junkyard fun 3/10/09

[The Stickman]

Ok I headed out to another yard today in search of the ellusive stuff I want. Mainly an aluminum hood, plastic tailgate, and "DX" block. Well I was somewhat successful. Myself and my room mate went to Harry's U-pull it in Hazleton Pa. This place is huge. We measured it on Google Earth last night. It's a 1/2 mile long by 1/4 mile wide. My room mate needed some marker lights so we got those first as they are easy to carry around. Then headed off in searc of my parts. Well there wasn't many Oldsmobiles from the 80's so pickings were slim. But towards the back of the GM section there was an Olds Delta 88. And low and behold it had the aluminum hood. Funny thing was it was the same year and color of the other ones(one other at this yard and another at another yard) we have seen. The one at the other yard had the hinges bent so we didn't bother with it. Now I wanted the hood and the hinges. Now sense in gettting a light weight hood and not taking the light weight hinges. We got it off and realized how light weight this thing was. Now keep in mine my hood is 5' 4" wide and a tick over 5' long. So it ain't small. But carrying it would have been an easy task had it not been windy today. So we get it paid for and they raped me a bit but that's ok as I am pleased with my purchase. They charged me 34 for the hood with core and 15 for the hinges. Once we got it to the car and on the roof rack of the Subaru I took off the hinges and they weigh almost nothing. They really are that light. Then I went about stapping the hood down. I ended up stopping three times after leaving the yard as the front of the hood kept lifting. But after the last time it didn't move. I guess it just took me awhile to remember all I forgot since being a truck driver. So now I plan on stripping off all the paint. Taking the center rindge trim off and then sealing up the holes drilling in the hood for mounting the trim piece. Then the top will be painted and the under side and hinges polished to a high shine. I am very happy. Now if I could just find that damn light weight tailgate.

[WS6]

that's cool. I had forgotten some of the Gbodies and bigger cars (Bbodies?) had the aluminum hood. Never heard about and aluminum tailgate though. That would be killer. You planning to build a DX stroker or just keep it at 350cu in?

[The Stickman]

that's cool. I had forgotten some of the Gbodies and bigger cars (Bbodies?) had the aluminum hood. Never heard about and aluminum tailgate though. That would be killer. You planning to build a DX stroker or just keep it at 350cu in?

it will be a stroker. A 425 crank in the 350 block. With a stock bore it comes out to 410 or 414 cubic inch small block. Yea the G-bodies had them. I found this out when I cut the hole in my wife's Cutlass Cruiser wagon. Mine is the B-Body Olds Custom Cruiser. The tailgate has an RPO code of C44 and is listed as a "plastic tailgate" I am guessing they are fiberglass or something. I have heard from a few people that they are much lighter as they are the only rear tailgates that don't sag as the tailgatre is most often opened as a door vs opened as a tailgate because to open it as a tailgate the rear window must be all the way down. I know the wagon weighed in at 4200lbs as it is now. I am hoping to drop the weight down to 4000lbs, which is way light for a car this big with a full frame.

[Restomod]

Man I think the guy nailed ya on the hood! $34!?!?! He got you....LOL!

[jackfrost]

sounds like fun...

check ROP for DX blocks.

[twosaturns]

stickman, have you been to the allentown harry's? just wondering if the trip way up to hazleton is worth it.

[The Stickman]

stickman, have you been to the allentown harry's? just wondering if the trip way up to hazleton is worth it.

I have been to the Harry's in Allentown and it's nice simply because it's local and easy to get to. BUT, EZ-Pull is way bigger than Harry's in Allentown. And Harry's in Hazleton is bigger than EZ-Pull. But for me EZ-Pull had more Oldsmobiles. HArry's in Hazleton is much easy to get around though. Just let me know if you even want to go to any.