The Junkyard Interchange and Rarities

I seen this on another forum and thought it would work for us here.


This thread is for the items that interchange easily, and improve your car. In other words, the parts we all try to find in the junkyard if we can. So, if you have a easy bolt in part that you know of that improves on one of our cars, post it here. This is NOT a thread to post your finds unless they add to the list. This is mainly here to help those new to these cars who may not know what to look for. Also, Keep this thread on topic as it is meant to be a printable listing. Anything off the topic should be deleted.

This thread is not limited to those hard to find rare parts that we should all be looking for but also for those parts we can take from non wagons and non GM cars that are easy to mod and fit into our wagons to make em better.

Also we should have a list of parts that we should all take when ever we see them, lets face it there were not that many of these cars made and few left and it will be some time before we start to see reporduction parts for our wagons, if ever. So we may as well save as many of the good hard to find rare parts as we can before they are curshed and lost forever.

Here's a start for things that I watch out for:

Grill
Front Bumper
Chrome piece on tailgate
Front door panels
Wood trim
Wiper arm
Rear Wiper motor cover
Wiper Motors
PCM
Hood emblem
Plastic trim inside door openings (front)
Cargo cover
Antenna
Heater / AC control
Chrome trim & rubber molding
Front seats
Fly panels
Rear window
Side mirrors, especially 95 / 96
Headlight buckets
Cruise control
Hood latch assembley & cable
Hood
Sedan rear seat
Plastic cover on rear lights
Front license plate holder

Last spring I bought a wagon for $400 in decent shape (underside was a little tender) and stripped it. The parts are now neatly tucked away in my cellar.

silverfox103 wrote:

Last spring I bought a wagon for $400 in decent shape (underside was a little tender) and striipped it. The parts are now neatly tucked away in my cellar.

Funny how that works,. i have a mint blue 95 9c1 complete interior tucked away in the trailer alongside a complete 94 ss interior next to the assorted T56 clutches, trannies, flywheels etc,.next to the 2 brand new gm Lt1 crate long blocks, next to the buick centre caps, next to the couple of sets of SS rims, yada yada yada,.

Nick

I have found out through extensive medical study, that besides having a "Roadmaster gene" that same gene is for packrats. Most of us have that problem.

Tom C.

Excellent idea Pat!

I'd also suggest adding some "mod" parts from other cars which fit.

Buick Riviera steering wheel with radio controls. Matches LT1 Roady's.

Monte Carlo steering wheels (also with radio controls) can be installed in LT1 wagons too.

Cool idea.

How about S10 console, both floor shift and non floor shift. Also overhead consoles.

Bonneville seats from 93-98. GTP and Monte seats, too.

Sail panel emblems from a 91-94 Park Ave cover a hood ornament hole nicely.

I believe 95+ Lumina, 97+ Century, and 93+ Firebird side mirrors will bolt on for a different look on a 95/96.

mid 90s Park Ave (and maybe others) use the same window switch panels as the LT1 Roadies. (the rectangular black ones).

I got a cool looking overhead console out of a Dodge Caravan and the grey matches well.

Here is a simple junk yard mod for our wagons. Some of us here have done the simple mod of changing our steering boxes to ones with a tighter ratio.

I was on another forum, one that deals with A/G bodies. There I learned, or was reminded that the Jeep Cherokee uses GM steering boxes and colums but use a steering linkage that doesn't have the rubber rag universal joints.

Today I happend to be in a junk yard and checked it out, pulled one of the Jeep steering linkages from a 98 grand cherokee, the intent was for my malibu but once I got home I opened the hood on my wagon and had a thought, Hmmm this part would also fit the wagon.

The Idea behind this mod is that with a metal universal joint there isn't the soft mushy feel that exists with the standard GM rag joints.

I paid 20 bucks for the linkage, and discovered that some where in the mid 90's Jeep switched from an all steel linkage to one with alloy universal joints.

I'll do a video of this mod, I'll be changing the steering box to a Z28 box at the same time

Pat, didn't you say that boxy carpets are the same as bubbles?

i have been using a am/fm casstte/slave cd radio from chevy venture van in my 92 caprice wagon.

