Thread: Cool stuff I found at the junkyard.

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I just got back from the local auto junkyard. It's one of those places where you pull your own parts. Check out the stuff I found:

One (1) 12V truck horn (VERY loud!).

Four (4) 12V headlight lamps w/ wiring (Durable and weatherproof).

One (1) windshield wiper motor (perfect for home-brewed animatronics).

Six (6) large red reflectors (for making creepy eyes in the dark).

I also picked another wiper motor and a couple of headlights that didn't work.

It took me about 40 minutes to find and pull all this stuff. I got it all for $20!

Has anyone else found any cool prop stuff at the scrapyard?

haunter112, cool finds..I work at an industrial landfill[dump,gotta be PC, ya know]no household garbage, just stuff like when they tear down mills and comercial buildings, etc.
All the guys that work out in it know my addiction and call me anytime something cool comes in.I literally have tons of stuff i've drug home to use in my haunt.

Cool finds Haunter112! Looks like I'm gona have to learn to use tools. LOL And a great price for what you've got. We have those "you wrench it" yards around here but they want a lot more money for your trouble.

Rainy, my wife would kill me if I worked where you do. LOL

putrid, might explain why i'm single.................again

I'd love to work there Rainy, I was born a collector (Packrat).
Some people have all the luck.

Yep its a tough job, but somebody has to do it, glad its me....

Just to throw this in for places to find good junk , i mean "high quality reusable refuse". Keep an eye on any commercial places doing remodeling. I scored almost 25 of ceiling speakers that they use to pipe music into the room. Good for piping music in your haunt too! Stores throw out lots of goodies, display and such that can be parted out. A remodeling Subway restuarant near us yeilded the menu holders that you see on the wall. The plexiglass is like 1/2" thick and nice size (about 3'x3') i guess. Will be nice to use as windows and glass in some projects.

I just have to say how inspiring I find it to read threads like this. Probably because A) I have no clue when it comes to motors or stuff like that B) I wouldn't have a clue how to even USE stuff lik that C) it's recycling and D) I would consider it an honor if one of my throw-away parts ended up as one of the fantastic props I see on this forum. Make sure you show us what you make with all that stuff Haunter112!

Wiper motor are so simple and easy to work with that anyone can do it. No fear of 120volts shocking you because they use DC. You can't wire it up wrong, because even if you do, the motor will still turn, only in reverse.

If you can build a PVC body, you can make it move with a wiper motor by connecting a piece of pvc/metal pipe to the motor and the body. That usually mean you only have to drill two holes and put two bolt together to get movement.

Most of the time the crank will come already on the wiper motor. So you just connect the pvc or metal pipe/linkage to the crank and your PVC body. You can see from this picture what I'm talking about. This is all it took to make my electric chair prop move. The U shape is the crank I add (I lost the one that came with the motor) and the linkage is just a .59 tie down metal strap from lowes. I didn't even bother to cut it to length. I just drilled the holes and mounted it with bolts. Here's the link to my test on the chair http://www.hauntpics.com/gallery/dis...album=87&pos=1

madmax, the electric chair looks great, have to put mine back together.....someday. moved a coupls years back and some parts didn't quite seem to make the move. moving sucks