[FWDLK]

In a message dated 10/16/2006 3:05:52 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 57_Super_D-500@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

I would very much like to know if there are any interesting
salvage/wreckage yards along the way.

Jim,

I can't tell you about any particular wrecking yards along the way, but there is a special TYPE of yard I used while I lived in Northern Monterey County, California. I believe they were called "Pull-N-Pay", or something like that. I went to one in Moss Landing, Ca., and another South of Salinas, Ca.

Here, in Michigan, where it gets frozen lots of the year, junk yards tend to be a jumble of cars where you ask for something and the yard guy goes out and gets it for you, then brings it in the store. You tend to ask for a particular thing, pay for it and leave.

In the "Pull-N-Pay" kind of operation, all the cars are neatly arranged in rows and each is sitting up on stands so they can be harvested from top or bottom. They are arranged by makes. When a car is picked clean it is removed, crushed and replaced. There is a large sign by the entrance listing parts prices generically: "windshields-$xx.xx, Seats-$xx.xx, Transmissions-$xx.xx, and so forth.

You pay a daily entrance fee and have your hand stamped for all-day use, and you bring your own tool box. Walk the yard, remove what you want, and check out. You pay (and have your toolbox checked) on the way out. You can even rent tools.

It's like a big parts super market, or flea market, and there is a tendency to look over cars and buy not just what you need, but other things you might need later, or small accessories you like. Some even go so far as to recycle some complete cars for resale and use.

I don't know whether this kind of thing is done anywhere else, but I found it interesting, and wish there were one nearby.

Have a nice trip!

Joe Savard

Lake Orion, Michigan