Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

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Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

November 15, 2012, 12:26:26 AM

I'm just wondering but is anyone still finding good parts at the junkyard? I go to the local Pick and Pull when they have a Fox T-bird or Cougar to try and find spare interior bits and trim parts that are exclusive to our cars. Of the 4 cars that have show up at the yard this year (all 87-88 Cougars) none of them have had anything worth taking. The interior parts are usually trashed or faded badly and the exterior moldings are beat to hell. My guess is that since the newest of these cars are 25 years old (almost) is that the ones that make it to the junkyard are really basket cases with pretty much no usable parts. I remember when I was 17 and I bought my T-bird (2002) that I could go to the junk yard and find T-bird/Cougar specific trim pieces in good shape. Not any more. I think ebay and this forum are my only source for parts.

What about you guys? Are you still fining any good interior parts or trim at the junkyard?

I will say this: if you're an MN-12 guy now is the time to buy parts at the yards. I see lots of 94-97 Mn-12s at the yard. The 89-93 cars not so much as they tend to rot out bad up here. Plus the AOD are earlier 3.8 are not as durable as the 4R70W and later 3.8 in the 94 and up cars, causing the earlier cars to be rarer on the ground here.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #1 – November 15, 2012, 09:35:41 AM

Few cars even in the yards around here. Like you said, when there are.... they are totally beat and rarely anything worth getting. The parts on them are worse than whats on my car, or even worse than my backup spare bits.

I cant imagine the parts outlook in another 10-15 years.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #2 – November 15, 2012, 01:31:39 PM

The worst cars are after sitting in the yards for any period of time. There was an 83 5.0 bird that looked brand new, minus the forlift holes through both doors and center console. The seats were mint white leather with no fade marks or rips.The next time I saw it about 2 weeks later, the whole interior was trashed and all the seats had rips and knife slashes all over them, as well as the tail lights being busted.

When ever I see a good taillight in a yard, I pull it and set it in either the trunk or backseat of the car, so atleast kids don't just run around busting them out.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #3 – November 15, 2012, 10:03:09 PM

Here in California at my local Pick Your Part there's always at least 1-2 fox tbirs/cougars last month there were about 6 5 four eyes and 1 aero cougar.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #4 – November 15, 2012, 10:24:29 PM

I can tell that the damage to the interior pieces of the T-birds/Cougars I've seen in the yard have happened over the course of years. They seem to have spent their last years either sitting in some one's yard/garage (you can tell because the city stickers are a few years expired). If not they were owned by messy/sloppy people who didn't care what the inside of their car looked like or what they did to it.

These cars are getting really old, in terms of finding interior and trim parts. It's going to be a pain in the future as no one is making reproduction parts. Next year the '83 cars are going to be 30, and the '88 cars will be 25. At least I can finally get antique plates for my T-bird when I renew them :)

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #5 – November 15, 2012, 10:58:55 PM

yah finding parts for my 83 is almost impossible, you almost have to rely on finding stashes of nos parts from collectors to actually find any usable parts. or make your own.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #6 – November 16, 2012, 08:34:08 AM

This year was a total bust for me at the junk yards. I found 3 87-88 T-Birds locally that I hope will still be available once I'm able to buy them. 2 are fixable ant the other will be for parts. We're closing on a house today so my extra funds are going to the house.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #7 – November 16, 2012, 02:52:47 PM

I think 80-82 birds are even harder to come by. when I got my first 80 (in 2001) you could still find some parts for these in junkyards. now when I look, they never have these cars in the yards anymore. wish I was smart and salvaged everything 10 years ago when I could still find them

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #8 – November 16, 2012, 10:33:58 PM

They also made a lot fewer 80-82 cars than 83-88 cars. I never remember seeing an 80-82 Thunderbird driving around. Maybe when I was really young but not once I reached driving age.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #9 – November 17, 2012, 10:12:44 AM

I used to have a 81 XR7, was my first car.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #10 – November 17, 2012, 11:17:45 PM

Quote from: mcb82gt;402687

I used to have a 81 XR7, was my first car.

That car was made four years before I was born

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #11 – November 18, 2012, 02:06:44 AM

Its one of those situations where it is sometimes easier to buy an entire car for parts rather than waste time hunting in yards for ever increasingly rare "nice" parts. If you have the time, space and ability, I would buy decent example of a "less desirable" example and strip it clean, sell off what I can't use at all and then clean, bag and store the remainder. Finally, have the stripped bare chassis, minus what ever sheet metal could be salvaged, hauled to the off for recycling. You'd might be surprised at what you can dispose of and what someone else might have need of. I did this to a TC a few year ago that was completed rotted in the front end (frame rails and dog house), but had good quarters, floor pans, roof, glass, decent doors and trunk pan. It took some time, but I actually made a bit of "profit" by selling it off piecemeal and helped out 11 other buddies and myself at the same time. The icing on the cake was that I was able to dispose of the remainder of the carcass for $200... the parts car only cost me $400 and only my time to carefully dismember her.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #12 – November 18, 2012, 12:53:25 PM

I've tried to find something but so far I've only found 1 86 cougar near Denver.
There doesn't seem to be a network to check what's on hand at most junk yards. You just have to call and check one at a time. I haven't even checked 10% yet though, I just haven't had the time.
It seems that most junk yards just crush anything that old.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #13 – November 18, 2012, 03:27:33 PM

When s metal goes down, they s the bigger cars to maintain profits.

Around here, tear apart auto has an inventory, as do most pick and pulls. My favorite junkyard doesn't though.but its only a mile or two away and only $1 to get in.

Anyone still finding good Fox junkyard parts?

Reply #14 – November 19, 2012, 10:50:10 AM

I think our situation is not isolated--a lot of 80s car collectors are having this conversation, with some of the blame aimed at Cash for Clunkers. This program eliminated a lot of good, running cars as our cars were ideal candidates--EPA fuel mileage and relatively low values, which could be exceeded by trade-in CFC values. CFC meant that the cars had a limited yard life before they were required by law to be crushed. :(