The last time i was at the you pull it i picked up a complete console and floorshift setup from a 99 bravada the console has the factory 6 disc changer which is plug and play with the venture radio and evrything works great. i will be doing the floorshift conversion soon.

i just wanted to mention this for the guys like me that would rather have factory equipment rather than aftermarket and able to keep the factory look without butchering the car

well in the past few days I had both of my washer pumps fail. seems that they are not exempt from their housing rusting and swelling up so they stop working, it's a bitch in slushy weather...

So I took a hike in one of my snow filled local salvage yards yesterday and after clearing 4 feet of snow off so many cars trucks and vans I picked up a selections of washer pumps from 90's GM and more recent ones from an 06 Montana van. the are the same dimensions and fit perfectly, plug right in and are made of plastics so they will not rust and swell up.

so we can add washer pumps from any newer GM to our list of GM interchangeble parts....

2nd Gen F bodies have a front sway bar that will fit our B body wagons.

Has anyone else seen this mod? I've only heard of it, and it sounds like a great ideal.

Electric rear window vents.

I have heard that you can take a specific model years dodge, chrysler, plymouth minivans with the electric rear vent window's and modify them slightly to work with our rear vent windows.
i.e. , you don't have to get out of the car to open the rear vent windows.

Can anyone confirm or denied this?

Also.., would be nice to find some new molded door arm rest, but I believe those are hard to find as well, because i think they have been discontinued.

Ahhh thanks bandwagon..., didn't see it here originaly, but it's good to know that I can fall back on this link one day when I'm ready to do it.

Thxs!

Here's a couple things I've noticed do NOT interchange by almost buying the wrong things. Sometimes you don't notice these little differences until someone points them out, or you buy the wrong part and go "oh shiiiii..."

-The door handle and bezel on the OCC is painted body color vs. the body color bezel with chrome handle of the RM, and the black bezel and chrome handle on the Caprice. Nice to know when you're pulling parts, or parting out.

-OCC, Caprice, and RMW tail lights are all different sizes (the lower part of the bezel is a different length). The OCC is the longest, then the Caprice, then the RMW is the shortest. Also the bezels on the OCC ('92 at least) is a pinkish-gray. Maybe someone can clarify this color thing?


-The OCC has a different roof rack bar than the RMW. The RMW one is chrome, the OCC one is black.

'96-2005 Buick Park Avenues use the same flip-out cupholders as the 94-96 Roadies.

My kids have a nasty habit of breaking these when they cahse each other through the car and this bit of news has saved their lives twice now.

Do a search for the reasoning, but the S-10 torque converters are a great upgrade while you have your tranny out for something else.

9C1 steering boxes have tighter ratios than ours. I'm interested in hearing the results of your Jeep column/universal joint swap, Pat.


-Scott McGrath
'96 Roadmaster Estate Ltd. - Last of the Great American Wagons
Low 14's - But I've "Done some stuff to it."
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2762557
ISSCA#2229 BCA#43406 BMD#115

The gate linkage wire end clips for the slots are 91-96 specific. They have an oval base to keep them from slipping through the slot. There are none available, so if the gate is not in good condition, grab them. Another gate part that is often broken, and can affect the gate operation is the wire guides. There are 2 styles one is a fork, and the other is a loop. They are also not available. Safety bBelt buckels can be removed from the belt, and the 96 plastic ones are often broken. If you find them you can pry the plastic clip out of the bottom (reassemble with a smooth jaw pliers). The all metal ones can be pried apart along the back edge with a screw driver (to reassemble, I place them on the belt and a non mar surface, then stomp on them with my heel). Rusty beckles can be replaced on a good belt.

If you ever have to remove the headlner from an RMW or OCC, you will probably break it at the vista window area. You can fiberglass/carbon fiber it from the back (top) or grab one from a caprice, and cut a hole for the vista window after glassing the area beside the vista window.

If your 91/2 cargo bay storage box and spare cover do not fit right, the 93s are different, and fit better. You have to have the D pillar cover for the passenger's side, because the hole for the fastener is placed differently on the 93.

The 93-96 Fleetwood front visors are plug and play, and have adjustable level lighting for the vanities.

