Car guys/gals: Salvage yards in Detroit Metro area

**MoparDan** · May-18-09, 06:42 AM

An airman transferred into my guard unit from Battle Creek recently. During drill over the weekend we started talking cars & he mentioned he'd heard there were a lot of good salvage yards in the Detroit area. I figured that made sense seeing as how cars are made there, then there's probably tons of them eventually making their way into salvage yards, etc.
Any information such as names, phone numbers, websites concerning those that would have 70s Mopars[[71-74 B-bodies: Charger/SE, Satellite & Roadrunner in particular) in their inventory would be greatly appreciated. Looking for body parts such as patch panels & interior.
Thanks!

Dan

PS: No smartass comments please. If you have info, great. If not, ignore this thread & continue on.

**Sstashmoo** · May-18-09, 07:39 AM

Quote: "70s Mopars[[71-74 B-bodies: Charger/SE, Satellite & Roadrunner"

LOL.. yeah right. Those cars/parts in junk yards around here are long gone. Those parts were hard to find 30 years ago. You'd do better in the south.

**Jman** · May-18-09, 08:16 AM

Sstashmoo is right. Slim pickins in S.E. Michigan for most makes and models and no pickins for Mopars.

**MoparDan** · May-18-09, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by Sstashmoo

Quote: "70s Mopars[[71-74 B-bodies: Charger/SE, Satellite & Roadrunner"

LOL.. yeah right. Those cars/parts in junk yards around here are long gone. Those parts were hard to find 30 years ago. You'd do better in the south.

Dude, I'm just asking because of what someone from Michigan mentioned to me & am inquiring. It's tough finding them down here too & often they're rusted/corroded because of the humidity. And yeah, I search other sites such as those in Arizona. Again, I was just merely asking.
I wasn't expecting to find a goldmine but figured what I could scrounge up would be cheaper than going to aftermarketers who charge an arm & a leg for anything slightly Mopar-related.
30yrs ago? Late 70s, it was easy finding these things, particularly since people were dumping them because of the second oil embargo. Hate to say that usage, time & weather eventually took a toll on my ride, otherwise I would've tried to stock up as much as I could've afforded[[which wasn't much at the time).

**Alley** · May-18-09, 09:34 AM

You could try Parts Galore on E. 8 mile at Hoover, I don't know if they'd have what you need, but there are SO MANY cars and trucks there to pull parts from.
[[313) 245-2944

**MoparDan** · May-18-09, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Alley

You could try Parts Galore on E. 8 mile at Hoover, I don't know if they'd have what you need, but there are SO MANY cars and trucks there to pull parts from.
[[313) 245-2944

Thanks for the info Alley!
As a side note, the reason I posted here was because I figured y'all would know first hand what is going on. I used to keep in contact with an eBayer who lived in the Cleveland area & bought a few items off him; he stated there was still a respectable supply of vintage/classic/antique/muscle cars & parts available where he lived. Unfortunately, emails began bouncing back & his account hasn't been active on eBay for a long time. I don't know what he did for an actual living but hopefully he didn't lose his job & have to leave. I found out this morning a co-worker has relatives in the Tucson area & her brother could probably check out a Mopar yard there for me; it doesn't hurt that he's a mechanic also.

There is a yard about 45mins from my house but they're notorious for leaving doors, hoods & trunk lids open; water collects & rust/corrosion occurs plus the local wildlife population takes up residence. Windows that are operational are left down so the interiors become subjected to the elements & critters as well. As a teenager in San Antonio, I was accustomed to a few yards that kept things very organized; one which is no longer around made it a point to pull as much of an interior out as feasible if windows were broken or doors wouldn't close. When I replaced the seats in my Hornet with ones from a Gremlin, they were practically in showroom condition because of that extra effort & well worth the money. Ok, I'm digressing here.
To be honest, I know that used & NOS is extremely difficult to find; in some cases, more expensive than going aftermarket. NOS especially, which I rarely look at because I'm not doing a concours or show car restoration. My experience is, if the used part can be salvaged or repaired, it's still cheaper in the long run. Plus I increase my skills & knowledge by having to attack it myself.

**otter** · May-18-09, 11:37 AM

I also liked the Parts Galore on the east side [[they have another yard on W. Warren), though it's the only yard I've been to. I don't remember seeing much in the way of old Mopar cars, though. They have a typically large selection of newer [['80s and up) cars but not a lot of stuff that old.

