Found a 1987 737 panel at a salvage yard in Tucson

I was down in Tucson last month hunting for a cheap GPU box and stumbled onto an old 737 panel with all the original steam gauges still in it. Has anyone else ever come across random vintage cockpit parts just sitting in a yard?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_ramirez3d ago

Honestly I used to think salvage was junk but this changed my mind.

margaret_gonzalez2523d ago

I found a whole DC-10 instrument panel in a yard outside Phoenix a few years back, still mounted in its frame. Those old steam gauges are getting harder to come by, it's a shame to see them rusting away in the desert. Glad you saved that one, it sounds like a real piece of aviation history.

the_tara23d ago

That's a good find, but if you ever pull one of those panels out of the desert again, check for mud dauber nests inside the housing first... they love those little crevices. Just use a can of compressed air and a soft brush to get the dust out, don't use water or it'll mess with the internal wiring. Also, spray some WD-40 on the metal brackets where they bolt in, otherwise they'll snap off when you try to remove them. Those old gauges are actually pretty tough, but the plastic lenses get brittle in the sun and crack if you look at them wrong. Wrap the whole thing in a blanket before you haul it anywhere.