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View Full Version : How to kill a car! (part out and cut up)



Dead91silvia
02-12-2012, 03:01 PM
Ok, so you have a parts car and you have a lot of parts you want to keep, but then no auto wrecker will take it or will charge you for it since you have taken so many parts off if it, or it's just a pain to get the thing to the front yard...

Well my friends, this is what I do with my parts cars! (Note: ALL of my cars are obtained legally and NOT stolen!). I make more money cutting them up and taking them to scrap myself and at the same time I learn more and more the anatomy of what ever car it is that I'm cutting up.

This was a 1997 Legacy Outback I got for WAY too much! It was a fixable car, but had messed up paper work (lost title and I didnt want to do the 2 year wait thing that WA does). Sooo... she got the axe! Well, the Sawzall! Muhahahaa :twisted:

This is how I got it... hit in the front..
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/IMG_6167-1.jpg

Stage one
The first thing to go should be the interior. It's so much nicer to pull when its still dry and easier to sell also!
first parts to pull: DO NOT CUT ANY WIRES!
-front end (head lights, fenders, bumper)
-tail lights and rear bumper
-seats front and rear
-plastics such as console, cover for seat belts, and such
-carpet (trust me, its easier to do this now then later when it's wet and or really nasty dirty)
-rocker covers (if it has them)
-Cluster

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/20110522110237-1.jpg

Stage two
Car is still mobile, but most of it is stripped on the inside. This next step if done right still will keep the car mobile, so you can still strip it in your garage or front yard.
-Remove doors (this is where you should have stripped the plastics, so you can unplug everything the right way)
-remove hatch, hood, roof rack.
-glass if possible. I cut out both QT windows just in case I needed them for myself or a customer. Windshield is a little harder, so I leave them in most the time.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/20110522165513-1.jpg

Stage three
Now the fun begins! Since you should have got most everything out from the inside. This is were you need to get that Sawzall! Get GOOD blades such as "The Torch", they last 10 times longer then normal ones and they cut much better! Get about 3 shorts and then one long (12"). You will use mostly the shorts, but the long you will need for the firewall, frame rails, and comes in handy for some of the pillars. I have a corded and cordless saw's. You will learn the technique in time, but rule of thumb, keep the saw head up to the car!

-Remove all wiring you see that can be unpluged. DONT CUT THE FUEL PUMP WIRES! :smt021
-First cuts should be at the "B" pillars. Cut the top (by the roof line) first, then cut the bottom (at the rockers) and pull that section out.
-Next is the "C" pillar's. Same thing, top to bottom and remove section from top of window to base of window.
-"D" pillars will be a little tricky. Cut from the back (where the hatch closes and the rubber seal is) close to the top. If it binds, and it most likely will, stop and get something to take the tension off. You WILL brake a blade if you keep trying and it's stuff. Dont cut the pillar completely out at this time. You need the roof supported for going to the front.
-After you get your ass kicked by the "D" pillars, go to the front. Run a cut right behind the front windshield about 6 inchs give or take. You should have the head liner out to make sure all your cutting is the sheet metal. Makes life much easier.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/20110522174253-1.jpg

Stage four
Ok, now you need to find where the car can sit and not be in the way. I recommend NOT in your front yard or driveway! haha!

-Get you car in the air, the higher the better. Jack stands, big ass blocks of wood, anything that will make the car stable. I used an old set of steel Forster wheels and welded them together for when I had my Rock Crawler and they work great for this type of thing! The stands should be on the rockers, right behind the front wheel wells and right in front of the rear wheel wells.

Keep in mind, the car will be REALLY unbalanced! You might want to toss some heavy crap in the rear to keep it some what stable.

-remove battery. You dont want an air bag going off and you not gonna drive it any where so take it out!
-drain ALL fluids! Coolant, ATF, PSF, Oil, fuel, brake fluid, everything! Last thing you want is a mess to work in!
-pull wheels
-pull gas tank
-pull rear sub-frame and struts
-pull front suspension (arms off of frame and struts)
-prep motor to be pulled
-remove motor and trans

No pic of this step, but you get the idea...

Stage five
Ok, now that you should have ALL the drive train out (motor, trans, rear sub-frame, suspension, gas tank, drive-line, bla bla...) it's time to strip the rest. Pull all the wiring you can, at this point you can use cutters if you like, but I still like to pull things the right way for a better learning experience.

As soon as you have that done, brake out that saw and more jack stands! Keeps things from dropping and binding when they fall.

I start from the rear and work my way up. Quarters, rear floor pan, back seat pan, front pan. I end up with a half cut looking like this!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/20110523192223-1.jpg

Stage six
Now you have a fire wall to strip!

