Yesterday 2qwik2c and I made a long drive and a spent a long day in my favourite wrecking yard. Since he (Andrew) is a man of few words (as am I ) I suspect it is up to me to write the obligatory wrecking yard tour report for the masses!
His day began about 4:30 AM in order to be at my door about 5:55 AM! After the mandatory "How do you two guys know each other" question at US Customs (since we live over an hour apart!) we were on the way, arriving at the yard at 9:20. Weather was in our favour with the high for the day being somewhere in the upper 40's F.
As seems to be the norm, I spent more money than my passenger!
The first thing I removed was a power gate switch from a 65 Bonneville wagon. It appears to be identical to a power antenna switch except for heavier wiring, which is fine. I already have the power antenna bezel, power antenna and antenna lead so one more option complete and waiting to go into my GP.
Next, I stumbled on something I thought was long cleaned out of this yard. Over the years I think I have purchased 4 or 5 power vent regulator setups from him. I was sure last time I had picked the last pair because I really had to scrounge to find a right and a left. However, I came across an unmolested pair of motors in another car so they had to come along. Now to find an unobtanium power vent switch for 63-66 Pontiac!
Just as I started pulling out the first power vent motor, I looked over and noticed the turn signal jumper harness that many people leave behind when they pull a tilt column from a 63-66 GM car. I reached down to unplug it to take along and realized it ran to an underdash 4 way flasher unit, so it had to come along too!
We carried all this stuff to the front and continued on, not finding anything for a while. For whatever reason, I decided to take a peek in what is the plainest 66 Bonneville 2 dr hardtop I've ever seen. I pulled the clutch pedals out of it a few years back. It's a 3 on the tree, not a single option that I can see other than power brakes and steering. Or so I thought. For whatever reason, it occurred to me to wipe likely 30 years of dust off the instrument cluster. (I'm not kidding this thing is so overgrown in the bush, you can't open the doors!) Anyway, to most of you this may not mean a lot but this is what greeted my curious eyes. I could hardly believe it. Except at ebay prices, a cluster like this has avoided me for many many years. Somehow, I never thought to check the day I pulled the pedals! For the non-66 Pontiac guys, this is an optional gauge package.
It was 3 in the afternoon and I told Andrew it was too late in the day for me to start on removing that, it would have to wait. Thankfully, he told me very firmly I HAD to take the time and effort to pull it. It came out amazingly easy too!
On we went. In the meantime he had found a few small items for himself as well, and we purposely had been tracking each other down every 1/2 hour or so.
By now I think it was about 4 PM. One thing had avoided me all day. I was hoping to find an F41 (15/16) front sway bar for my GP and I knew for certain I'd located a bar like that in this yard in the past but never bought one. I never knew they even existed until the discussion here on CP educated me and prompted me to search for them.
I faithfully searched each potential car for one and finally located one that I would be able to pull (with a fair bit of difficulty) from a 66 Caprice wagon. It was the toughest pull of the day, having to lie upside down, feet elevated about a foot higher than my head because of the way the car and it's surroundings were situated. Thanks to Andrew helping, I now also have an F41 front bar!
What a successful day! Great weather, excellent company (thanks for coming along Andrew), great finds, and the prices were fair when we went to pay as well. What a great way to shorten up a winter, going auto wrecking on Boxing Day when most years I'd be snowblowing!
-- Edited by Carl Stevenson on Tuesday 27th of December 2011 09:41:16 PM
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars (now converted to a "factory" 4 speed)
I found a picture I took in this car about 2-3 years ago, before I pulled the pedals. You can see the layer of dust on the speedo lens so I can see how I missed it!
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars (now converted to a "factory" 4 speed)
that optional gauge package is amazing, never seen or knew they existed!!
will you be able to see the oil pressure around the tach?? LOL
Very poor shot but it's all I got. And yes, in likely 30 years of wrecking yard searching I've only been able to find 3-4 of these gauge setups. They aren't that uncommon if you search ebay etc but I just can't seem to locate them very easily.
-- Edited by Carl Stevenson on Tuesday 27th of December 2011 09:56:52 PM
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars (now converted to a "factory" 4 speed)
Andrew and I were laughing at how much traffic (lots) was heading south at 6:30 AM to do US shopping for the day! We both agreed our mall was going to be way more fun!
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars (now converted to a "factory" 4 speed)
It was a great day with amazing weather and like wise great company. Carl you certainly did find some great stuff. What a work out with miles of walking. I found some real nice chrome radio knobs, dash knobs and dash bezels with no pitting on them. Also a 5 blade clutch fan from a 65 chev that is also correct for 66 67 etc BB cars. You sure had a suprised look on your face when you found that cluster with the guages in it. Carl are you forgetting a picture??
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1967 2dr Biscayne. L36, M40, G80, K05, F41. #'s. 1967 Impala convert. 283, glide. Parked in the garage since 74 and hasn't moved. Soon to be BB 4speed.
You lucky dog! I see you also reacquired a really bad case of optionitous!
Oh well you're the guy that knows what to do with em!
He has a couple of factory air 66's but I'm just not interested in such a major project. And don't try to twist my arm, I hate pain and give in easily!!!
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars (now converted to a "factory" 4 speed)
It's been quite a while since I've been in a boneyard ... I miss those days!
Now the real question ... did you pee outside? If so, it was a perfect, all around day!
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
It's been quite a while since I've been in a boneyard ... I miss those days!
Now the real question ... did you pee outside? If so, it was a perfect, all around day!
Not only did I pee outside but you can guess what other urge hit when I got to the very far corner of the yard, about 1/2 mile from the truck! Of course, I'm always prepared. I learned my lesson long ago and take a roll of toilet paper when I hit a yeard. And guess what I forgot in the truck when I headed out to the yard....
And when that urge hits, I always make sure I do it beside a Ford because then I know there's no danger of me accidentally stepping in it at a later date...
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars (now converted to a "factory" 4 speed)
Now the real question ... did you pee outside? If so, it was a perfect, all around day!
Not only did I pee outside but you can guess what other urge hit when I got to the very far corner of the yard, about 1/2 mile from the truck! Of course, I'm always prepared. I learnt my lesson long ago and take a roll of toilet paper when I hit a yard. And guess what I forgot in the truck when I headed out to the yard....
And when that urge hits, I always make sure I do it beside a Ford because then I know there's no danger of me accidentally stepping in it at a later date...
Ha, ha ... but a little too much information
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
As for the AC, you have to consider that you are probably the only guy in Canada that actually has the experience in doing a conversion so do you want to waste your hard earned skill now?
) I suspect it is up to me to write the obligatory wrecking yard tour report for the masses!
