Saving NOS parts.

How can we contact every dealer and parts vendor and reassure therm that a) there are companies and individuals who will buy their old stock, and/or b) someone someday will buy the parts they're hoarding for the last 30 or so years, so don't throw it all out!

I just spoke with a dealership who said they scrapped the entire second floor of their warehouse. Now I didn't ask for the dimensions of the floor but by the way he was talking, it seemed large enough to matter.
I asked "scrapped as in dumpster!?"
"Yes."

Such a waste, a crying shame, add to this if you will...

I don't know how to do that.  And it is a HUGE shame.

But at the same time the small salvages are going out of business.  One near me is closing their doors (gate?) as of the end of the year.  And when I asked what they are doing with the vehicles she said "Crushing them."  

SMH... Don't these parts guys know about the Internet!?

To your jy point, every yard I've asked to buy one of their relics has said no. Is this a legal requirement? Is there a way around this, any tricks I can deploy? PM if you have to.  

I don't have any tricks.  Haven't tried to buy a whole vehicle from a salvage.  But the title on those should show something about "For Salvage".

The "Peoples Republic of Connecticut" passed a law that if it his a Junk yard, running or not the JY MUST destroy the Title and/or all paperwork.

Perfectly good cab, shiny paint on the floors, Not a rip in the interior, But illegal to hold onto the papers.....

Insane nannying is an international problem.

So if I want to buy the roof of a truck, I have to cut the roof and leave the rest?

reamer wrote

Perfectly good cab, shiny paint on the floors, Not a rip in the interior, But illegal to hold onto the papers.....

What also drives me crazy is the typical "junkyarders" behavior in general. It's probably more of an issue with interior parts, but I can't tell you how many times I found something in really nice condition that's worth saving...like a seat for example, .....and there's a greasy transfer case sitting on it with oil leaking out of it...lol. Or maybe a nice set of door panels...one will be mint, and other will have been removed with a crowbar and destroyed to retrieve a part from inside the door.

But back to the NOS parts collecting dust all over North America. I'm sure what you see for sale on Ebay is just a fraction of what was thrown into garbage bins over the years. It's a sin really, but not surprising. I know a lot of businesses that have a lot of dead inventory, often times thousands of dollars worth if not hundreds of thousands, and it just sits there until at some point a manager or new owner, etc decides to get rid of it.

I've done a LOT of junkyarding (browsing - not owning) over the years, and I've encountered many that simply won't sell any part of a vehicle that bears the VIN (due to local legal restrictions, or just company policy for liability).  But other nearby yards may, so you just have to keep browsing.  Use satellite/aerial photos to fly around your area and just look/search for any place with scrap vehicles (including scrapyards that don't necessarily advertise used parts; used car lots that have junkers out back; and private junkyards with friendly owners).

I also know a few people around Memphis who handle corporate used/NOS/overstock parts, but those are MUCH harder to buy.  Usually, corporate policy prevents them being distributed anywhere other than normal corporate channels.  One guy says he frequently has to deliver van-loads of NOS (or even NEW) parts to a trusted salvage yard for crushing/shredding/recycling - no opportunity at all for anyone to buy them.  The several dealerships whose parts storerooms I've had access to have never had a significant quantity of old parts, though.  They try NOT to stock anything because 1) it's expensive, and 2) being this close to all the distribution warehouses, they can get deliveries a few times a day, so they don't need to stock much.

Any recommendations where to look?

Steve83 wrote

The several dealerships whose parts storerooms I've had access to have never had a significant quantity of old parts, though.  They try NOT to stock anything because 1) it's expensive, and 2) being this close to all the distribution warehouses, they can get deliveries a few times a day, so they don't need to stock much.

That must be why I am having trouble locating discontinued NOS parts for my 1998 Jeep Wrangler.  When Chrysler cancels a part, most dealerships don't have any stock to try to sell off.  

For that reason, it looks like it is going to become more and more difficult to properly restore a vehicle with original NOS parts.

At the end of the day, general manager Bob, or even corporate big wig Steve is perfectly content driving his 2019 F350 and couldn't care any less about leftover parts for a 2007 F350. Car dealerships aren't in the business of helping you restore your 30 year old car. They want you to buy a new one.

True. So it’s left to Dennis Carpenter (and Lemon-C) to recreate ... parts they deem fit for profit (I get it, it’s a business).










quality