn't seem to be any price difference. They do that for insurance reasons, or so I'm told.

 

Geography does make a difference, I think. I visit a yard here in Kansas where I regularly buy. Rear there $150. Recently, I was hunting for rears in Texas (for cars ), and I located two 9-bolts. One yard wanted $200, the other $400. What was unusual for me was that both yards wanted $50 more if you couldn't provide cores (I didn't ask, but I assume that was for the alum calipers). That was certainly something new to me. No pull charge here.

Haggle? You bet. Most yardmen would rather have money in the pocket than let the pieces rot/rust in the yard.

JamesC

 

I agree that the guy at the Junkyard must be poppin' pills to want that much for a used rear. I have decided to go with a used 89 RS rear out of an auto car that I am getting for $40. Then I am swapping the 5 speed out and putting an auto in the RS thats has the blown rear. The other yards around here would let me buy one for 100 even, in decent shape. The one I am getting looks fine with no leakage, dry as a bone. Thanks guys.