Junkyard Musings and Questions...

Cool! Nice to find stuff like that.

I’d like to make a trip to our u pull it soon.

grumpin wrote

Cool! Nice to find stuff like that.

Ya, I like even going just for the stroll, to look around and see what's new. I always ask the people I run into if they've found any gold nuggets, and that usually gets a laugh.

Bullnoses are pretty rare in our local junkyards. If they do show up, they've usually come from a property that was purchased and was being cleaned up. This one yesterday had not been road legal in a decade, so it had been sitting somewhere for a while. I wanted the interior door panels from it...the passenger side was actually quite nice, but the driver's side had a big crack in the top of it.

Good job!  Slowly finishing the thing up, right?

Rembrant wrote

Bullnoses are pretty rare in our local junkyards. If they do show up, they've usually come from a property that was purchased and was being cleaned up.

Same. 2008-2010 seemed to be the golden years for me locally. I actually took some photos back then of the kind of trucks we had. It's a little depressing because of how complete some of these trucks were. The two-tone blue and light blue F150 shortbed was my donor for all of the Ranger Lariat parts I added to my 1980, and the blue and white extended cab donated that beautiful front bumper. Wish I could go back in time and grab a few more parts.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/1980f100rangerlariat/albums/72157624292407420

Wow! Cool pictures!

I think I’d pop a circuit breaker if I walked in a junkyard and saw that!

grumpin wrote

Wow! Cool pictures!

I think I’d pop a circuit breaker if I walked in a junkyard and saw that!

I used to go to the one junkyard almost every weekend to pull parts back then. I practically built my F150 using parts from that junkyard. Unfortunately last year they decided to get out of the U Pull It business, so there's no more access to that yard. And the junkyard that had the pretty blue and white extended cab shuttered after just six months because it was built in a low-lying area that completely flooded during hard downpours. I think there were concerns over runoff from the vehicles.

I need to go to ours. I walked in there and found what I needed for my A/C on my truck. Plus a few extra items.

This time I’ll grab a wagon, put my tools in it and stroll. Look for goodies for all my vehicles!

I used to visit a junkyard way out in the country about 15 miles from my house.  It used to have lots of old Bullnoses and Bricknoses there.  I would grab my toolbox and just stroll around, looking through new arrivals and anything interesting for my Lucille.  I picked up every little clip, bracket, and brace that went missing from my truck over the years, and I was able to pretty much put it right back to how Ford did it 35 years ago.  In the end, I found it very rewarding to have everything "right" under the hood.  

Some of the bigger items I got from this yard were spare interior trim parts (molded in Canyon Red!), a complete [optional] AOD transmission cooler with the lines from a 1989 F150, 1989 F150 cowl panel, replacement hood and radiator core from a 1986 F150, and a complete [optional] Ford underhood toolbox, replacement underhood reel light, and a DuraSpark II wire harness from a 1983 Bronco.  Coming home with these treasures and dreaming about my restoration were some fun times for me.

I am happy to say I got lucky and found everything I needed to complete my restoration.  Everything was plentiful and cheap then.  But times have changed fast.  I visited that junkyard about a year ago because I was bored and I was sad to see not one Bullnose on the lot, only one Bricknose, and a couple of picked over 1992 - 1996 trucks.  I guess these vehicles are just getting too old for people to try and keep going for work duties anymore.

Swung by the local jy and one new arrival was a 1980. The original owner was very organized based on all the documentation and service records in the glovebox.
Haven't read through it all yet but some amusing prices and other info.

That's cool stuff.  But you got the slide locks and the shift boot ring as well?  Those are rare!

Good eye. Yeah, the 1980 was the nutmeg and while a Custom, was in good shape and had the boot ring, slide locks, and floor vents.

Cool stuff! Is that Burger King coupon from 1980 as well haha.

kramttocs wrote

Good eye. Yeah, the 1980 was the nutmeg and while a Custom, was in good shape and had the boot ring, slide locks, and floor vents.

Cool finds! What condition was the boot in? They're one year only to fit those trim rings as well.

Rembrant wrote

Cool stuff! Is that Burger King coupon from 1980 as well haha.

 Unfortunately looks like it expired in 93. Might still be worth a try though

salans7 wrote

Cool finds! What condition was the boot in? They're one year only to fit those trim rings as well.

I didn't even think about the boot being a one-year thing. Good call. I'll check it out next time I go. I know the knob was still there and looked decent.

Rembrant wrote

Cool stuff! Is that Burger King coupon from 1980 as well haha.

Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us. All we ask is that you let us serve it your way! Have it you way....