Hi all, Does anyone know of any scrap yards in the UK that specialise in bikes? Preferably the old school type, that let you wander round and have a look at the stock, rather than call up and ask for a specific part/bike. These days health and safety might have put a stop to it? Any input welcomeCheers, James
The days of the wander around scrappies are long gone, no more climbing over cars stacked 3 high to get the window winder handle from that Morris Mariner or dynamo from the Austin Allegro....Grumpy old foccer.
I remember climbing up to a scrapped Allegro to take off a door handle. Breaking it. Quietly checking nobody had noticed, and moving on to the next scrapped Allegro. Those were the days :-)
Quote from: mtread on 21 September 2017, 07:45:45 pmI remember climbing up to a scrapped Allegro to take off a door handle. Breaking it. Quietly checking nobody had noticed, and moving on to the next scrapped Allegro. Those were the days :-)Ha ha! been there and also walking off with a pocket full of bulbs, bulb holders and fuses and any other small items that could be concealed easily.
But those " good ol' days " were before the internet became mainstream. The scrapyards were dependant on that physical presence, where the punter had to rummage around to find what they wanted.These days, the scrapyard doesn't even need to open it's doors. They can strip, then shift all their wares online (ebay / amazon / gumtree etc).This actually suits us much better too! We no longer have to spend our Sundays driving from one yard to the next, getting our hands dirty, to find that one gem we were looking for (possibly coming home empty handed). We can compare MANY parts online (on the sites mentioned), then bid to buy what suits us best - pick and choose. It's become a buyers market.
You make a fair point F4celess, but it doesn't half take the fun out of it!
Thanks all! Nice bit of nostalgia. It was a long shot these days, i was remembering the days of 20 years ago, as a kid going round the scrappies with my dad, bag of tools and a pocket full of badges i collected off bonnets!Shame, but as pointed out above, climbing over cars stacked 3 high and swaying in the wind probably wasn't all that safe in hindsight. I was really looking for a complete USD front end, thinking it would make a great winter project, for me and my old man to get stiuck into.Has anyone on here has collected all the parts then come to there senses and thought better of it??? Cheers, James
Our local scrappys still let you look around. I went to one the other day looking for a motor for my driver's door electric window, there I was balanced 3 cars high taking a door apart only for it to be the wrong motor, turns out there is a difference between and 3 and 5 door motor for a Ford Fiesta, next came the biggest stroke of luck ever.....We had been told the car I looked at was the only Mk6 fiesta, then as we were leaving I saw a 3 door (again 3 cars up). I climbed up, opened the door and it had been totally stripped, my heart sank, then I looked in the driver's footwell and there it was, a motor, nothing else, just the motor I needed! What's the chances? £20....... bargain!It's on the car and works perfectly, love a scrappy!