Vehicles saved from the 'Srapman' thread

[Deleted]

Have you saved / prevented a vehicle from heading into the point of no return (not to be confused with the I've bought an abandoned project that I found on e bay / someone's drive etc) but where a vehicle would have physically ended up has scrapped

To kick off - Several months ago I was tasked with finding a home for a car with a very uncertain future - story being that the owner had sent it to a vehicle restorer around 15 years ago - repairs had been commenced with cars partial strip down and a good proportion of the structural welding completed - the owner relocated during this period and the said car was trundled outside of the restorers workshop - placed on axle stands and covered over - fast forward 15 years later and its still outside under the cover and no further restored - Ageing owner realizes that with the car in thousands of pieces & axle less is never going to be in a position to see the cars restoration through to completion - the car would take 2 - 4 times it's actual completed value to professionally restore - being a committee member of the Jowett Car Club could I find a home for it ? - The complete car was offered on a FOC basis but with conditions - it must go to someone who was willing to restore it and not someone who would just take it because it's coming for nothing and then do nothing with it - ideally someone who can largely restore in it's original format and not someone who would heavily mod it - meanwhile the restorer where the car has sat for the last 15 years wants it gone otherwise it's going for scrap very, very soon. Eventually after several enquiries a good connection of mine takes it on

Has found



1952 Jowett Javelin Delux



Placed onto dummy transit axles



Loaded to the trailer



We also filled a large van with the loose parts / drivetrain off the car and the car is now safe in Theo's workshop undergoing a detailed assessment of what is required to return it to the road in the short term - Theo being very practical is excellent at making something from nothing and will be uninterested in the cosmetic condition at this stage - Once he gets going with it I will list a build a thread but this story carries a couple of very interesting twists which I will update has they occur over the next few months - so here is SAVE 1 - there must be others out there ??

[andyborris]

Not sure if there are more stories, but well done to both of you, especially because you've saved one of the less fashionable cars.

[ovimor]

My Toyota Carina II was parked on the street with a 'for sale' card taped to the window. No particular drama about it all - very clean car simply 'unwanted'!

Magic element is a keen $hiter hoovered it up - having outbid the OvalBoyzz.



A very VERRY close call.......




OVIMOR

[carledo]

When I bought my Toledo in 2008 on ebay, I was the first and only bidder at £200.

When I collected the car, the seller told me that if it hadn't sold it would have been scrapped within 7 days.

That's what I call a close one!

9 years later it is still going strong and in the very unlikely event of me selling it, would probably make about £5-6k!

Steve

[astranaut]

I saved a mk3 Astra from the scrappies, cost me £20. Was split mint. Oil pump went the day i passed my test and I had no mechanical knowledge then.... so u scrapped it did get a few months use though.

[sowen]

The scrapman was about to be called when I first went to see my P6 which I bought there and then back in 2003. At the time a non-runner 2000 had next to no value, a few people had looked at it and walked away. The shell was in amazing shape being a genuine 'barn find' laid up in 1980!

[fordperv]

My 3 door sierra wouldve ended up as bean tins, my dad bought it for me as a smashed up wreck in 2001 when sierras were worthless as I wanted one, when I went to see it in the guys garage I saw the potential but I guarantee if I hadn't of had it no other fool would have

[astranaut]

Oct 7, 2017 13:01:10 GMT fordperv said:

My 3 door sierra wouldve ended up as bean tins, my dad bought it for me as a smashed up wreck in 2001 when sierras were worthless as I wanted one, when I went to see it in the guys garage I saw the potential but I guarantee if I hadn't of had it no other fool would have

Ooohhh I would have... got a thing for non cosworth 3 doors since my old man ran them. Getting big bucks now so don't think I'll ever have one.

[southside]

Around 2001 I bought a Fiat 126 off a local breakers for £250, 1 owner from new, genuine 19k miles. Had been scrapped because the elderly owner had given up driving.

I was 15 at the time and had great ideas of having it for my first car, as I got a bit older though I decided it didn't have enough street cred so I sold it on again to an apparent 126 enthusiast. So much of an enthusiast! I found out she scrapped it a few months later! No idea why as it was near mint and drove perfectly. Saying that they were pretty worthless back then.

[charles97]

Not retro but hopefully is still acceptable. Was told match what the scrap man said they'd pay for it and then I can have it, so there's the story of my first car. I'll keep it until it's retro if that can redeem it





Next two are ones already in scrapyards that I'd love to save, even if it's a roadkill way.





And then one that I have posted in here before but can't find the picture was a Subaru GL estate 2/4WD complete and original, blue with blue cloth and was a low roof which must be rare for the estates. Was told by the guy £150 when I was down there and then I called a little while later about it and he said he'd crushed it the day before.

So there's one I have saved, ones I want to, and one I couldn't.

[strikey]

no pics of this one... but back in the 90's I was given (for taking away) a pretty tidy talbot samba with the intention of racing it. a quick inspection revealed that it was actually in pretty good nick , barring a non-existent passenger hinge post and was probably too good for the oval after all. a few hours with the sparky glue gun and rattle cans saw the old thing good to go , advertised , sold and me in possession of a talbot sunbeam px'er (this one to race , it WAS rotten) AAAAND £300 in my pocket. proper bargain and a good save all in one!!

[awoo]

in 2007 an integra type r became known on the Crx forum, as it was sitting in a private car park for ages unused, no mot or anything, apparently needing work, covered in green stuff. the bloke who noticed it asked about it, the owner actually said he would sell but the bloke couldn't afford it at the time and his wife said no. he put it up on the Crx forum to see if anyone was interested and got swamped by people wanting to buy it in order to break. since they are worth loads more in parts, as the parts drop in to most other Hondas of the same era, this meant loads got bought to be broken.

