digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Strip a parts car completely, then use the salvaged parts to repair your own car and sell the surplus for profit; his parts inventory was valued at about $4,466 against a $1,485 purchase price, for an estimated $3,181 profit. The video walks through removing body panels, the interior, the engine bay parts, and the driveshaft, then reinstalling the best parts on his father's Jaguar and getting paid to scrap the stripped shell.
Key Points
- Power tools, especially an impact gun, save significant time when removing bolts; he says one tool like this can pay for itself with just a few parts.
- Parts he pulled for resale or reuse include doors (one weighed about 75 lb), the rear crash bar, the bumper, headlights, weather stripping, and electronics such as the reverse sensor computer; the sunroof was removed but not specifically listed among high-value items.
- Storage space is the main constraint: a parted car takes up nearly as much room as a whole car, so plan where large and small parts will go before starting.
- A company that pays for scrap cars will haul away a stripped car; he received $190 for the shell after calling, describing the car's condition, and scheduling a pickup.
- Stripping the car also gives you hands-on knowledge of how it is built, which helps with future repairs.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Jack the car up and secure it on ramps in front and jack stands in back before working underneath.
- Remove the hood with two bolts per side (a helper helps because it is heavy). Remove the front bumper by unbolting the top and bottom bolts. Remove the side skirt with a few bolts, taking care not to damage it. Remove the front fender, then each door by removing a couple of bolts, supporting the door so it doesn't drop, and unplugging the electrical connector.
- Open the trunk without battery power by reaching through the rear seat area and pulling the release cable.
- Use hose clamp pliers to remove hose clamps; these grip the clamp securely and won't fling off like regular pliers can.
- Use panel clip tools to remove interior trim without breaking clips. Wrap the tips in black tape to avoid scratching panels.
- Remove the center console with a few screws, then the carpet, headliner (slides out a rear door), side airbags, and sunroof (held by a couple of bolts).
- Replace the driveshaft by removing the front bolts, rear bolts, and center bearing, then torque new bolts in a crisscross pattern. Mark torqued bolts with paint so you don't lose track.
- Spray-paint any welded parts you cannot remove to prevent rust.
- Replace the reverse sensor speaker located below the rear glass by pushing off the cover, unplugging the old speaker, and installing a working one.
- Change to fresh gloves before handling interior pieces, and grab all tools out of the engine bay before leaving the car.
- The parts inventory valued the engine parts at about $425, body parts at about $2,350, and interior parts at about $1,700. The speaker sold about $500 worth of parts in the first week.
- Repairs he made on the family car included new headlights, a bumper, a side skirt, a glove box, a mirror cover, a driveshaft, and a rear bumper.
- Caveat: he notes that the fenders did not match, so he left them as-is for now, planning to fix a dent later; he estimates the car's value increased by at least $11,000.
Bottom Line
Stripping a parts car can recoup most of its purchase price through parts sales and scrap payment while upgrading your own vehicle, but only if you have the storage space and tools to handle it.
