I'm a terrible pack rat. I keep old spark plugs. Then when I find them years later the threads are all rusty b/c the paint wore off and why on earth would I put them back in anything?
Also plug wires, "in case I get a bad one". Then I later wonder, why would I want one different wire, and would that mess up my balance?
Brake pads, sensors, struts, I toss. I'm up a couple junk batteries so I turn in the oldest/worstest as a core and hoard a couple.
I have a couple unused rubber transmission pan gaskets that came with filter kits; word on the street is to reuse the OE one if it's not leaking. I have a couple spare used saturn serpentine belts even though it's hard to wear one out. I have some moderately dusty paper air filters. I have a couple stock radios and have played "radio roullette" where car A donates a generic DIN radio to car B and gets replaced with the stocker from junk car C. One stock radio is hooked up to a computer power supply and provides garage tunes.
I have about a cubic foot of old nuts, bolts, and exhaust hanging rubber doohickies. Surprisingly handy. Also a bunch of 12mm lug nuts. Never enough. I send cars to the junkyard (on a flatbed) with two per wheel.
Lest I seem like a totally senile sort I stick to mostly one make of car and the stuff I hoard comes in handy. I parted out a SC2 last fall and used the subframe, spindles, brakes, lower control arms, and steering rack on a SL2 that needed all the above items, and not just because they were conveniently connected.
That junk car also donated a 195/60/15 that wound up on my volvo; great that everything takes the same size!
Also plug wires, "in case I get a bad one". Then I later wonder, why would I want one different wire, and would that mess up my balance?
Brake pads, sensors, struts, I toss. I'm up a couple junk batteries so I turn in the oldest/worstest as a core and hoard a couple.
I have a couple unused rubber transmission pan gaskets that came with filter kits; word on the street is to reuse the OE one if it's not leaking. I have a couple spare used saturn serpentine belts even though it's hard to wear one out. I have some moderately dusty paper air filters. I have a couple stock radios and have played "radio roullette" where car A donates a generic DIN radio to car B and gets replaced with the stocker from junk car C. One stock radio is hooked up to a computer power supply and provides garage tunes.
I have about a cubic foot of old nuts, bolts, and exhaust hanging rubber doohickies. Surprisingly handy. Also a bunch of 12mm lug nuts. Never enough. I send cars to the junkyard (on a flatbed) with two per wheel.

Lest I seem like a totally senile sort I stick to mostly one make of car and the stuff I hoard comes in handy. I parted out a SC2 last fall and used the subframe, spindles, brakes, lower control arms, and steering rack on a SL2 that needed all the above items, and not just because they were conveniently connected.
