C5ALIVE Forum

C5Alive General Category => C5 Socialising => Topic started by: radiomarty on 05, April, 2013 - 16:55:05

Title: What ever happened to scrap yards
Post by: radiomarty on 05, April, 2013 - 16:55:05
My first car back in the 80's was a Mk 3 cortina - being a bit of a boy racer I would often be found with my mates down the local scrap yard searching for new wheels and  GT seats etc to make my motor a dream machine !  - In those days you went equipped with your tool kit and climbed over risky stacked cars to remove the bits you wanted yourself - I remember finding the highly sort after GT seats in a car stacked 3 high and after I had climbed up into it the dam thing was rocking front to back as I unbolted my precious find - I then went back up to the 'office' or shed wading through oil and other vehicle fluids to blag a good deal on the price. My mates had mexico escorts etc so If I wasn't looking for bits for mine we were searching for bits for their cruising machines.

Fast forward some 25ish  + years and i'm on the search for parts again for the MG - It couldn't be more different - I sit on my laptop , search fleebay etc and the part you need arrives at your door - on the odd occasion I have ventured up the scrappy but the take the part off for you - the cars are on proper stacking racks or not stacked at all - its all clean and sensible and do you know what ..................

ITS JUST NOT AS MUCH FUN ANYMORE !!!!!!

Health and safety spoils all the fun.

Old man Marty moment  ;) :D ;D

Title: Re: What ever happened to scrap yards
Post by: minidaz on 05, April, 2013 - 17:09:55
I remember going to a local scrappy after a passenger door glass for a classic mini i had at the time.
They only had one available, and it was still in the door. Annoyingly the door was sold .... but the scrap man said that the buyer had said nothing about the glass, so aslong as we didn't damage the door, we could take it out ;D

Was always surprising what you could remove, intact,  with a couple of screwdrivers and a bit of brute force  ;D



Title: Re: What ever happened to scrap yards
Post by: danny7147 on 05, April, 2013 - 18:54:09
For my work experience about 20 years ago I worked at Westland Helicopters and had a Mini. One lunchtime I noticed that the black back bumper on my car had a fleck of paint missing and it was actually a chrome one painted black! My uncle, who was high up in Westland, told me to drop it in with the spray shop there. Anyway... When I picked it up a few days later the guy gave me the bumper back and said "I'm sorry, we didn't have any black paint" ... "But it looks black..."... "No, it's the anti radar paint that we use on the bottom of helicopters, it's £1,500 a litre" lol :-) I never did tempt my luck with a speed camera but I was frequently inclined to try!
Title: Re: What ever happened to scrap yards
Post by: Retro Andy on 06, April, 2013 - 06:25:11
Here Here Marty, we are about the same age and I find myself comparing then and now with lots of things  :) Funny the wife says its because I'm getting old  >:(

Retro Andy.
Title: Re: What ever happened to scrap yards
Post by: Dave.76 on 06, April, 2013 - 09:18:56
There are a few proper scrap yards left, I visited one in Doncaster this week. It had lots of old cars A60 , Morris minor , Austin Allego etc stacked on top of each other. I didn't need to get the spanners out this time though as I'd rung up first and they had taken the Allegro seat out that I needed. The sight of the yard took me back though. I stood there for a while just taking it in!
Title: Re: What ever happened to scrap yards
Post by: C5 ENTHUSIAST + RESTORER on 06, April, 2013 - 09:49:58
Hi here is our scrapyard all  on the floor no stacking all you do is look what you want and take it off Great

(http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af46/jordan8_2009/1-scrapyard.jpg)
Title: Re: What ever happened to scrap yards
Post by: Karl on 06, April, 2013 - 21:12:47
Yep, many happy memories of rummaging through scrapyards back in the 80's trying to upgrade my old MkV Cortina....it ended up with a sort of GL/Ghia hybrid trim level  ;D

I haven't been to my local scrapyard for quite a while now,like Marty says most bits for my cars are sourced via Ebay or a relevant owners forum