Many people love restoring old automobiles themselves. The problem, however, is finding the original parts to repair the vehicle. One great way to find auto parts is by visiting a junkyard in your area. Junkyards are often jam-packed with items you may need. If you are considering going to a junkyard for auto parts, check out these three tips first.
Stay Safe
Start by asking the junkyard what the safety dress policy is. You will likely be required to wear close toed shoes, but it is also recommended you wear clothes that cover your entire skin, such as long sleeve shirts, long pants, etc. While in the junkyard, avoid smoking as it may ignite fluid residue from the cars. Lastly, you should not use flame cutters for the same risk. While flame cutters are great for quickly getting to the part you want, they spray sparks as you cut, and if any of those sparks touch some spilled fluid, serious injury or death may occur.
Choose You-Pick or Full-Service
There are two types of junkyards from which you can choose: you-pick and full-service. At a you-pick junkyard, you enter the junkyard with your own tools and assistants. You search for the part yourself, and when you find it, you remove it yourself. At a full-service junkyard, you request what you want, and the employees find it for you. This is much easier but it costs more. If you do choose a you-pick location, you aren't searching blindly. A good junkyard will have items organized, and inventoried, so you can see what they have instead of wasting your time searching for something that isn't even there.
Get a Whole Car Instead
Even if you go to a great you-pick junkyard with a clear and updated inventory, finding exactly what you want may be difficult. For this reason, it may be better for you to seek out an entire car you can use for parts. Therefore, instead of looking for the individual part, you look for a car you can cannibalize for parts. Not only does this make your search faster because you can see a car much faster than a small part, but it also gives you extra parts you may need later while repairing the car.
A junkyard is an excellent place to hunt for auto parts. If you are restoring an old car or truck, you must consider visiting a junkyard in your area for parts or even an entire car. For more information, contact a company, like i5 CHEVY.