This past Saturday, I made a junk yard run to Pull-A-Part in Akron, OH (roughly an hour from me). The main reason for the trip has nothing to do with the Monte. Instead, it was about my 1984 Camaro that I want to restore. I admit, the car has not been touched in a LONG time, but I still have dreams for it and still work to collect stuff for those dreams. Pull-A-Part had a 1984 and 1982 Camaro on the lot according to notifications I got. I was able to use their website and confirm those were Z28 cars too! I need a replacement 82-84 rear bumper cover. I am excited, I scored that and more!
- 84 Z28 bumper cover
- 84 Z28 rear lower quarter ground fx
- 84 3-piece spoiler (some years added a 3rd brake light to the spoiler).
- 84 Camaro rear tail light harness (mine has been spliced years ago with crimp connectors).

Then I scored some Monte stuff, extras to keep around. I came across a 2004 Monte Carlo Intimidator, but looks like most the good stuff was removed from it. My big score for Monte stuff, I wanted the rear cross member for the black Monte. The one on the black monte is alright, but in plans of things I am up to with that car, I would like to remove the original cross member and put a good replacement in as I refresh the rear laterals in the future. THe cross member I got will need some work to freshen it up, but all good, just a little light surface rust to blast off and then coat with POR15.

So good stuff!! Here are some pics!

 

Nice score! Always so much fun to poke around at those places.

I am surprised they still have intact older Camaros out there. That stuff seems to be a rarity out by me - they seem to get quickly cleaned out for anything of any value once they hit the lot, at least anything that has any interest in collectability.

I did the same on my 5th gen when overhauling my rear suspension (BMR bars, disk brake conversion, and coilovers - so I couldnt just leave 1 rusty piece in there). My orignal one was pretty heavily pitted, so I grabbed a nicer one from the JY to clean up and powdercoat.

 

Good finds!
I haven't gone junkyard hunting in a long long time.. really since I had my red 04.. I should do it again, it's just relaxing.

 

Usually 3rd gen F-bodies I find in the yards are complete rust buckets and NOTHING of value intact (like the rear bumper cover I was after would be destroyed). Interesting, the interior on this car was destroyed (clearly before it was in the yard) and the factory paint was beat the heck, but it was a solid metal car.

I think I said at the beginning, treasure hunting lol. But it can be a lot of fun. But I am usually NOT going to the yard to save money on a car repair, it is usually for donor parts to do a mod or find something to help with a restore. So for me, the critical need is pretty low, so a score like this just increases the fun factor.

 

I got to the U pull it this year a couple of times and found some stuff too. I did get one of the Intimidator dash plates. I alwasy wanted to grab an Intimidator threshold from one of these but they are welded into the rocker, I scored some Red bowtie headrests.
When I shared my pics on FB everybody wanted them for nothing. Haha so I modified them to fit my seats and I love it.


Virgin and unbroken console lid that I salvaged from the U pull

Intimidator plate

Bowtie plate

red bowtie headrest

 

The Maniac had a manical time junking, scavenging all the odd and end items. Every now and again its like "What, no way!) parts show up, and there you were, right time, right place, caching. Congrats on building the Camaros inventory of exceedingly scarce donor parts.

Remember the Montes rubber parts are harder to find, servicable rubber trunk, window seals etc. I even pulled a spare rear window when my cars louvers were being built. They may become quite expensive / rare versus the windshields. 1/4 window glass may be valuable as some dip may smash one breaking into your car sometime, someone like Dean or Jeff, you know how those two roll... LOL, oka, it would be me, so tuck a couple away. Would help when you sell the car too, odd spare parts might sweeten the deal for a long term collector.

Any who, it was worth the 1.5 hr roadtrip, can Jason say: Winning....

 

Hey Zippy, I saw on the news this year that the Moab area got a huge flood during the summer. Hope you got away without any issues. Crazy weather for sure.

 

Thanks guys! It is always a fun junk yard trip when I recover some useful treasures! Stuff to help my current or future projects!

 

Hey SFC Number3, been a minute, yep, had the mud buggy tires & lift on the Monte.

Maniac, keep it up with all the jy trips and you will need a larger garage... but then you would not be a Maniac fi you left the jy empty handed, get some.