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Aluminum Engine Blocks and heads?

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    Ragnor started this thread.
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    Aluminum Engine Blocks and heads?

    Hello, I have got about a truck load of old heads, engine blocks, intakes, water pumps, brackets, plates, etc. from our old auto shop.
    The guy at the scrap yard is offering 12¢-14¢ lb. I feel like that price is a real ripoff, owing that cans go for 67¢ lb. right now.



    What can I do to maximize my profits on this stuff>?
    I would surely think that 18 years of hoarded aluminum scrap should pay a months rent or better.

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    Mick's Avatar
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    Sort the stuff into:

    Extruded
    Cast
    Sheet
    Irony

    He's paying you the lowest value (Irony Aluminum) for the whole load. This is normal for unsorted material.

    (edit) you'll also have #1 Iron. So he's actually paying you better than the lowest value.
    People may laugh at me, but that's ok. I laugh all the way to the bank.

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    JohnC4X4's Avatar
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    My yard was paying .16 a pound today for Irony Aluminum

    The Intakes and brackets that I cleaned paid .45 a pound as Old Sheet Aluminum

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    Ragnor started this thread.
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    Will cleaning the heads , i.e. pulling the valves and studs and plugs help me at all to get a better price or is it a waste of time?

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    JohnC4X4's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ragnor View Post
    Will cleaning the heads , i.e. pulling the valves and studs and plugs help me at all to get a better price or is it a waste of time?
    What is your time worth?
    When I clean the items, it goes from .16 to .45
    I don't waste my time doing heads because I don't think .29 difference pays for my time/trouble

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    jghilino's Avatar
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    ebay/craigslist or a core buyer
    I buy and sell all types of scrap and escrap. I buy specialty and hard to sell escrap. I buy resale items. PM me or contact me at jghilino@hotmail.com
    I AM ACTIVELY BUYING ESCRAP OF ALL TYPES. BOARDS, RAM, CPUS AND MUCH MORE

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    What their saying is the alum is mixed with steel bits and that's why the cheap offer, it's considered contaminated,
    P & M Recycling - Specializing in E-Waste Recycling.
    If you enjoy your freedom, thank a vet.

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    bigdog72 is offline Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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    I would clean everything I could just did this with two engines had about 144 pounds of clean cast @.45 a pound, made $65 ( yes I rounded) spent one night in the garage and a couple minutes the next day for me it was worth it. once you know what your doing you move pretty fast

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    Most of what you have is irony aluminum, meanning it has steel in it. You should be getting 50% of clean aluminum. Most aluminum engine blocks have steel sleeves in the cyclinders and can be hard to get out. I would call around to some other yards and see what they are paying or like Jghilino said try to find a core buyer.

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    Today I had turned in 73 lbs of gas powered motors, lawn, weed wacker stuff they priced it as Transmissions and payed .15 a pound. My other dirty alum 130 lbs got .25 a pound.

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