Projects Have you ever torched away at a car/truck for the parts

I never pulled out the torch, but I have the remains of a rusty Jaguar XJ12 sitting behind the shop in about fifty smallish pieces. A sawzall is my destructive tool of choice. That old Jag provided its suspension and (Chevy 350) engine and tranny to my London Taxi/sedan delivery project, with plenty of sheetmetal to make all the rust repair panels I'll need. I cut it apart to save time, while preserving nearly all the mechanical parts and lots of useable sheetmetal.

 

I cut a big chunk out of an old f-1 front fender to get to the steering box. It was out in the middle of nowhere and the cars and trucks were stacked in like cord wood the only way I was getting the box was cutting the fender.

 

duh.......

 

The invention of the Sawzall sure helped save on the Oxy/Ac bill.
Speaking of football players....reminded me of this guy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Reynolds_(American_football)

 

I didn't mean to ask if u guys ever used a torch to get stuff apart.
Im actually asking if you guys could have taken you time to unbolt stuff but instead just took the fastest route and torched stuff...with hatred and despair...like im going to,tomorrow.
All good answers so far.

 

Coming from the rust belt torches were used all the time to either heat or cut stuff off. Since I got a plasma cutter my torch doesn't get much use.

 

this is a good time to practice your torch skills. since it won't matter any way, try to remove a nut from a bolt without hurting the bolt. try melting a rivet out of the frame without hurting the hole. try torching a bolt out of the treads it is screwed into, try cutting one piece of steel off another without hurting the one to be "saved".........

 

Good idea Ted.
I do need that practice.

 

post the successes.

 

If that Clark is an OD . . . don't hot wrench anything on it!

 

OH yeah... rolled a few '59 Fords on their side and cut the rear-ends out. But I usually go to great lengths to save all the small stuff without damage. Just not on '59's.

 

Its a DD...with a PTO for pumping fuel...might get it cleaned and make a table base outta the heavy fugger

 

Years ago, I pulled a GM stock continental kit complete with bumper, brackets and wheel cover off on a 1958 Chevy Convertible that was out in the woods, around Portsmouth, NH. I could not get a jack under it so I took two bumper jacks and jack the car up by the rear wheel lips. I had all good intentions of installing the unit on my 58 Hardtop, but never did. Ended up selling it years later to someone from RI, for pennies on the dollar. The car was in pretty decent shape except for the top and frame.

 

Not completely torched related but you guys talking about rolling cars on their side... Back in the 80's when Mustang II front ends first came out and got real popular I was doing a bunch of them. Back then they didn't have the aftermarket support, you had to get used front suspension components. I would go out and buy a clapped out Pinto for $50 to $100 bucks to rob the front end parts, sell the engine if it ran. No market what so ever for the rest of the car so I learned it was easier to roll the car on it's roof after disconnecting everything on top. Remove the suspension standing up, (much better the under the car) then torch the motor mounts, motors out, no cherry picker needed! People would wonder when they walked into my yard, there would be all these Pintos sitting around upside down!

 

And this is called having a good time in a fun relaxing hobby

 

Yep. I had a friend named Wimpy ("as in I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today") that owned a wrecking yard back in the '70s and he always lent me a tool box and a torch when I needed something. I asked him once what the tools were for and he said ,"in case you need to change bottles on the hot wrench."

 

So this is some bolts that are holding a crossmember.
Torched the bolts off without hurting the cmember too much.


This the little bastard that wouldn't let the clutch fork come out..

Now the fork is out of the way..the tranny should come out right?
Wrong.
Getting ready to torch the tranny shaft.

 

Well, nooooooo..... Why do you ask?

 

I couldn't torch the trans shaft..
I think its made out of kriptonite.
I could only get to the top layer...like theres a black matter shaft inside a hardened steel pipe.
???
Im begining to doubt my own existence...
Last time i got a 302gmc out of a bus with nothing more than monkey wrenches and a cherry picker

 

I once took the transfer case out of an old International Travelall with a torch..... set the junkyard on fire in the process. I don't think that the old guy that owned the yard cared too much since he let me back in after the smoke cleared.

 

the input shaft must be stuck in the clutch plate or maybe stuck in the pilot bushing and it pulled out of the back of the crank and won't come through the clutch.
get a bigger lever.....

 

Ted,i hooked a come along fromnthe back of the trans to a crossmember. And still wont budge...im pulling the cab off then will see from there...
Dynamite?

 

just one stick.......

 

Cab off sounds like a good approach.
C-4 will save you time and money ( but not many brackets)

 

You've pulled the steering wheel, unbolted the steering box from the frame and pulled the steering column through the floor? Unbolted clutch and brake pedals?

 

It worked. kinda

I got some help^

Yes i unbolted everything.
I only torched a couple of bolts for practice and the stupid transmission shaft.
I guess it wasnt made from kriptonite.
I just had to get it niche and hot.

 

holy!

 

Damn, that Clark should have come out of there, had to be the clutch splines frozen to the input shaft and pilot bearing, in fact if you weren't able to draw it out straight it bound up from all the weight of that Clark on the splines and pilot bearing.

 

Im telling youse guys it was hafd work...
Im glad that is over..
I get to pull the engine and cab off tomorrow Tlaloc and the weather willing.