A parts question; A junkyard question Options

[Langing]

Have never done it before, but I plan on visiting local auto junkyards very soon to try to find a steering knuckle to replace the one I have that has bent ears. I'm looking for two things: advice on using auto junkyards from you experts, such as how to know the part was not involved in a collision if it has already been removed (and yeah, I'm a little scared of the dog), and I need to know what vehicles used the same knuckle as my manual 94 Celica ST Coup (1.8L) w/o ABS. I know it's the same for all 94-99 Celicas, but are there any others that used the same part?

The Toyota part number is 43211-29015.

Would very much appreciate getting advice.

TIA

[njccmd2002]

Ill give u honest stright answer. No one will guarantee you youll bend the knuckle to factory specs. Most shops stay away from that to avoid suits. U really need to get it hot, and when do you stop, red? Hot red? Glowing red? Melted metal? Just be done with it and get a kuckle from someone parting or a yard. Junkyard shopping is for the DIY a must experience. Its like taking the teenager to the mall for the first time to buy make up.

Dont over stress it, its not rocket science. If you can take the knucke off at home, you can do it there. Make sure to ask for the sheet with prices.

Just keep it simple....

I go to the yard every 2 months even to walk around, to see whats new, and sometimes i find cool stuff.....

[Langing]

Ill give u honest stright answer. No one will guarantee you youll bend the knuckle to factory specs. Most shops stay away from that to avoid suits. U really need to get it hot, and when do you stop, red? Hot red? Glowing red? Melted metal? Just be done with it and get a kuckle from someone parting or a yard. Junkyard shopping is for the DIY a must experience. Its like taking the teenager to the mall for the first time to buy make up.

Dont over stress it, its not rocket science. If you can take the knucke off at home, you can do it there. Make sure to ask for the sheet with prices.

Just keep it simple....

I go to the yard every 2 months even to walk around, to see whats new, and sometimes i find cool stuff.....

Thanks to everyone's great suggestions, we had a successful visit to an LKQ Pick Your Part yard in Durham, NC, 1301 South Miami Blvd; got the steering knuckle I wanted; the car was not a wreck. They have a car crusher on premises, so claim that no vehicle remains there longer than two months. Here is a Google Earth photo I took of my computer screen:




Anxious to get back to work but feel I owe those of you that helped me a short story that explains how my junkyard visit went.

Overall, seems to me, it was just like my first trip to the mall to get makup. . .

I had my brother with me and it was great fun; can't explain why crawling around in grease soaked dirt was so exciting, but it was. You guys were right about everything you suggested.

They didn't allow us to drive a vehicle down to the subject car (Red 1995 Celica with 157,000 on the odometer -- yet the timing belt had been changed at 306,000 miles, plus there were old junkyard markings on the engine). They didn't allow jacks of any kind so we left two floor jacks in the pickup. They provided wheelbarrows to cart your tools into the lot.

And, you will like this, when my bro and I wheeled a wheel barrow plus a cart (like some beach shopping cart) he had brought along, both heaped with tools and stuff, into the entrance part of the building to pay the $2 (X2) entrance fee, one of the worker bees behind the counter said as loudly as possible, "Wha, ohhh, what do we have here? Did you guys bring your entire garage with you?" All eyes snapped around to take in the noob stupidity. . . hahahahaha, it must have been really funny for them. Didn't bother us a bit; we were just having a good time. I explained to them it was my first time EVER (as if they couldn't have guessed)! I was just wishing I had brought along a video crew.

We had planned on picking up wasp spray on the way, but forgot. Luckily we didn't need it. I had cardboard, but brother John had an old mover's blanket that made a perfect ground cover. Oh, the price list, it was pasted to the wall and is supposedly on-line (they said).

The Celica was supposed to be on the lot according to two separate people I had called, however, it had not made it to their on-line inventory list, so I think that is why it wasn't very much picked over. We were lucky for that, I think.

Had to get a locking lug nut off the tire before we could go to work on the knuckle. Lucky for me, we had brought ALL the tools from my garage, so I had my DeWalt Impact Driver (woodworking tool). Put an impact socket on that little battery powered tool and zing, off comes the locked lug nut!!

While we were trying to figure out how to get the axle nut off, a man named Nixon stopped by and inquired as to what we were trying to do and if we needed any help. Well, I actually did need a little help with the axle nut, so he pitched in and kind of took over the show. A very very nice fellow, this guy Nixon. He was from Nicaragua, and had an impressive collection of muscles, so for him that job was easy. Gave him $20 for all his help, cash I had to force into his hand; subtracted that amount from my brother's pay.

If you want to see the world from an entirely different perspective, while helping recycle old auto parts that have continued usefulness, this is a great place to experience. However, all those partially eaten automobile carcasses kinda gave me a sense of being in a sacred place where living things are turning back into the dust from which they all came; or dying prisoners organs were being salvaged. I must rearrange my thinking so that stops bothering me.

Turns out Nixon has a Celica of the same year (1995) that he bought a year ago for only $1,000.

Here are some pics that my brother took of Nixon and me around the Red Celica:

http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/GuiermoV...ering%20Knuckle

Tore down the knuckle I took off my Celica yesterday so I would be satisfied I could do it to the new knuckle, and I am just about ready to do it to it. Will post some pics in the thread on the "Bent Steering Knuckle Problem."

Thanks again to everyone who chimed in with suggestions and information; it all went to very good use.