Well, today was one of those days that started off like **** and just got better.

Yesterday afternoon, I was at a junk yard and spotted a 95 F250 with a ZF 5 speed in it. It shifted real nice and judging by the looks of the rest of the truck I thought it would be a really nice trans for my truck.

Best part was that it was only going to cost me $65!!!

It was too late to pull it out then (had a job to do last night), so I paid for it and told them that I'd be there for it first thing this morning.

At 7:00 I had some coffee, rounded up my tools, a jack and a hand truck. Loaded up and drove about 30 miles to the yard hoping that nobody else messed with it.

I get out of the truck, start loading my tool bucket on my hand truck like I always do. For some reason, one of the bungee cords slipped off while stretching the other end and sure enough: it clocks me right in the knee cap!

After hopping around and cursing a little, I tell myself that it's ok I'm still getting a smoking deal on a tranny and just deal with the pain. It'll be worth it in the long run.

I take my tools down to the truck. Still there! Yay! Start taking shifter off, rubber boot, rubber flooring, trans tunnel panel.

Now time to go underneath.

Still looking pretty good under there. Unbolt the drive shaft, and start pulling the slip yoke out of the transfer case and...........wait.........what's that? No, it can't be!

THE TAILSHAFT HOUSING IS CRACKED IN 4 PLACES!

The freaking idiots picked the truck up off of the flatbed when it came in with a front end loader (with forks) underneath the transfer case. SNAP!

The tranny is junk! What a waste of my day. Luckily they did give me a refund, which I was expecting a yard credit so everything was still ok with me.

Just now, while searching on eBay I found a really nice Flareside tailgate for my project! $99.99 plus shipping (about $35) so today was not a total loss after all.

 

Now you know why so cheap.

 

Nope. I get any of their trannys for the same price.

The guy in the office wasn't very happy when he found out the idiot destroyed it.

 

I got peed off with a yard the other day myself.I called them and asked them how much it would be to pull a 1983 Ford F150 out of the yard.They have a 1980 in there that I got my oil pan off of that has a crushed roof corner,but with all other parts intact like the doors,mirrors,bed and all that other good stuff.Anyways,the guy says that he can sell them,but they have to have a title.I wanted to tell him that was bs,but I just told him thanks and hung up.My dad bought a 79 Firebird out of the same yard for 300 bucks,with no title.I'm wondering if the guy was thinking that I wanted to pull one out to fix up and drive.Heck no.I want parts.I'll call back in a couple weeks...

On another note,I called my favorite J-Yard about the gauge paper,and the lady said 5 bucks.So next rainy or cold day,I'm gonna head out and grab one.Can't Wait.

 

$65 WTF. My friend got a J-yard ZF and it cost him $700. It turned out to be a POS as well which he got a full refund for. Luckily it turned out his T-case was bad and that only cost him $90 from the J-yard.

 

how hard is it to swap a zf5 for a t18 anyway? was thinking about it for my 81 w/ a 300...

 

It's a lot easier if you already have a hydraulic clutch linkage, but not impossible.

 

I made a deal yesterday with the owner of our local junk yard,I talked him into letting me put a bunch of parts cars on CL for him and I get my parts free or at a very good discount when he sells them. I have been slowly stripping a 94 150 to upgrade and redo my 86 150 and get some spares for my 93 bronco.I spent almost all day there yesterday going thru cars and trucks(not many good fords though) and came home with two sets of gray carpets,full gauge/pos for my bronco a good air bag for a 94(to sell) and a nice airfilter tube from a mass air truck that has the 2 into 1 tube so I can build my own cold air intake set up and a ton of relays and other small parts free of charge. Next I am looking for a 3:55 or 3:73 LS 8.8 rear to replace my 3:08 open rear in my truck and a 5.0 motor to build or a 351 if I can find one with the computer for a manual trans or Aod or C6.
The only 80-86 truck in the place is at the bottom of a crushed car pile and looking thru the rear window it had the rare tan int with the nice gray bezels.
I told the owner that when they go to load the trailer with the crushed cars to call me and give me at least 20 min to try and remove some parts but I don't know if I will be able to get in there as it is pretty flat but I gotta give it a try.

 

Im going after a 'not drilled on the top of the bumper for fog lights' front bumper from an 86 that will fit my 81 - has the same 'no rub strip' lines. they want $50 and it is yper clean on the outside, another yard I know gets $40 but last trip there the 4 year appropriate fords had munged up bumpers.

 

Thats a bummer...

 

Good find on that flareside tailgate! Looks to be pretty much rust-free.

 

Yeah, that tailgate is coming out of Florida so it is really nice.

I just got back from the junk yard, and I found a really nice chrome front bumper for my truck.

Here is are some pics. The chrome on my old one was shot, and never really shined.

 

Looks good. I would imagine with all the parts you bring home your neighbors would think the junk yard is being relocated.

 

nothin wrong w/ that lol. like they say, if the women can't find ya handsome, they can at least find ya handy!

 

Nah, I don't bring everything home.

I have two storage units full of chit about 3 miles away.