Best junkyard gem?

So Im curious what piece might be the best score youve ever gotten at a junkyard.

I ask this following a KILLER find this morning (and I shouldve taken better pics before posting, but whatever). I was at the local yard this morning - $75 for all you could carry, about a 20 yard walk you had to do.

I came across this 350Z with the rear wheels still on the car - VOLKS.

So one is destroyed, the barrel is bent like crazy, but Id like to get the center out for wall art in garage.

The other is in good shape with center cap. Ray's Volk GT7, 19"

As for the good one - I'll probably pop it on ebay for 200 or so just to move it and get a few bucks to spend on other car parts. Also got two airbags this morning to flip.

Found a wrecked Focus ST at my small local yard/scrap metal place. Bought the front Recaro leather seats for $200. Almost bought the engine and transmission for another $700 but decided to pass.

A supercharger from an SLK230 for $81.

Not a gem by any means, but valuable because of rarity in today's junkyards.

Carter RBS carb and air cleaner from a Maverick.  Gonna clean it up and throw it on the Mustang to try and get rid of the flat spot the Carter YFA I have on there now has.

In reply to preach (dudeist priest) :

I have one of those from a yard as well.

I have 2 speedinos, a MS2, NA D2 coilovers, cobalt SS aftermarket billet wheeled turbo and several sets of injectors from 650cc-1200cc off of cars in the yard since the beginning of 2020. In addition to several aftermarket exhaust bits ( from headers, full stainless systems) 

Best thing I ever got from a junkyard was an turbo 13b with nearly new rotor housings, a minty fresh S5 Turbo, along with everything else I could pull off of the car.

Right now I'm on a search for seats that will work in the E36.
 

A $250 Miata BP-4W 1.8L that, judging by the visible cross-hatching in the bores and the complete lack of wear in any of the bearings, was rebuilt and never run. Sadly someone left the #1 plug out so it was full of water and needed to be bored and new pistons, but it's been in my car with a supercharger for 4 years now

If y'all see any 2001-2002 v12 Mercedes (S600) in the Mid-Atlantic region let me know. 

And

Early mid-2000's v6 Mercedes with 6 speed manual or manual Chrysler Crossfires.

In reply to yupididit :

I didn't think the Crossfire ever came with a manual.  Was it just very frare for it to do be so equipped?

In reply to Mr_Asa :

The v6 none SRT came with manuals. The engine and transmission are Mercedes. I'd imagine it to be somewhat rare but not unobtainium.

I've had a few wins.

s10 t5's, mostly for the extension housing and fork plate.

$10 ratchet shifter

leather turbo coupe manual shift knob 

plus I have more I'm forgetting..

Not from a pick-n-pull, but a scrap yard...

Went to drop off some scrap steel on the pile, I look down and see some beat up zoomie headers, a deep sump oil pan and a timing chain set. Kicked over the oil pan and here was this 750 cfm Holley! Not exactly free, but darn close given the price of scrap steel 

I used to have an Audi Coupe GT. They'd turn up in the U-Pull-It on occasion and I scored a few otherwise expensive bits of unobtainium including the trunk spoiler (mine had an unsightly gouge).  Best day, however, was when I saw one with an "H&R" decal on it. A peek underneath and whattya know? A set of not very old H&R lowering springs. Took me two trips to the yard because I didn't have the right tools to remove the struts but I got them. I probably paid Less than $40 for the set. I still silently thank that kid for putting those stickers on the car.

It is very interesting what you can find on cars. I NEVER would have thought I'd find legit Volks in a junkyard. 

Today Im at work/school, the welding teacher is going to help me bend that bent wheel barrel enough to get the center part out. I cleaned up the other yesterday. Now to get the tire off without having to go to a shop and pay 20 bucks. I think I'll end up having to pay

In reply to hybridmomentspass :

I like this guy's method for removing a tire from a rim without a tire machine:

As far as junkyard gems, I've had a number of them. I can't think of anything particularly unusual, but one favorite was when I had an LS400 that had a cracked sideview mirror. They're auto-dim, so a new mirror was $650 - for just the glass! (no housing, no motors, etc.) I found an LS400 in the yard that had been custom painted orange and had a broken housing but good glass on the mirror. I asked for a discount, and the parts guy said, well, it's guaranteed so I'm worried you can return it and then get another one for the discounted price, etc etc, then he rang me up for a manual mirror instead. So for $12.50, I fixed the broken $650 piece of glass.

I also found a mystery orange pill in the orange Lexus that might have explained the custom orange paint. I did not try it, but my hunch was ecstasy.

I found a Datsun 210 with a 5 speed at LKQ a few years ago. I didn't have the tools to pull it with me so I had to come back the next day. I barely slept that night and met the guys in the parking lot when they opened the next day.

If you don't know these are the trannys that people put into old Bugeye Sprites and they were scarce 5 years ago and unicorn poop now. I already had one in my Bugeye so I know they transform the car.

I paid about $100 for it. I rebuilt it and sold it for $1400

How about a complete but totally rotten Honda Z600? Somewhere I have the shift knob and rear badge. 

I usually feel like i score at my local u-pull it when i check out.  I have my big gorilla cart full of tools and small parts(because the supplied busted wheel barrows suck), some bigger trim pieces or whatever. I usually am getting interior pieces for upgrades.  I love it when the cashier looks it over, marks off like 2-3 of the things i got, then see's all the plastic bits and mostly small stuff and just says berk it and ignores all the small stuff and rubber/plastic as its not metal, so its not valuable right!  It happened the day i got all the rubber door seals and plastics for my e36. The seals are about 300$ a piece new per side.  
 

also all the nuts/bolts, various hardware and clips, they always ignore it. I present everything for them to see. Love it. Go there and play automotive legos. See what fits where. 

Best find for me was a fully decked out Alpina 635CSi in my local junkyard.  Pulled all the wheels, interior, aero bits, engine bits, etc off it since it was super rusty and crusty.  Gave the owner $125 for the whole mess.  Sold the parts for enough to pay for a semester of college.  

P71 sways, certified calibration 140 MPH speedometer, steel 15 inch wheels, dog dish hubcaps for the LTD. 

I once scored some Tokicos from a Integra. (Okay, so one was folded a bit.)

This badge off some 1960's Datsun, maybe a 411. I wanted it because it's all metal. What was most memorable was the struggle to get it off, I remember having to rip the grill apart because I only had my basic junkyard tool set with me.

Later on I gave it to a buddy who's a bigger Datsun nut than me because I didn't want to become a hoarder. I see good condition ones on ebay for $200.

The YFH, was bought, running and driving, out of a junkyard for $100.   I believe it was forum member ddavidv who gave me the tip when he saw it dropped off there and I was out the same day with a trailer to drag her home.  Had bad brakes, I swapped calipers and pads from my Lancia scorpion and took it to its first autocross the day after I brought it home.   The rest is demented history.