O.

**Gannon** · May-18-09, 12:38 PM

If you want Mopar heaven, it is actually an hour and a half NW of Chicago...in Antioch, of all places, near the Six Flags amusement park a stone's throw from the Wisconsin border.

I saw a yardfull of orange in my periphery driving away from a good client's home a few years ago...and while I cannot pin down the exact location, I'd bet they show on some search.

Cheers

**MoparDan** · May-18-09, 12:43 PM

Otter, Gannon, thanks for the info!

**Gannon** · May-18-09, 12:55 PM

MoparDan,

I almost crashed MY car driving by the place, I swear every car he had was that same factory orange Plymouth and Dodge used...and I swear I saw a Super Bee or two in the mix. Everything looked pristine, too, so it was even stranger to see them all in the open, uncovered.

You'd have whiplash for sure...I'll see if I can track the address down.

Cheers

**Sstashmoo** · May-18-09, 02:16 PM

Quote: "30yrs ago? Late 70s, it was easy finding these things,"

Some parts you could, many were not available already. In the late 70's a true Roadrunner 383 [[67-69) engine was already highly sought after and very expensive if found. Some parts if they interchanged with the Satellite or some other model were still around. Cuda / Challenger parts were even more scarce. Just how I remember it.

As Gannon says, go over into Wisconsin and areas like Cleveland, areas where there hasn't been such a demand for classic car parts for so long.

I wasn't being sarcastic, it just struck me funny someone asking about old Mopar parts around here in junkyards. Probably the worst place to look.

**MoparDan** · May-18-09, 09:12 PM

Thanks for the leads & info. As I wrote earlier, the contact I had in the Cleveland area is, well, incommunicado. I also forgot another NCO in my shop is from Wisconsin & still has relatives there; maybe there's a possibility of establishing a contact.
To be honest, it made sense to me at the time what this kid was saying about salvage yards there. In retrospect, he was pretty much passing on hearsay. Eh, what are ya gonna do?

I remember my best friend selling his '70 440 'Cuda in '81 & could only get $1200 for it after asking $2000 for it. It needed a little bodywork but mechanically it was sound. I'm sure if it were closer to showroom condition & he was willing to hold out longer he could've gotten at least the $2k & probably more. I'd love to turn the clock back to that time & pick up a few '69 Chargers before the "Dukes of Hazzard" began destroying them on a regular basis.

**Sstashmoo** · May-18-09, 10:25 PM

If I were going to look for those parts here is how I would do it. Go to Google map and locate towns in the south not near an interstate with populations of 10k or better. Then run an ad in their local papers. Have cash and want to buy Plymouth and Dodge cars any condition between 66-70, then just an email address. I think you'd get some hits.

**MoparDan** · May-19-09, 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by Sstashmoo

If I were going to look for those parts here is how I would do it. Go to Google map and locate towns in the south not near an interstate with populations of 10k or better. Then run an ad in their local papers. Have cash and want to buy Plymouth and Dodge cars any condition between 66-70, then just an email address. I think you'd get some hits.

I'll give that a shot. There are a few salvage yards along IH-35 on the way to the D-FW area that I've spotted while traveling on business...just never had an opportunity to stop to see what they have. I'll be doing a few solo road trips in June so I don't have to worry about a co-worker getting bent out of shape.
Again, I appreciate the info everyone has provided. I did try doing a search on Antioch & came up with something in Gurnee. http://www.21stcenturyautorecycling.com/index.htm but it looks like they're more in the crushing business than auto salvaging per se'.

**satellite beach** · May-19-09, 11:14 AM

Try Sheridan Auto Parts in Warren 586- 772 -1720 I sell aftermarket parts to salvage yards and they are who we send people from all over the country to when looking for mopar.

**MoparDan** · May-19-09, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by satellite beach

Try Sheridan Auto Parts in Warren 586- 772 -1720 I sell aftermarket parts to salvage yards and they are who we send people from all over the country to when looking for mopar.

Thanks for the name & info!

**vetalalumni** · May-19-09, 01:45 PM

Craigslist etc...

