Everybody knows that the cheapest place to get replacement auto parts or old car parts is the salvage yard. What you may not have known is that you can restore rougher, rustier parts and sell them. If this sounds like a niche business you want to start, here is what you need to do first:

Become Acquainted with the Demand

People who love restoring old cars are constantly looking for old parts. The problem is, when they scrounge parts at a salvage yard, the parts they need are rough-looking. So then these folks skip trying to find the parts and look for a way to rebuild the parts instead. When people have their hearts set on restoring a vehicle with all original parts, that is a huge disappointment. 

Clearly, this leaves a big demand for certain parts. You need to become familiar with the demand so that you know what parts to look for in the salvage yards. Then you buy up these parts and advertise that you can provide these parts for a cost.

Find and Buy the Parts Everyone Wants

When you are familiar with the consumer demand, you can find these parts at salvage yards and buy them. Make sure they do not have holes in them. You can buy car parts that are mild to moderately rusty, but they cannot be completely rusted through. Once you restore these parts, they will still be original and they will be exactly what consumers want.

Learn How to Restore the Parts

Removing rust is hard work. It is the biggest obstacle to restoring car parts. However, once you learn how to do that without damaging the parts, you will find that other restoration techniques are a lot easier and less time-consuming. You just need to address the rust first.

Let Salvage Yards Know What Parts You Are Willing to Buy

Many salvage yards take in older cars and just crush them into a cube. Some salvage yard owners may be willing to work with you and help you find parts regardless of the age and rust factors. When that happens, you need to be diligent about collecting these parts from the salvage yard so that the rest of the vehicle can be squished up and recycled.

If you find a salvage yard owner that wants to be especially helpful, you could give him/her a list of the parts you need. That helps him/her keep an eye out for these parts. Make sure he/she knows that the parts can be rusty; just not holey.