Think late-model salvage has nothing to offer? Not so. You Can find some great performance parts in the junkyard. We did.
We go on and on about the junkyards here in Southern California, but since most of us aren't actually from the area, we know that a lot of the stuff we come across isn't actually that common in other parts of the country-and many of you remind us regularly. For that reason, we've decided to do another junkyard crawl, but this time, we're going to focus on the later-model stuff that should be occupying yards coast to coast. There are tons of useful parts and pieces that can be pirated from newer vehicles and put into service on vintage street machines, but some of the good stuff is easy to overlook. Check out what we recently came across, and keep your eyes and your mind open.
There's still good stuff to be had in the junkyard if you know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. | 
The Ford 5.0L V-8 used in Mustangs from '85 to '92 featured a factory roller cam and forged pistons. It was adored by street/strip freaks and weekend warrior road racers alike for its responsiveness to upgrades and overall durability. It also makes a great swap engine for earlier Ford projects. Finding 5.0 Mustangs in the yard isn't too tough, though | 
by now their engines are often clapped out thanks to years of abuse. However, the very same 5.0 H.O. can be found in '86-'92 Lincoln Mark VII LSC models, and these engines have almost always led much more pampered lives. Make sure your donor is an LSC though, as standard Mark VIIs use a lo-po 150hp 5.0. |
Later Mustangs are starting to show up in the yards now, and they have stuff to offer even if they're from the post-5.0 era. This 4.6L GT was heavily picked when we found it; it still had its engine, but swapping single-cam V-8s from this period doesn't interest most motorheads. | 
But, the spindles from this SN-95 'Stang can be swapped back to a Fox-body version, enabling the use of the sealed hub, which accepts slip-on rotors. This in turn allows the newer Mustang's brakes to adapt to the Fox car. Use the stock GT pieces for a low-buck upgrade or step up to Cobra hardware, which bolts right on. | 
For GM guys, another great late-model parts donor is the '94-'96 Chevy Caprice 9C1, better known as a police package. These have Gen II small-blocks-some are 4.3L (265ci) L99 versions, but many have the 5.7L (350ci) LT1. The 260hp, iron-head B-body LT1 is a great swap for earlier |