Steering wheels for the Olds 98 and some other models are the same as the OCC. There are some with multiple fucnction buttons below the horn buttons on the air bag. The airbag wil fit in the OCC wheel for added radio/AC functions You may have to get the clock spring for additional wiring connections.

94-96 ash tray sliders are easy to break, if you see a set they are worth saving.

I believe all front corner lights are interchangable between RMW, Caprice Wagon, and OCC wagon.

Headlights too?

How about more parts that interchange between models.

From what I can tell headlights and front corner marker lights are the same from 91-96 across all wagons. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Grills are different. Front bumpers are different.

Door panel wood trim interchanges front to rear on the Roady wagons 94-96.

Roadmaster front door panels are the same sedan and wagon. Dashboards too.

Keyless entry control modules located under the aft storage box area panel on B body wagons go bad from time to time. Both of the B-wagons I've bought had non functional keyless entry when I purchased them. The Roadmaster sedan units are identical, and much more plentiful at salvage yards. It is located under the aft package tray area under the rear window on sedans. I think I've gotten about four spares as a result.

Funkwagon455 wrote:

Keyless entry control modules located under the aft storage box area panel on B body wagons go bad from time to time.  Both of the B-wagons I've bought had non functional keyless entry when I purchased them.  The Roadmaster sedan units are identical, and much more plentiful at salvage yards.  It is located under the aft package tray area under the rear window on sedans.  I think I've gotten about four spares as a result.

The 91 control modules have gray connectors on the module, the 92-93 have green connectors, and the 94-96 have black connectors. The ones with the green connectors will work with the 91s. I do not know if the 94-96 modules are compatible. Make sure the remote "T" and receiver "R" have the same last number (3 or 4).

You can get fuel lines from a 91-93 Fleetwood that will add a Schrader port for a fuel pressure gauge. They will bolt into the TBI cars. The 93 FW is a different shape, but will still bolt in perfectly.

The shape of the rear doors are all the same, the Caprice has no lower holes, and only has T pins on the woodys, the Roadmaster has T pins top and bottom on the woodys, the Roadmaster has T pins on the bottom only on the wood delete cars. There are also holes to attach the upper and lower trim. The 91 OCC and Roadmasters have holes for the fly away panels where the Caprice and the 92 OCC does not.

The 94-96 cars have a filler between the front and rear doors screwed to the vertical rear window frame. It can be installed in the 91-93 doors to reduce wind noise.

The OCC has holes along the trim line. The 91 OCC has different mounting points than the 92 for the front fender, doors, and rear quarter cladding.

There is a mid size (I believe) mid 1980s Pontiac that has the same spare cover D pillar clip socket that holds the steering column access panel to the dash face on the Pontiac (could be Chevy, Buick, or Olds).

There is an early to mid 90s Firebird or Camaro that has the same HVAC knobs as the Caprice.

1991/2 Caprice sedan and 91-96 Caprice wagon have the same (can be used) rear wheel opening trim.

Some of the S10s have the same steering gearbox as the 9C1. It has a W on the top. It is the quicker ratio.

The black wiper control module on the wiper motor is the same as any that look like it in all GM models.

Sedan washer motors are the same as all front washer motors. Rear washer motors have a different connector, and require a check valve.

The 91 wiring engine harness is different from the 92-93 for a number is reasons. Heater valve hose, and washer motor for the front or rear at least. Wagon and sedan are different as well.

If you break the switch for the electric door locks, you can put the paddle from the lock switch on a rear, or passenger's door window switch, and it will fit in the panel insert.

Almost any shift lever from a similar column with the pin as a pivot will fit the B-body.

The footwell lock and trim is the same on the Cutlass wagon (not sure which years, and may have color issue).

I believe the second row seat and tailgunner seat mechanism is the same on the prior model to the 91.

The 91 control modules have gray connectors on the module, the 92-93 have green connectors, and the 94-96 have black connectors. The ones with the green connectors will work with the 91s. I do not know if the 94-96 modules are compatible. Make sure the remote "T" and receiver "R" have the same last number (3 or 4).

Thanks for elaborating on this, I checked my spare units last night and noticed that they all have the green connector for my '92. Good information