I was the only person who asked (begged) who wanted to drive it and use it. I had to move fast and it was 200 miles away but I got it.

fixed it up, took a month, been my daily driver ever since. its never been brilliant cosmetically but its an awesome car and been super reliable.


I like to think its repaying me in reliability and good performance as I saved it from being broken up

[domino1971]

I went to look at a house not far from from my house that I,M in just now and there was a sad looking little red mk1 mini. I asked the chap what he was doing with it. And he said he had phoned a scrapyard local to us. But the guy had not made it as his lorry broke down.and could not pick it up until the end of the week. So I had to purchase it. It's a great wee car just an 850 but it was totally rust-free and was needing a wee clean inside but it has only got 32,000 miles. With a website sunroof and every period extra and original bill of sale. And reset for the extras too. I was offered a substantial amount for it recently but I like it to much. And puts a big smile on my face.

[MK2VR6]

Excellent thread idea. Not a lot I can add, apart from a link to this Mk2 Cavalier LXi. Literally about to become bean tins, and saved at the last minute. Looks like it's been sorned for the last couple of years, but fingers crossed it's still in one piece. Love the story, anyhow.
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/143009

[billybob10]

My brother visited a local yard about 15 years ago and found a chap about to drive a one owner from new mk1 1800 marina estate in. Having stopped it from being crushed the owner then drove it to my house the following weekend and for £50 it was mine.
I used it as a daily for several years,including dragging a caravan from here in cornwall to Wales for a weeks hols, until 2009 when it was sold due to me loosing my workshop.
Its now owned by a retro ride member and its refered to as MUD. Ive also since heard its being restored. Getting pretty rare now so glad to hear its being sorted.

[vulgalour]

Destined for the scrapyard along with a lot of other cars. I took a ridiculous gamble on it being worth saving and had the good fortune for other forums coming to the rescue with someone I barely even knew storing it for a year before I could collect it. The car fought me tooth and nail and I did eventually give up and sell it on after having put right almost everything. I couldn't get to the bottom of why it wouldn't idle beyond "it's a timing issue" and had absolutely no patience for pulling the engine again to find out. Sold it to one of the mechanics from Turbo Pickers, of all people, via Twitter. His intention is to restore the car properly as opposed to my approach of getting it solid, working and worrying about cosmetics at a much later date.

[vulgalour]

100k+ mile Princess, non-runner, been off the road for YEARS and free to collect or it was going in the bin. Shiply to the rescue! I don't really know what I was thinking with this one, there was some justification that it might make for a good 'spares car'. It was actually far too solid for that and the only real mechanical malady was a blown head gasket. That was sorted, replacement doors fitted, a new interior sourced and the whole car almost got to MoT status in my ownership. It was sold on when I was going through a rough spot in life and continued to cause trouble with its new owner. I kept track of it until about a year ago, watching it evolve and continue to be used. It was good to see it surviving against the odds that had been stacked against it. Last seen sporting black paint and gigantic spotlights.

[neilsdavies]

Around a decade ago the other family I share my unit with got friendly with a local scrapyard owner - he'd been at school with the dad or something. His son used to drive the recovery truck and one day turned up with a Mk1 Jetta on the back. It hadn't moved in years but under the cobwebs, moss and faded paint it looked saveable. We gave what it would weigh in for, plus a little extra for delivery. We had four of us working on it every night and weekend for about a fortnight and ended up putting it up for sale on here. I got quite a negative reaction, accused of profiteering and despite brushing it off, didn't really use this site for many years afterwards.
The car sold. Then it got lowered and cool wheels added and sold again, for lots more. Then again for lots more still! Glad it got saved, it was too good to break, let alone weigh in!

[berendd]

Went to return a hired car transporter trailer a few years ago, the owner informed what i had used it for and I told him I brough a shell to the scrappy. He then informed where and how much I got, so I asked him why.

He said, well I have this old Merc that I need to get rid off..

Obviously we had a look in his storage, got to a deal and he delivered the 1968 W114 to my barn, where it still sits.

have managed to weld up the a-pillar and one of the rear wheel arches and sourced a M110 2.8 engine for it that has been installed. Still needs some work done on one of the wheel arches, wiring and lots of small things. It'll eventually get there (unless I get bored before I finish it)

[PHUQ]

Oct 8, 2017 20:42:43 GMT billybob10 said:

My brother visited a local yard about 15 years ago and found a chap about to drive a one owner from new mk1 1800 marina estate in. Having stopped it from being crushed the owner then drove it to my house the following weekend and for £50 it was mine.
I used it as a daily for several years,including dragging a caravan from here in cornwall to Wales for a weeks hols, until 2009 when it was sold due to me loosing my workshop.
Its now owned by a retro ride member and its refered to as MUD. Ive also since heard its being restored. Getting pretty rare now so glad to hear its being sorted.

Hello!

Always good to get some more history... I think someone told me you had a Coupe at the same time and repainted that, which is why the estate ended up Tundra green and not the original blue? I knew you'd saved her from imminent scrapping but I hadn't realised it was that close to the wire!

Currently with Frank on the IoW, one side has been "done" and he's working his way around. Lots of new tin going in, I've been panel collecting for about 5 years now! Will be painted black tulip when done, and I'm doing her as a TC "replica" (not that the factory ever made one, but if they had, well that's what we're aiming for).

Both myself and my other half are properly attached to the old bus (that I only bought as a stopgap some 7 years ago to get my tat back from Uni in!) so thank you for rescuing her!