Chopping Up A Shell

[Casanova 0]

I've been stripping my spares car as I need the space. The car can't be towed for scrap, or even easily onto a trailer, as I've nabbed most of the suspension. My plan was to chop up the shell and weigh it in (its not worth anything as its not a GTI shell and the paint is bad). This also gives me the chance to remove a repair section for AdamP in exchange for the electric windows from his stripped RG, and I might save a piece for my white XS too.

 

Question is, what to use to butcher it? I have a cheapy grinder, but I doubt this is going to be up to the job? Should I be hiring something heavier duty, and how much is this likely to cost?

 

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[number2301 1 1 Cars]

You can actually get a bare shell taken away, my old 205 got taken away by a local pikey with no suspension on at all. They just drag it onto a van or something like that.

[TurboSam 5]

a grinder will do it, a bigger one easier then a smaller one, the panels arent that thick .

 

do NOT get a pikey to take it away, scrap metal is good source of (untaxed) income for them which keeps them in town.. if you have to get someone to take it away, local scrap man should also take it away for nothing

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

I have done a few shells from a Renault 21 to a Nova SR with a Still Saw. Best tool for the job in my view.

 

Broom Broom

[sonofsam 5]

Or even a skill saw. I've cut up many a metal casing with these and they are good, especially on 20mm alloy stuff, but you need to be very in control with them! Same goes with a grinder really wich would do it as said, make sure you buy cutting disc's not grinding disc's though.

[jonnie205 1]

its very hard work and you will need a grinder with a very larger cutting disk. You will have to cut it into small sections and beware it will be time consuming and you will get bored of it very quickly, i have done a few before myself

[Anthony 1,003]

They're easy enough to chop up with a £20 9" angle-grinder and you'll likely need about 3 metal cutting disks.

 

First remove the doors, fuel tank, boot, and bonnet, and then chop the roof off through the A, B, and C pillars. Then chop the front half of the front wings off roughly in line with the top of the wheelarch, followed by chopping the car in two across the line of the front seats. Chopping through the middle of the bulkhead will break the rest of the front down into easily manageable chunks. Now just chop the back up as you see fit trying to avoid the strengthened areas with thick metal - I think I chopped the rear quarters out, and then a cut from front to back to chop the boot floor and rear footwells in two.

 

If you've got a car (or suitable large) trailor though, you should be able to lift the car on complete with two or three mates - far easier than faffing about chopping the car up, even if it is an excellent form of stress relief doing so. Either that, or most scrappies will collect the car as-is, but you'll likely not get any money for it unless you take it to be weighed in yourself.

[jeremy 71]

In my experience it is best to get the local scap/breaker yard to take it away some have gone with wheels, and others without. This never really causes them a problem as long as you tell them before they come.

 

The cost has varied from nothing to £25 although this was about 3 to 5 years ago, it all depends on the scap value at the time.

 

As for buying a grinder to do the job admittidly you will have a grinder left over at the end of the job, and possible money from the scap but you will have the added cost of the cutting disc(s), and from experience I wouldn't bother with all the agrovation as this is time that could be spent doing something more useful.

Edited October 14, 2007 by jeremy

[jackherer 543]

but you'll likely not get any money for it unless you take it to be weighed in yourself.

 

Not necessarily, I got £20 and £30 for the last two totally stripped shells I had collected by a scrapyard. One of them was crashed and totally chopped up to remove the cage and was still worth something.

[Jrod 7]

They wanted £20 to take my last shell away but they took it fore free in the end, got 1 sat in my drive ready to go but its just a shell this time, no axle or subframe like my last few.

 

 

gotta make some calls tomorrow.

[tom_m 0]

the council came and took my old shell away for free

[Alastairh 47]

4.5 cutting disc

 

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

4.5 cutting disc

 

 

 

congratulations you just reduced me and all the satf here in to tears of laughter!!!! if mine dosent sell im gona do that to it!!!

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

A grinder for the rienforced bits and an axe for the thin skins, like floor, roof etc! Chopped up a big Trimuph years ago and you'd be amazed how quick an axe will go along a panel like the roof or floor. Much cleaner than a grinder, opens them up like a big tin opener We got the best part of 16' of car into a skip...

[Tidy_Andy 0]

the best thing i ve found to chop up shells is a plasma arc cutter!! me an my housemates were getting through so many cars we bit the bullet an got ourselves one. It flys through steel like butter an the blokes at the dump find it hilarious when you turn up with a full 205 shell in the back of a graphitti covered volvo T5 estate and empty it into there metal bin!!!

[DaveW 6]

Dont get pikeys to take it away, scrap metal is worth loads now cos of china need metal!

Edited October 19, 2007 by DaveW

[Baz 421]

There's plenty of guys that have low loaders/cherry pickers etc around at the moment that will come and pay you for scrap as the price is so high at the moment. I've got a couple of guys who outbid each other everytime i have something to be rid of!!