Is it worth ripping out the wiring in a scrap car?

So far I've got the cat, alternator, battery, gas drained, and I am going to take out the radiator.... The only other thing I can think of is the wiring... Are they worth taking out and is there any tricks to taking them out? There is tons of small gauge wiring across the floor under where the carpets where but I ripped them all out for the demolition derby.... So is it worth it?

I'll say it first!

Only YOU can decide if something is worth it to breakdown.

an..

The search box is your friend, my friend. I'm sure this has been posted on, an if not..someone will come along an give you a much more insightful answer.

Again..Only YOU can decide if something is worth the time. I like TVs, others would cut off their arms before they had to deal with one. Etc etc.

YMMV.

I think I hit all my signature lines..

Sirscrapalot - My cooler is almost empty. It's been a lazy day.

There are so many threads on here about this topic and the general rule of thumb is what your time is worth. If $ .25 of wire can be recovered in less than a minute. it is worth it to this scrapper. That is $ 15.00/ hour twice the minimum wage and there is no boss staring down the neck.



Now as far as other things to collect off a vehicle. Once again the $ .25 / min. rule applies. Can the bucket seats be resold, windshield. wheels, tires, etc. The strategy that is recommended is list items from a vehicle for resell before picking it up. When you pick it up you know what to keep and what is not worth the time. Example the old Ram head from Dodge pickups can sell for $ 15.00 each. Worth disassembly. Trim work, tail lights, etc. from muscle cars are highly prized.

To sum it up, are you a turn and burn scrapper trying to move metal as fast as you can. If so, not worth it. Are you a part time scrapper that enjoys learning how things work, likes to make things from scrap, and looks for a little extra cash it might be worth it to take your time.

Since I am a full time scrapper this is my strategy. When a new vehicle is received, it is listed for resell. Research is done on what years different parts will fit. If a friend is known that has a similar vehicle, parts will be offered to them. This is done free of charge because scrap value is pennies to the dollar and every friend you help out has ten more friends that they will recommend give you a call.

A half hour is devoted under the hood for the essentials. Ten minutes for the cat. If it has an aluminum transmission, half hour is devoted to this. What ever time is needed for resell items or parts for friends. Five minutes to empty fluids, the method has been explained on other threads. 20 minutes to load it on the trailer. This recipe produces a minimum of $ 30.00 per hour including the hour it takes to haul it to the scrap yard. Luck plays a part. The cabs and roofs can be crushed allowing the ability to haul four to five vehicles at a time to the scrap yard. After expenses, SS, taxes, and buying the vehicle it is break even. But just think of all of the fun I had and it did not cost me a nickel.

It seems to much time was spent trying to think. Sorry Sir and KZ and at least I beat Sledge.

i get 50 and more out of those old dodge ram hood ornaments.......i light up everytime i see one in a junk box at the flea market

No worries Patriot.

My post was just a placeholder until you car guys decided to stop day dreaming and answer.

Sirscrapalot - Poor Sledge, Patriot just called him a turtle.

Poor Sledge, Patriot just called him a turtle

i get the easy to get to wires out of cars,,,,,,,there have been times when i have plenty of time on my hands and i have squeezed every penny possible out of cars.......but on a normal average day i will first look at ebay and see if i need to pull anything to sell......then i get the cat , battery, and radiator,,,ill also grab any easy wire and aluminum ......i usually do not try to get every piece of wire,,,

i often catch myself working to hard to get things and i know the extra effort isnt worth it....those times i try and tell myself 10 pounds of aluminum is worth 5 dollars or the same thing with whatever metal it is im going after

bottom line is...as said above its all about the time you have and how much you value your time

Slow, an making a fat bank roll.

Sirscrapalot - Mine! Mine? Mine?! Mine! Mine! - The birds, from finding Nemo.

I used to strip the looms outta cars. I'd clean them right down to single strands of plastic coated wire, no brass clips or plugs.
Then I would burn off the plastic coating.
Once I had the wires cleaned down I'd get a 66% return of domestic Copper by weight after burning the plastic off.

You can sell the looms as 'looms', but they want all the plugs cut off.

Don't forget the heater core, its normally Brass/Copper. The aircon cores normally Ali.

I clip the wires that are the easiest to get too. From under the hood and interior. Some cars are worth going further into. Deville's are my favorite. Battery is under rear seat and there is easy 25 lbs of wire in 15 min or so.

To get the looms outta jap carz, pop the windscreen out and undo the 3 or 5 screws that are near the dashboard top edge and the bottom of the windscreen.
Now push the dash away from where it was fixed and you should be able to get down into the dash and have access to the part of the loom from the fusebox across to the glovebox. Normally theres a larger dia chunk of loom in threre, it supplys the heater/radio/light etc etc.

I find a tree branch lopper with the small curved jaws works real well for cutting the looms.
Its a tough job, but if you get enough cars it gets easyerWhere the loom goes thru the firewall, push the rubber boot/gromit thru ansd pull it back thru and cut on the other side of the firewall.

The battery cables are a lot thicker copper wire. Remove them and cut the insulation off. Use the loppers to cut off any brass clips, they go as 'Brass'.
Cut any oxidised Copper wire off and that goes as 'Copper #2'
The rest of the Copper is now very bright and can go as 'Bare bright' or 'Berry'. You get top $$ for this Copper.

No it is not really worth it!