PINTO CAR CLUB of AMERICA
Shiny is Good! => General Pinto Talk => Topic started by: Wittsend on June 29, 2017, 04:22:11 PM
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As should be obvious by my posts I live in proximity to the second largest city in the nation - Los Angeles. And I am (becoming "was") a frequent user of the areas Self Serve Auto Wreckers. A year and a half ago the independent U-Pick Parts yard closed having been open since the 1940's. This was a very sad thing because I was more likely to find older cars at this lot than the corporate LKQ - Pick Your Part. In general I'd likely find at least one Pinto (even if I saw it last time) during my monthly visits.
With Pick Your Part being the only game in the area now (and cutting the available cars by 50%) I think I've seen ONE Pinto in the year and a half U-Pick Parts has been closed. Pick Your Part has a "Classic" section (that cost an additional $2 over the $3 admission) but it is only a few rows and the so-called "Classics" are often 1980's Mercedes and early 90's Miata's. So, if your only going for the classic section it is $5 to get in and you can walk it in about 2 minutes - or less only to see 80's Mercedes and Miata's. (did I mention their prices/core fees constantly rise and their 50% off sales have become 40% off?) I haven't seen a donor Turbo Coupe for many, many years. A Merkur - forget it. Try even finding a 80's Mustang for a T-5 trans., I've looked for a few years now with no results.
Today I did a full search of EVERY "Big Three" manufacture on their inventory thinking surely there would be something "Classic." Chevy, one 1973 Nova. Ford, one 1971 truck. Plymouth/Dodge, one 1964 Valiant. Pick Your Part may be valuable for drivetrain upgrades, modern seats etc. but they are no longer a parts source for older cars. So..., if you have parts cars I wouldn't be quick to dispose of them because they may be the only source left the way things are going.
After U-Pick Parts closed in Jan. 2016 I still went to Pick Your Part every month for their 40% off sales. But, frankly I found little to nothing and didn't have the hope that "the other yard" (U-Pick Parts) might be another source. So I just stopped going. Sad to me because I had been doing so every month for about 15 years. It is like your home town closed down and everyone but you moved away. :( And if things are getting this bad in the #2 most populated place in the nation, with generally rust free cars, how bad must it be elsewhere???
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Sad to say but it is the same situation here in Northeast Florida. Many years ago, when we were newlyweds, our favorite weekend activity was to go to junkyards and pull parts "just in case." The junkyards were free to enter and had no liability form to sign! We pulled many alternator brackets because the 72's sometimes broke. Speed forward to 2017 and in the Gainesville area, there is one independent junkyard (The person you pay often decides what to charge and it's usually cheap!) and LKQ. Recently we needed some things for our 1983 Ranger and at LKQ I found a 1984 Bronco II that we could pull some things off. Like you, we waited for the 40% day. LKQ even gave out free bottles of water. I do search Florida's LKQ's on-line sites to check for older vehicles. I have a brother who lives south of Daytona and if I find a potential parts vehicle in his area, I send him to check it out. I do miss the old, traditional junkyards.
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Up in NorCal, my old favorite, Pick-N-Pull processes cars very quickly now and their staff competes with pickers. Our local yard has land barge with a generator supporting all manner of tools that an army of in-house recyclers moves up and down the aisles pulling wires, cores and valuable metals. Like a bunch of strip miners and as soon as that process is done, the car will vanish. It must be more profitable and I get that, but things sure have changed. We may be entering an era where we buy the whole car and part it out.
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E-Gay and craigslist have taken over from the junk yards. I too miss those day of looking for parts in the junk yards. Many a treasure was found there.
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We may be entering an era where we buy the whole car and part it out.
This is exactly what I have started doing the past 5-6 years. However, Pinto's and Bobcats are not as plentiful as they once were.
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E-Gay and craigslist have taken over from the junk yards. I too miss those day of looking for parts in the junk yards. Many a treasure was found there.
And it's not even that good. overpriced and hard to search through the garbage that isn't even related to the car.
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A lot of the stuff on ebay isn't really parts for your car but pictures and junk etc.
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Watch out on E-gay were they show more in the ad than they will ship to you. Example would be a coil pictured in a nice mount and when you get it, no mount. They do it all the time. Check them CLOSE.
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I think I posted this some place else (?) but Centerline also closed it's doors......
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Closing or moving? Many have moved to Nevada in the past. Hope they do that too.
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Google says they closed the doors....
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Sad day. They were the wheels to have in drag racing for a very long time. RIP
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Google says they closed the doors....
Their own site says it now.
http://www.centerlinewheels.com/press-release.html
It sounds like the name may be brought back, but not as we all know and remember it.