Junkyard Gems
 

I don't know about the rest of you but I have an addiction. I actually enjoy cruising the yards or trolling Craigslist, Facebook, or using Searchtempest to look for off the wall items that are considered rare or hard to come by in my parts stash. This is what I found the other day and was quite pleased with myself. It's a console for a manual shift transmission on a 97 Sonoma, equipped with the 4.3 and a manual shift 231C transfer case. What can I say, I get excited easily! There's also a cast iron front differential in it. I'd seen pics of this but hadn't ever seen it in person.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/blazerf...21b718580c.jpg
Pretty uncommon console

I didn't think to check if the 12V cigarette lighter has two more under those flip down covers next to the ashtray but I'll bet it does. The door jam sticker shows this truck was assembled in 09/96, the sticker on the radiator support for EGR stuff stated it conforms to all standards for 1997 and the manual in it shows it was marketed as a 1997. I bought the manual since it was still like new.

So what gems have you uncovered in your search for parts?

When I found what was an almost pristine carpet for the cargo area of my Blazer I was excited but puzzled as to how it survived in such good shape for 20 years.

Then I noticed that there were a cassette tape and CD of Bach and of opera and I realized the previous owner was likely an old person who probably only ever put groceries in the back. :)