A Guide to Swap Meets and Scrap Yards

Tips for Scrounging Like a Pro

By Jim Aust

photographer: Jim Aust

A beginner’s key to finding parts at a swap meet is to look for sellers with a truck similar to yours. They usually have extra parts from their own projects and can be very helpful in locating anything you might need. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, don’t be afraid to ask.

If you are starting at ground zero and are looking to buy an old truck, a great place to start is a swap meet. A wide selection of trucks is available in one place, and most sellers are open to some serious haggling. Bring cash and make sure all the paperwork is in order before you seal the deal.

Seasoned swappers know that this space holds a virtual gold mine. Begin with the trio of ’69-’72 bucket seat consoles, then move to the bargain set of truck rallies, glance at the N.O.S. steering wheel, and then focus on the item in the foreground. The item at your feet is a super-desirable, fully restored ’67-’72 dash cluster that is equipped with a tachometer, a vacuum gauge (rare) and a speed-warning speedometer (super rare!). Only at a swap meet can you find many of these used items.

Looking for a good deal on rims? This this is a sample of what you will find at a swap meet. This type of seller gets a premium price for selling sorted and cleaned wheels, but they are still far cheaper than a new set. Experienced swappers carry a lug circle template and a tape measure to check backspacing to make sure they’re not buying wheels that don’t fit.

When you are ready to visit your nearest automotive recycling center (junkyard), you will need a good selection of handtools and a set of work clothes that you don’t mind ruining. Bring only the tools you need to get the job done because your toolbox will get heavy.

When you begin pulling things apart, a good thing to have is a box to toss small parts and hardware into. While most of these pieces may never get reused, there is always that one clip or special bolt that no amount of money or searching can help you find.

An old trick that a well-traveled junkyarder will tell you is “Never believe the fender badges.” This truck we came across was very clean, all the paint matched, and it had no evidence of previous body damage. This would lead you to believe it had a small-block under the hood.

But a look under the hood shows that this truck has a big-block between the framerails. The installation with all the correct brackets and big-block fan shroud makes this look like a factory installation. A quick look at the glove box door confirms that this truck came from the factory with a big-block. It’s still a mystery to us how the small-block badges got on the fenders.

The big-block also sported an Edelbrock manifold and a fresh Holley carburetor. Don’t expect to find many performance engines in recycling centers, but every once in a while they can be found.

An easy upgrade for ’63-’70 Chevy/ GMC trucks with factory drum brakes is to find a disc brake setup from a later model truck. The crossmember from a ’71-’72 truck will bolt right on, but so will the crossmember from a ’73-’87 pickup, which are much cheaper as well as considerably easier to find.

When you get into an auto graveyard take a good look around. You never know what you will find hiding behind a derelict vehicle. This perfectly straight and totally rust-free ’68-’72 shortbed fleetside quarter-panel would surely make someone happy (no letters please; we took it home).

Good, used sheetmetal can be found at nearly every scrap yard not located in the Rust Belt. These pieces can keep an old thrasher on the road a little longer or serve as just the right parts for a full restoration.

Reusable mechanical parts are always available at junkyards. When pieces like these power booster brackets are no longer available new, the yards are your only answer to find them.

Another setup that isn’t the easiest thing to find is this complete rear disc brake assembly from a ’79 Cadillac Seville. These brakes can be easily adapted to fit any 10- or 12-bolt GM rearend.

A major item that is invaluable to someone considering a project truck is a car-hauling trailer. If you don’t have one, start being really nice to someone who does.

Former Sport Truck staffer and current Car Craft Editor Matt King is a serious junkyarder. He has it down to a science and has made many Southern California junkyards his home away from home. One of Matt’s tips is to bring a dolly to help drag your finds out to your car.

Here we see King getting started on another engine removal for one of his famous buildups. For motor-heads like King, nothing is more exciting than pulling a dead hunk of iron out of an old wreck and bringing it back to tire–squealing life.

King recently discovered the ultimate junkyarding tool—this cordless saw from Craftsman. He uses it for cutting anything from brake and transmission lines to radiator hoses and exhaust pipes. What he affectionately calls “the tool” even comes with its own convenient carrying case.

Some projects are just too far gone to be brought back to life, but this old ’54 Chevy could still be revived with a few trips to the swap meet and salvage yard. n

What can make thousands of grown men anxiously line up nearly every weekend before the crack of dawn with their pockets full of spending money? No idea? Then you must not have been exposed to the swap meet and scrap yard phenomenon. Hordes of loyal disciples await these weekend events like sports fans awaiting the Super Bowl or World Series. The only difference is that you are on the playing field, not the sidelines, while on a swap meet or junkyard trip.

And like a professional athlete, to become a swap and scrap champion, practice, planning, and skill are necessary. A person who knows what he’s looking for and who can haggle for the best deal can score some major good buys, while an unprepared participant can end up collecting pieces that are only good for a personal landfill. Follow along while we point out a few tips to get you scrounging like a pro.

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