Self Serve Wrecking Yards NSW

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

I am wondering if there are any Self Serve Wrecking Yards left.

Prefer closer to NSW Mid North Coast (Port Macquarie/Forster) but I do travel to Gold Coast and Sydney, fairly regularly.

I remember growing up and restoring my first XB and a few TE Cortina's living in Western Sydney, Dunker's You Pull It at Bossley Park was a Saturday Morning tradition, I fondly remember rows of XA's, XB's and XC's and Cortina's and Escorts lined up, my factory long range XB tank in my big block coupe came from there, as well as the Fairmont/GT Dash still in my car today. The owner or one of the workers had an Awesome Yellow XC Rally Pack always parked in the car park.

Then in the 90's and 2000's we had Gary Rush Auto Wreckers in Blacktown, where I used to scour for that elusive part till they closed down.

So is there still any 'bring your own tools' you pull it wreckers around?

[Citroënbender]

Some discussion here: https://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11489167

I liked Dunckers as well. Being half Kiwi, the resident sheep always caught my eye…

[Mont5.0]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

I am wondering if there are any Self Serve Wrecking Yards left.

Prefer closer to NSW Mid North Coast (Port Macquarie/Forster) but I do travel to Gold Coast and Sydney, fairly regularly.

I remember growing up and restoring my first XB and a few TE Cortina's living in Western Sydney, Dunker's You Pull It at Bossley Park was a Saturday Morning tradition, I fondly remember rows of XA's, XB's and XC's and Cortina's and Escorts lined up, my factory long range XB tank in my big block coupe came from there, as well as the Fairmont/GT Dash still in my car today. The owner or one of the workers had an Awesome Yellow XC Rally Pack always parked in the car park.

Then in the 90's and 2000's we had Gary Rush Auto Wreckers in Blacktown, where I used to scour for that elusive part till they closed down.

So is there still any 'bring your own tools' you pull it wreckers around?

pretty sure Gary Rush's old yard is Pick N Payless.
EDIT: was. apparently no more.

[commodorenutt]

I was lucky enough to visit Dunkers in the mid 90s before they closed. We also had a fair few local yards that were self serve if you asked. All but one closed in the 90s to make way for commercial/retail. The remaining one won’t even let you poke your head past the roller door….. I used to like C Young’s at Casula. It’s all houses now. I wonder how many landscaping jobs unearthed nuts, bolts and other trinkets…. I used to have mates come from interstate, and we could spend 3 days scouring dozens of yards stretching from Enfield, Greenacre and Revesby/Padstow, all the way out via Austral to Penrith, and from Windsor down to Bargo. Some yards only had 40 odd cars, but they were still worth checking out.

Pick & Payless opened an indoor yard at Ingleburn around 2002/2003. It was awesome - comfortable concrete floor, roof over the top, no footwell puddles, mouldy trim, or waterlogged engines. They didn’t last long though. Probably too expensive for the limited space, and self serve doesn’t get you the turnover that a “production” wreckers on the hotline can manage.

Garry Rush had a yard in Fairfield east in the 90s, and visiting there one day chasing VC Commodore SL/E bits was when I found out they were planning the Blacktown yard. My eyes glazed over….. A few months later it opened, and I was in heaven. I couldn’t count how many times I went there over 25 odd years. I could easily waste all day wandering all makes & models, finding elusive bits that would work well in a modified car. Even just studying the burnt out wrecks to see what the chassis engineering was like. I still get **** about going there one Valentine’s Day somewhere around 97 or 98…….

It’s so sad that it’s gone, and there’s nothing as good in the entire Sydney region.

There’s 2 possibilities left:

Northern Wreckers on the Northern Rd around Llandilo closed a few months back, but I went past in Feb and they had a sign saying they would reopen as “one world” spares, but I’m not sure if it will remain self-serve.

Dapto pick-a-part. I’ve been there many times. It’s usually worth the drive too. You can spend half a day wandering the whole yard looking at everything. Some of the cars are so rusty (coastal life) and the old stuff has been really well picked over. Before Covid they had a handful of XD-XF era cars in there (a couple of ZJ/ZK too). Heaps of EF thru AU, and a number of BA too. They didn’t have much FG stuff in January 2020, but that’s likely to have changed now. I called in at Christmas to make sure they were still open, and they are. Didn’t have time for a look. I’ll be heading there in a few weeks for a proper look with tools and a trolley.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Some discussion here: https://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11489167

I liked Dunckers as well. Being half Kiwi, the resident sheep always caught my eye…

Haha, I had totally forgot about the sheep, they were always black covered in grease.

Thanks for the memory. I wonder who ended up eating them.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

I was lucky enough to visit Dunkers in the mid 90s before they closed. We also had a fair few local yards that were self serve if you asked. All but one closed in the 90s to make way for commercial/retail. The remaining one won’t even let you poke your head past the roller door….. I used to like C Young’s at Casula. It’s all houses now. I wonder how many landscaping jobs unearthed nuts, bolts and other trinkets…. I used to have mates come from interstate, and we could spend 3 days scouring dozens of yards stretching from Enfield, Greenacre and Revesby/Padstow, all the way out via Austral to Penrith, and from Windsor down to Bargo. Some yards only had 40 odd cars, but they were still worth checking out.

