@$$es running certain junk yards.

[pagrunt]

Today after an interview I decided to stop at a yard nearby to see what they might have as they have alot of older cars. Odd thing with this place you can't go in to look, the old guys (late 60's/early 70's?) running it does the pulling. So I ask about another fan shroud & it just turned into a really fun experiance.
Me: Looking for a fan shround for a '78-'88 Monte with a SBC. Even an El Camino or other GM's of the like.
@$$ at the counter: That's too broad of years, need to be more specific.
Me: OK, mid '80's Monte.
@$$: You gotta be specific on the year.
Me: OK, I have an '81 with a SBC.
@$$: What size radiator do you have?
Me: The wider on that the SBC came with. It will be the same as any SBC Monte, Malibu, El Camino. Even with the other GM mid sizes.
@$$: Well you gotta be specific cause they had 20", 22", 24", 26" & 28" wide.
Me: There was only two widths for my '81, the V6 one & the V8 one. I need the V8 for a SBC. Again they will be the same for '78-'88 with fitting. I've had this car for almost 30 years.
@$$: Well they changed the shrouds every so many years so they all won't fit. I can't say I have your year here. But I'll have to take a look. Give me you name & number.
Me: GM basicly kept them the same all the years I'm asking for so others will fit (give my info.)
Then he takes a call & starts to ignore me as I try to finish giving the info + details. Seeing I'm not leaving he askes who ever on the phone (not looking for parts) to hold on. I finish.
Me: what are you looking to get for one if you have it?
@$$: What do you think you'd pay for it.
Me: Like most as cheap as I can, say $20-$25.
@$$: Well I get everyone say as cheap as they can but my time is worth money. I have to go out & look for it, then unbolt it. I'll have more than $25 in that. What would a new one run you?
Me: The only new ones out there are NOS & who ever has then wants it's shelf space rent added to the price, that's why I'm looking for a used one.
@$$: Well those are over $100 for them & you can't get them for under $100 (dropping a hint of what he wants for his time with the part.) Again I don't know if I have you year cause that is what you need. Then you have to know what size radiator & how many cores to even get the right one...
He just kept running on that about the size, year, I don't know what I'm looking for think all these "different" cars could even fit, something about needing another hle in my head, go to pick & pull to buy all the shrouds to prove I'm wrong. Should of figure why they have a 1st gen Hemi "growing" out of the side of a tree, 3 feet off the ground. I actually wish he was a kid at Auto Zone then I would expect that kind of counter help. Now I see why no one has ever recomended this place.

 

[melloelky]

how'd the interview go?

 

[pagrunt]

how'd the interview go?

On a good note it did go good, the agency that set it up is trying to hammer out the pay to be close to what I was making but above the my minimum threshold. Sucks going from a good paying union job to something to ensure we're doing good. But I still have few other jobs out there I'm so far still on the short list.

 

[joesregalproject]

That's so aggravating. It seems the folks who are running junkyards always know more than everyone else. Then again, I don't think a person winds up in the junk business by being intelligent and personable.

Mind saying which yard it was so I can avoid it?

 

[pagrunt]

Mind saying which yard it was so I can avoid it?

North Apollo Auto Wrecking. It's a shame cause they do have alot of older cars rotting away there.

 

[kornball426]

North Apollo Auto Wrecking. It's a shame cause they do have alot of older cars rotting away there.

There's a place not too far from where I live that is like that, and you have to make an appointment to go there, and it's only open on Saturday for like 3 hours. Such a shame because I can see a ton of old cars in there from the highway, cars from like the 1940's up to the 1990's.

Local legend is the owner was mob connected somehow and they were burying bodies in there... And so they don't want anyone poking around in there unsupervised. Probably just a myth but people love having a more interesting story than "it's run by some cranky old jerk that doesn't like to deal with customers".

There's another one that's open if you ask to talk a look around, but they won't let you bring in tools or remove parts yourself. It used to have a lot of cool stuff, but all the cool old stuff got picked clean or rotted to the point there wasn't anything left worth salvaging. The U Pull places haven't had anything old worth buying the last few times I checked.

Except for an extremely clean but bare Dodge Dart swinger roller/shell which I tried to buy, but they refused to sell it. Body was so clean, no rust, no dents. Had no engine or trans, driveshaft, or interior other than a steering wheel and dash, but it was so nice, you could build a beautiful car out of it, even just a drag car without paperwork. Told them I didn't care that it couldn't be titled again because the VIN was recorded as destroyed. They refused to sell it regardless, said they were going to crush it once it spent however long sitting in the yard. Such a shame, actually made me mad that they'd rather destroy it than let someone do something with it.

 

[fleming442]

It's a shame that all the good yards are just crushing out. Why not list the cars for sale (for a reasonable price)? Here in MD, if it has a Salvage title, you're the sole owner for life- can't be transferred. However, if you need a good parts car or something........

 

[blk7gxn]

Absolutely ridiculous. Apparently the Junk yard guy/ owner knows all there is to know about everything, (in his own mind).... puzzling he's out of touch on the current market values of parts, a real indicator he sells a bunch lol NOT...sounds like he's a hoarder with a tax ID# on his building to justify his existence in his town to meet code enforcement requirements.

 

[yourownself]

I had a yard local to me pull a similar stunt with a grand lemans once. It was such an oddball car that I had to have it. Black 4 door, red interior, manual locks, windows, 4 speed, 301, vinyl bucket seats, and heat only. He didn’t have the key, and wouldn’t go down on his $1500 price. He wouldn’t let me bump the starter to see if the engine was seized either, iirc. So for all I knew, I would have bought a crusty *ss car just bc it had a really strange combo of options. This was back when you could buy a running, driving SS for $2k, so a stripped down grand lemans that might not even run was certainly not worth $1500. Maybe if it ran, but not if he didn’t even have the key.


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[ItsnotaGN]

It's just soo difficult to say "hey let's take a walk out to the yard and see what's there". God forbid you should get into the inner sanctum and see the treasures he has stashed.