**56packman** · May-19-09, 10:42 PM

I was in Mound auto wrecking in 1980, just ahead of the crusher. The land had been sold, an industrial park was built on the site. They had cars going back into the 20s and 30s, huge in the 50s 60s and some in the early 70s. I was picking Packards clean. You could buy complete cars from them but you had to replace the car you bought with another junker. The developers who bought the property counted all of the cars and knoew how much scrap they were going to reap, so you had to bring a car to replace the one you bought.
All of the Mopar bodies you discussed were WELL picked over then, and that's been 29 years. Those Mopars of that vintage are real rot buckets, they rusted before the last coupon came out of the payment book. Warhoops has some older cars, but they are pretty cantankerious to deal with, and can decinde they don't like how you look today, go away. You would do better out of state. Hell, even my favorite junkyard, Hillards in Vestaberg has been totally picked clean of those Mopars.
I have been goin gto the Carlisile swap meets for about 27 years now, there are some vendors there who carry what you are looking for.

**reddog289** · May-21-09, 12:37 AM

Packman, I get the same feeling when I think of the Auto Recycling yards of the past. Back in the late 80's there was a MOPAR guy in Detroit around Joy&Hubbel. That place to a Ford guy had everything Mopar and then some. A crazy friend of mine turned me on to this place.MoparDan if I do find a gold mine of MOPARTS I will let you know.

**MoparDan** · May-21-09, 11:58 AM

Pack & Red, thanks for the info. As my kids get older I have a feeling of "freedom"[[ for lack of a better word) to where I could attend something like Carlisle or other major meets without the worry of having someone watching them. My wife is getting interested in this hobby as well...on another thread I posted about how it'd be a blast to attend the Woodward Cruise or travel Route 66. She's all for it. But I have to say I'd rather have my beast completed so I have something to show off.

One thing that has occurred to me as I've surfed the net & read Hot Rod/Car Craft/Mopar Action is that it seems you Midwesterners & the NE guys are the ones who really carry the banner for restoring these old cars; it seems the West Coast are more for the custom jobs. There are people down here who are in it but for the most part it's almost non-existent. My neighbors think I'm certifiable because I have this old piece of iron in the garage while they're driving Hondas, Toyotas, BMWs & VWs.
I definitely appreciate the time & energy y'all are taking to pass on info.

**DW313512** · May-21-09, 12:12 PM

Dan,

I agree about people in Austin not being too into cars. I visited in Dearborn last summer and saw classic cars everywhere. It was great. Here you hardly ever see any. I do know that every Father's day there is a group that gets together around the neighborhood to show off their cars. Used to be at Northcross and last year it was at 51st and N Lamar. Three more years and my 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis will be 25 and qualify as an antique.

**MoparDan** · May-21-09, 06:15 PM

Slim, do you happen to have any pictures of those unusual rides by chance? I agree as y'all having the better shows & the car magazines back that up with their stories. As Diane wrote, things in this area just don't fly very well. If you go to San Antonio it's a little more active. At my unit's "Family Day" last weekend, about fifteen people showed up with their cars & trucks. I should've taken some pictures as a few of them were nicely restored & a couple of custom jobs as well. Only one Mopar out of the bunch & that was a '74 318 Duster. Yeah, I'm slacking big time here!

The airman who mentioned the Detroit salvage yards is being given a '74 Olds 442 & a family member is supposed to drive it down in the next few weeks. Sounds like he has a solid ride to play with.

Diane, if you get a head's up on the next Father's Day show let me know. I'd like to check it out. On Saturday nights at the "Y" in Oak Hill, several people gather from about 6pm-8pm in the old Albertson's parking lot with a variety of cars. On average I'd say about a dozen or so of them show up. A friend of mine & I will go for a bit then grab a bite at the Jim's next door.
I saw on another thread where you have pretty low mileage on your Marquis...I'm guessing since you live close to public transportation plus the two shopping plazas being within reasonable walking distance at 2222/Lamar & 2222/Burnet you don't have to drive that beast all the time.

lilpup · May-21-09, 06:33 PM

Honestly, a lot of salvage yards belong to online networks now and will search and get stuff shipped for you, or you can search online yourself. Insurance companies and body shops do it that way all the time.

**Jman** · May-21-09, 07:52 PM

Go here.

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/top-o...rands/1193191/

**Philbo** · May-22-09, 12:06 AM

I don't know if it will help Dan but a couple of years ago there was a large scrap yard on the corner of Warren and Grand River in Detroit. When I was there they had a nice assortment of potentiental project cars on the grounds including 2 mid 60s Mustangs. Good luck .

If I get a chance I"ll go down there and get thier name and find out more.