I recently acquired this 850 Turbo wagon for the modest price of $0 with a blown motor:
Maybe it's my love of both wagons and Volvo's but it makes me a little sad dismantling it. A lack of time, tools, know how, and money prevents me from fixing it and it's worth just about nothing running anyway but still...
I most always feel bad when starting to part a car, but the more I tear into it, the more I realize it was a cheap E36 M3box car with little hope of ever being nice again.
Then I rejoice.
Yes. That's why I have a rolling shell of an 1800ES under a cover in my back yard and parts cluttering my attic and basement. I tore it apart with plans to sell off the bits, but then when I got it stripped it didn't look too far gone to be saved.
And amusingly enough, the value of these cars has gone up to the point where I could do a DIY restoration and not be terribly upside-down vs. value.
Either way - I may be interested in the front seats (for the ES). Depending on condition, price and how far away you are.
Yes, Evan found me a Zender 190e; they have no value except to those of us who love Miami vice and Mercedes history. The body kit is worth more than I paid for it and it has BBS RS as well; I just can't bring myself to cut it up.
I bought a Mk IV Spitfire for the OD transmission. I also pulled everything that could be of any future use. I was told by the guy I bought it from that somebody wanting jsut the body had contacted him. They never returned my calls so I hauled it to the crusher and got $55. It was a rusty POS, but I would rather have given it to someoody that needed it.
A fellow gave me a rust-free Spitfire a few years ago. He had bought it for the OD, differential and guages and gave it away rather that part it out or crush it.
I parted out a 1968 Datsun 2000, 5-speed roadster. 100% stock and it sat in a Wisconsin farm field for 15 years. I felt bad but......
It had all the right pieces but 90% needed restoration and nobody could find the title or knew who even owned it.
That poor Volvo's soul will haunt you.
I've wanted to part out cars before, but I know me, and I have a hard enough time selling a car, let alone tearing it apart.
i feel bad for a minute then get on with it, it's better than what usually happens to the cool cars i sell whole. ie some toolbag ruins them.
I felt good about parting out the engineless '85 Trans Am I bought. I kept the transmission, rear end, sway bars, a T-top and some other bits. Sold the wheels and wiring harness before selling the very rusty shell to a guy that parts out f-bodies. I'm sure every savable part is enjoyng a second life. Car would have surely been straight to the crusher if I hadn't bought it.
I parted a rust free GTO Judge clone that had suffered an interior fire so I could get the engine/trans and some other bits for free (by selling the rest of the pieces). 10 years later I'm still using the engine. I felt bad about parting it but every piece that wasn't burnt went to other cars, nothing salvagable was scrapped.
Ian F wrote: Yes. That's why I have a rolling shell of an 1800ES under a cover in my back yard and parts cluttering my attic and basement. I tore it apart with plans to sell off the bits, but then when I got it stripped it didn't look too far gone to be saved. And amusingly enough, the value of these cars has gone up to the point where I could do a DIY restoration and not be terribly upside-down vs. value. Either way - I may be interested in the front seats (for the ES). Depending on condition, price and how far away you are.
Drivers seat is pretty ratty, passenger seat is serviceable. I'm in southwest Ohio and I could let them go pretty cheap if you can arrange picking them up.
patgizz wrote: i feel bad for a minute then get on with it, it's better than what usually happens to the cool cars i sell whole. ie some toolbag ruins them.
Same. I feel bad parting out Focus SVT's for a second because they're so hard to find in decent shape. A lot of kids and cartards have destroyed them over the past 10 years.
I always get the "I can't believe you're parting out a perfectly good car" even if it's totaled/smashed up. I almost always get asked to sell the whole car, to which I say no.
No desire to drop a 5.3l with a snail in there?
Grtechguy wrote: No desire to drop a 5.3l with a snail in there?
I've got all kinds of desire but a big lack of time, money, and skills. V8 Volvos are crazy cool.
Grtechguy wrote: No desire to drop a 5.3l with a snail in there?
We've actually had this discussion in the past. The 850 is a FWD car and fitting a RWD drivetrain would require a crap-ton of re-engineering. In a nutshell - it's a rear-steer car and the steering rack is located where a RWD engine needs to be.
Pub - we'll have to stay in touch. If either of us are heading towards the other for some other reason. I learned the hard way a round-trip across PA to OH is $52 in tolls alone - plus gas, which severely eats into how "cheap" the seats would be for me. Cover condition isn't a concern as I'd be retrimming them anyway in leather to match the rest of the interior. Neither of the OE colors (black or light tan) would work.
In reply to Ian F:
Rt 30 runs E-W across PA, and has no tolls whatsoever. It'll take you an hour longer, but there's some neat sights to see along the old Lincoln Highway...
Back on topic...
I've parted out probably a half-dozen cars, mostly old Volvos (1800s and 122s). I always feel bad, but by the time a car winds its way down the road into my hands, its generally far, far too far gone to even be bothered with. Even the 1800ES I parted, while sort-of rare, looked to have been rear-ended by an 18 wheeler, and then left to stew in a foot of salt water for 15 years.
Nope, all of the cars I've parted out have been pretty common and REALLY far gone.
Add me to the I would love to part a car but I would have a hard time selling bits off. Some days I think my auto based dream job would be dismantling for a parts recycler.
Some yes. Had a '70 Dart parts car. Body was really rough and had multiple brush paint jobs. Ran great. Was pretty solid underneath. When I pulled the wiring harness the coolant started pouring out in the driveway. The tires started going flat shortly after that. Was like life just left the car when it knew it wasn't going back together.
Anyone have advice on saving the tires (and maybe wheels)? The car has a brand spanking new (under 1000 miles on them) set of Falken something or others. I'd love to be able to sell them off but keeping the car rollable is also important. The only things I can think are swap someones wheels with crap tires for mine or hope a scrapper can take a non rolling hulk once I'm done.
PubBurgers wrote: Anyone have advice on saving the tires (and maybe wheels)? The car has a brand spanking new (under 1000 miles on them) set of Falken something or others. I'd love to be able to sell them off but keeping the car rollable is also important. The only things I can think are swap someones wheels with crap tires for mine or hope a scrapper can take a non rolling hulk once I'm done.
Typically scrappers will offer you less if the car won't roll.
I'd hit up a hubcap yard\junkyard and see if they have anything in that bolt pattern.
PubBurgers wrote: Anyone have advice on saving the tires (and maybe wheels)? The car has a brand spanking new (under 1000 miles on them) set of Falken something or others. I'd love to be able to sell them off but keeping the car rollable is also important. The only things I can think are swap someones wheels with crap tires for mine or hope a scrapper can take a non rolling hulk once I'm done.
Donuts are usually cheap at the local junkyard. Every car I've ever scrapped has gone in on 4 of them.
In reply to cmcgregor:
Great idea
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