By Richard Holdener

Believe it when I say no one loves a trip to the junkyard more than me. We recently pulled no less than six complete engines in one weekend — that’s how we junkyard dogs roll! While the yard has many treasures, there’s a reason they don’t call it the treasure yard. The key to a successful trip is knowing how to spot the difference between the junk and the jewels. Here are a few suggestions that might help make your next junkyard trip less stressful and more successful.

Do Your Homework

Before heading out to pick up a motor, make sure to do your homework (on your engine combination). If you are looking for a 5.8L EFI 351W Ford, you should know that the fuel-injected 5.8L motors came with both flat-tappet and hydraulic-roller cams. You need to be able to tell the difference between the two without having to pull the intake to check the lifters. Hint: look at the gear on the distributor. Looking for a big-block Chevy? You need to know the difference between the Mark IV, Gen V and Gen VI motors, and that all of the Gen V and Gen VI motors came with desirable four-bolt mains but require a different (one-piece) crankshaft and rear-main seal.

You should also know that the later Gen VI motors offered larger, oval-port heads equipped with small combustion chambers, while the Gen V 454s came with smaller peanut-port heads (with large combustion chambers) and lower compression. Small-block guys should know that late-model, Vortec small blocks featured one-piece rear main seals and different intake bolt patterns. Whatever your engine, know the specifics before heading to the yard. It will save you both time and money.

Open For Business

The first step in securing a good motor requires only your eyes. Look for cars or trucks that have been crashed. If the vehicle has been removed from service due to exterior damage, chances are greater that it was running when removed, but make sure the crash damage does not carry over to the engine or accessories (if you need those). Check for missing carburetors, distributors, EFI manifolds, or other components that might allow rain to enter the motor. These will also need to be replaced (see mix and match) if you plan to purchase the complete engine. There is nothing that ruins a machined surface, like a cylinder wall, quicker than moisture, and since the vehicles sit out in the elements, rain is the natural enemy. A complete motor with carb or EFI intact is always preferred over one with an open hole.

Don’t Be A Tool

For some, junkyard etiquette follows the famous saying “neither a borrower nor a lender be,” though in the end, loaning or borrowing tools is an individual choice. It is not out of the question to ask to borrow a specific tool you might have forgotten, but constantly begging for tools is just bad form. Make sure you have a tool bag, and that said bag is full of all the tools necessary to do the job at hand. If you plan on pulling a motor, you are going to need more than a screw driver and Vice Grips!

The real junkyard dogs bring serious power tools like ½-inch drive and electric impacts, for example. It is likely the nuts and bolts have been on that motor you plan to pull for 10-15 years and might have never been removed. Make sure to have a breaker bar and extensions for your sockets, as well as little things like Torx and Allen wrenches. There is nothing worse than having to run back home or to the shop to pick up a tool. An abandoned motor (half way out no less) is easy pickings for another yard lizard. You would hate to lose that motor because you forgot to bring that 15/16ths deep socket. Experience pays big dividends, so learn from your mistakes. A list of tools is always good.

Spin To Win

When choosing a motor to pull, there are a couple precautions we like to take. Don’t be afraid to pull and check the spark plugs. A rusted, damaged or fouled plug is a bad sign, while clean (even high mileage) plugs are a good sign — new plugs are even better. A motor that has been given attention means someone cared about it. Check under the valve covers for the condition of the oil. Does it look like it has been changed regularly, or does it have the dreaded junkyard death smell? Is there any rust present (has the motor been sitting open)?

Does everything look present and accounted for — make sure there are no broken rockers, springs or missing components. We’ve heard of hard-core yarders dragging in batteries to crank over the motors for a compression test, but we go by one simple rule: spin to win. If the motor spins over with a racket and socket on the damper bolt (easier with plugs out), it usually is a winner. If you feel resistance, hear noise or run through a fast or slow spot while spinning it over, it might be best to look elsewhere.

Easy Pickins

Most wrecking yards will have plenty of engines to choose from, so don’t be afraid to take some time to look them over. We often find engines with the transmission already removed, making engine removal that much easier. The same goes for missing accessories (if you don’t need them), hood or radiator supports (makes it easier to pull the motor). Look closely at the engine and see if excessive rust is present, especially on the exhaust manifold bolts. The combination of heat and rust almost ensure that exhaust manifold bolts will be difficult, if not impossible, to remove. Your great deal on that junkyard jewel becomes decidedly less so if you have to spend extra time and money removing rusted exhaust manifold bolts. Heck, we’ve even found complete motors out of the car, sitting on the ground, but that is the exception rather than the rule.

Set Sale

Though engine pricing from the wrecking yard is already affordable, the LKQ wrecking yards in our area (self-serve Pic-a-Parts) often have sale weekends where everything in the yard (including complete engines) is 40 percent off. Naturally, everyone wants a discount, and that is part of the problem with sale weekends. Get there early, as parking in the lot is difficult on sale weekends, to say nothing of the lines to get in, out, or even pay for your parts.

Don’t get me started on finding an available cherry picker (engine hoist), but still, it is hard to pass up the 40 percent savings, so be prepared. Also know that real yard warriors have come days before, secured their parts (though not complete engines) and stashed them out of sight in other (unrelated) vehicles. You need an alternator for that 1999 big-block Chevy? Better check in the trunk of that Geo Metro over in the import section. Hot items hidden on sale weekends include carburetors (especially anything Holley), injectors, and mass air flow sensors.

Mix And Match

Wrecking yards offer engines as short blocks, long blocks and complete engines. If you are looking to secure a complete engine, make sure you are getting everything you pay for. Our complete engines included all of the accessories back to the flex plate or flywheel and from the air cleaner to oil pan. If any of those parts are missing from your chosen combination, make sure to secure them from another vehicle. Some pickers are less careful than others and show little regard to damaging a component in the way of them getting theirs.

Look over your components (distributors, carburetors, and anything electronic) to make sure they appear to be in good working order. If not, replace them with items that are. Of course, some junkers even go so far as to swap on a performance carb, larger injectors, or aluminum intake manifold. On a recent trip, we secured a Gen VI big-block Chevy after replacing the factory EFI intake and distributor with carbureted components from an earlier Mark IV motor. The Mark IV had a factory Q-Jet and intake but was only a two-bolt main. We swapped the intake and carb from the Mark IV onto the four-bolt Gen VI 454 and had the ideal combination.

Source

LKQ Corporation
lkqcorp.com