Think About A Plan Before Heading Out To Salvage Yards

Posted on: 24 August 2015

A pick and pull salvage yard (often stylized as Pick n' Pull) offers a lower-cost way of finding used parts for vehicles. You simply need to contact the salvage yard and ask for vehicle availability and bring your own tools. If you're mechanically inclined, but haven't had a chance to salvage working parts from non-working vehicles, keep a few organization and safety strategy points to keep your visit positive.

What Does The Salvage Yard Have In Stock?

As mentioned, you'll need to call the pick and pull salvage yard or ask at the front office to find out if your vehicle is available. It's best to do a bit of research about what you need before driving to the salvage yard.

Make sure to have your vehicle's make, model and year as well as the part model number. An Internet search for your vehicle and the part should give different results, which can be compared to your non-working vehicle. If the part is missing and has important differences, such as the liters (2.2L versus 2.0L, for example), you should contact the manufacturer or an experienced mechanic to find out if the engine types are interchangeable for your specific vehicle.

There are also times when cars of different makes and models have the same parts. This can occur with smaller parts such as water pumps and starters, but can be true for some of the biggest components such as the engine. Be sure to look up any other car makes, models and years that have the same or compatible engine. With more choices, you may enjoy better prices or at least a bigger selection in case the first few engines are bad.

Take The Right Equipment And Safety Gear

Look up the tools necessary to remove certain parts. There are many videos available for certain parts removal or replacement that can be used for reference, which should include the parts necessary. Reviewing these videos instead of heading out to the salvage yard for an improvised removal can save a lot of time.

If you can't find specific information, such as what tools to use or specific removal techniques, consider asking the video maker or making a comment in the video's comment section. As you wait for that answer, asking a mechanic can give you an opinion on the removal as well.

It's important to have the right tools to avoid damage and wasted time. Forcing a wrench to fit or jamming the wrong tool in to pry a part out of place could damage the part, the tool or yourself. It may be tempting and may even work the first few times, but it's better to be safe and ensure a good part removal.

Take safety gloves and consider wearing long sleeves to reduce cut or scrape damage. There are fine-fitting gloves that allow more dexterity than larger, clunky work gloves if you're concerned about the gloves getting in the way.

If you need help with bigger parts such as lifting an engine, ask a salvage yard mechanic for assistance before causing serious damage and strain. Contact local salvage yards to begin planning your part removal. 

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