-Remove the dash
-steering column
-heater/AC boxes
-wiring
-brake booster/clutch (if it has one)

Your next cut should be the wheel wells off of the firewall, if you havent already dont it. The next big cut will be the a line from the top to the bottom of the fire wall.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/20110524143147-1.jpg

Stage Seven
now that you have all the major cuts done, make it smaller! If your taking it in with your own truck, smaller is better, you can fit more in one load. https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/20110526205501-1.jpg

I know what you're thinking "this dude is nuts!", but I'm not, I just like to learn. I have done this to maybe about 30 cars over the years. Vintage Volvos (64-74), Nissan S13's, Toyota trucks, and now a couple Subaru's. I even did this to a 1947 Chrysler New Yorker I had no way to get paper work and I wanted it off my property. If you have a title, take it with you to the yard. I have had them ask me for it every now and then.

This is not illegal to do, if it's YOUR car! The last parts car I got was a 1989 Camry (customer couldn't afford to fix it) with nothing worth anything on it, so I just took the complete car in mainly because I never work on them and there was nothing to really learn from that car.

This outback and my L I parted out, I practiced pulling the dash because I knew I was going to be doing a heater core in, so by the time I did it, I would know all the hard things I needed to...

Anyway, hope you have all enjoyed this "How to Kill a Car" :grin:

kimokalihi
02-12-2012, 03:05 PM
How much did you get for the scrap?

Dead91silvia
02-12-2012, 03:09 PM
Ehh... About $250-300 for the steel, $60ish for the wire, and then about $1500 worth of parts... Got the car for $1000... too much, but it had the parts I needed at the time...

nikolaus.conrad
02-17-2012, 10:20 AM
I need to do this to my L, it's been sitting for a year now :smt010

Also, you didn't by chance keep the gas tank did you?

grayguy
02-17-2012, 10:59 AM
Nice write up on the clean way to do it!

I'm still biased towards the "crumple into an unrecognizable ball with a 25ton excavator and throw in a dump truck" method haha

Dead91silvia
02-20-2012, 03:01 AM
I need to do this to my L, it's been sitting for a year now :smt010

Also, you didn't by chance keep the gas tank did you?

Nope... sorry. No need to around here. Im sure Ill have another parts cars sometime...


Nice write up on the clean way to do it!

I'm still biased towards the "crumple into an unrecognizable ball with a 25ton excavator and throw in a dump truck" method haha

heh heh... I took in a Toyota Camry that a customer had me take care of (300+K and full of rust and a blown clutch with no compression) and thats almost how they took it off my trailer! They big claw grabbed it and then tossed it right in the shredder! Havent got to see that for years!

nikolaus.conrad
02-20-2012, 12:09 PM
I'll need to see if my gas tank in my parts/donor car is any good, if not I'll be in touch =] How many miles were on that Outback btw? And if you cut up another legacy can I have the rear quarter fender pieces? Mine are gone lol

chuckthefuk
02-20-2012, 11:42 PM
HAHAHAHAAHHA!.

I've done this a few time and like most people think.. dude thats crazy..

I would have approached it a bit differently with the motor/trans/diff removed then proceed to cut each section.

Good stuff!!!

-Chuck

MarkSubi
02-21-2012, 12:23 AM
I wish I had a car to do this to, could use the cash from it.

Dead91silvia
02-21-2012, 02:48 AM
I'll need to see if my gas tank in my parts/donor car is any good, if not I'll be in touch =] How many miles were on that Outback btw? And if you cut up another legacy can I have the rear quarter fender pieces? Mine are gone lol

It had 187K I think... It was beat, but had some good parts. This was the 3 BG/BK I got in 2 weeks last spring. I had money at the time I could not stop buying them! haha! I always make parts threads when I get parts cars, so keep an eye out. I am looking for another as soon as I sell off my BH...


HAHAHAHAAHHA!.

I've done this a few time and like most people think.. dude thats crazy..

I would have approached it a bit differently with the motor/trans/diff removed then proceed to cut each section.

Good stuff!!!

-Chuck

My family thinks its normal now. Most of the pics in the thread were for a girl I was dating at the time, she wanted to know what I was doing and she thought it was cool! HAHAHA! Too bad it didnt work out, all the other girls thought I was nuts.

Every car is different when it comes to parting. I did this one over about 2 weeks times. My fastest was an 240sx, had it stripped and cut up in 2 days (9 hours work time). Most the time I pull the motor/drive-train first. I needed this car mobile at the time, so I did this one a little different.


I wish I had a car to do this to, could use the cash from it.

I only do this when I NEED money and I have TIME. It's a lot of work cutting a car up and doing it right. Most of why I do it for for the knowledge I get doing it. I'm looking for a 2000-2004 Legacy now. Also want a WRX, but I figured if I ever get around to doing my swap in my BD, that will be when.