Pick & Payless opened an indoor yard at Ingleburn around 2002/2003. It was awesome - comfortable concrete floor, roof over the top, no footwell puddles, mouldy trim, or waterlogged engines. They didn’t last long though. Probably too expensive for the limited space, and self serve doesn’t get you the turnover that a “production” wreckers on the hotline can manage.

Garry Rush had a yard in Fairfield east in the 90s, and visiting there one day chasing VC Commodore SL/E bits was when I found out they were planning the Blacktown yard. My eyes glazed over….. A few months later it opened, and I was in heaven. I couldn’t count how many times I went there over 25 odd years. I could easily waste all day wandering all makes & models, finding elusive bits that would work well in a modified car. Even just studying the burnt out wrecks to see what the chassis engineering was like. I still get **** about going there one Valentine’s Day somewhere around 97 or 98…….

We did the same, used to spend hours looking at all the cars, finding a radiator overflow bottle or washer bottle off a different car to adapt to yours.

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

Northern Wreckers on the Northern Rd around Llandilo closed a few months back, but I went past in Feb and they had a sign saying they would reopen as “one world” spares, but I’m not sure if it will remain self-serve.

Might be worth a call next time I am in Sydney.

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

Dapto pick-a-part. I’ve been there many times. It’s usually worth the drive too. You can spend half a day wandering the whole yard looking at everything. Some of the cars are so rusty (coastal life) and the old stuff has been really well picked over. Before Covid they had a handful of XD-XF era cars in there (a couple of ZJ/ZK too). Heaps of EF thru AU, and a number of BA too. They didn’t have much FG stuff in January 2020, but that’s likely to have changed now. I called in at Christmas to make sure they were still open, and they are. Didn’t have time for a look. I’ll be heading there in a few weeks for a proper look with tools and a trolley.

Forgot about this place, I had been there once a long time ago, bought a radiator support panel off them for an XB back about 12 years ago.

Might check it out one of these days.

[Beastie]

Budgewoi Auto Wreckers used to be a local haunt for myself and a friend over the years, but there was a 'workplace incident' and it's not so self serving anymore.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by Beastie

.....but there was a 'workplace incident' and it's not so self serving anymore.

I think that is the problem these days, too much liability and too many people that should have been eliminated from the gene pool are now breeding due to warning labels on everything.

[XR Martin]

The wreckers in Orange is self serve, and prices are pretty good. Owner doesn't seem like the person who's interested in too much bs so don't bother trying to bargain too much.
Not much older Falcon stuff, mostly E series and newer.
There was still a ZB and XB but there wasn't much on them. The Fairlane even had its roof missing.
Did pick up a pair of XH panel van rear doors for a mate (getting hard to find)
Better selection of old Holdens. Heaps of one tonners, thought they were fairly sort after but maybe he wants too much.?


The one in Forbes is self serve too apparently, but havnt been there.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by XR Martin

The wreckers in Orange is self serve, and prices are pretty good. Owner doesn't seem like the person who's interested in too much bs so don't bother trying to bargain too much.
Not much older Falcon stuff, mostly E series and newer.
There was still a ZB and XB but there wasn't much on them. The Fairlane even had its roof missing.
Did pick up a pair of XH panel van rear doors for a mate (getting hard to find)
Better selection of old Holdens. Heaps of one tonners, thought they were fairly sort after but maybe he wants too much.?


The one in Forbes is self serve too apparently, but havnt been there.

I will be sure to check them out if I ever get out there in my travels.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

Dapto pick-a-part. I’ve been there many times. It’s usually worth the drive too. You can spend half a day wandering the whole yard looking at everything. Some of the cars are so rusty (coastal life) and the old stuff has been really well picked over. Before Covid they had a handful of XD-XF era cars in there (a couple of ZJ/ZK too). Heaps of EF thru AU, and a number of BA too. They didn’t have much FG stuff in January 2020, but that’s likely to have changed now. I called in at Christmas to make sure they were still open, and they are. Didn’t have time for a look. I’ll be heading there in a few weeks for a proper look with tools and a trolley.

Went there last week end got a few EL parts that I needed, plenty of good BA BF stuff in there.

Prices ended up being quite cheap for what I picked up.

They have wheel barrows you can use to wheel your tools and newly picked parts around.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

I will be heading to QLD for the All Ford Day next month.

Any self serve wreckers around Brisbane, Gold Coast?

Any feed back would be appreciated.

[XR Martin]

Just an FYI Dapto pick a part is no longer self serve due to insurance.

Just visited the one in Forbes, well worth a trip.
You'll need to pass the attitude test with the owner though, as he doesn't tolerate d-heads.
Has heaps of cars (not much late model) , hardly any rusty stuff but a lot sun baked and sheds full of parts.
Prices are fair.

[Citroënbender]

I honestly think “insurance” was just a cop-out for closing the Dapto self-service yard. They’d reduced the self-serve area, brought in an impenetrable contact system, removed their online price list. Transactions took a long time as well.

We mock America for apparently having a litigious mindset, but many states there seem to have good numbers of self service scrapyards.

[XR Martin]

Oh I just remembered, the Forbes wrecker has a Mondeo ST24.