When to just chuck old parts?

I'm standing here in the shop with a cookie tin of used BMW M10 engine hardware (e.g. head bolts), a flywheel, one 2002 half shaft, starter and alternator of unremembered provenance, an M10 oil pan...

I'm never going to use this stuff. I'd have trouble selling it or even giving it away without much fuss...

When does it just go in the recycling? Without feeling like at some point someone's going to wish it still existed?

This is a question I have zero skill at!

When you need the space and don't think it's worth the effort to try and sell...Sounds like it's time.

When I got out of DSMs, I sold everything of value, crushed everything of weight or aluminum, then called friends who were still in the game to come get all my other free stuff like boxes of ECUs, power transistors, etc.

So if it cant be sold and has weight, scrap it. If you still have friends in the game, call them up.

Two days before you need it.

I used to love the Brit flea markets...I had a 25 year horde of MG parts. At some point, I caught myself ordering a new part from MOSS because it was easier than digging in the horde pile.

When that lightbulb came on, I called the scrapman and had him haul the lot off. Some of the stuff was still new in boxes; it is not worth buying and then storing spare parts.

NOHOME wrote: I used to love the Brit flea markets...I had a 25 year horde of MG parts. At some point, I caught myself ordering a new part from MOSS because it was easier than digging in the horde pile. When that lightbulb came on, I called the scrapman and had him haul the lot off. Some of the stuff was still new in boxes; it is not worth buying and then storing spare parts.

i get weird looks when i take in brand new brake pads or shoes with the rest of the scrap. sometimes i leave them in the box hoping someone will grab them.

i get rid of stuff when there is no way i will own that model of vehicle again. if it's questionable i hang onto it for a few years, and if it doesn't happen i'll toss it. right now i've got a couple bumper covers to get rid of, the only reason they're still in the rafters is because they're holding small parts. i give things every opportunity to sell or be taken away before i outright scrap them, but i've taken in truckloads of parts before.

I had a customer that restored an Austin Healey and had a box of random parts in the office. I asked them what they were doing - they said they were tossing and I could have them. Smith gauges - few small suspension parts.

So I sold them on eBay.

I guess it varies, which makes sense.

I chucked some in the recycling. I put the starter, alternator, and the few random engine-related castings in the attic in hopes that I can fob them off when I find a taker for the M10 which is currently making it awkward to get at the Ranchero.

The halfshaft, flywheels, and oil pan I've deferred 'til tomorrow, when it'll probably be split between a couple more pieces upstairs and a couple more in the bin.

Because of our rural location in IL I'd often buy/order parts I thought I'd need to do a job, rather than just the ones I knew I needed. Of course, I never returned any of them. So I have a crate of parts for vehicles I no longer own. They're new, so I can't let myself trash them, and I'm too busy/lazy to list them.

However, when we moved I did throw out & give a way a bunch of used junk(for the most part) I'd been hanging onto thinking I'd use them someday.

I don't know... which is why I still have old parts from my '78 F150 that I sold back in 1992... and a smattering of parts for my '90 E150 - sold in 2007... and a small pile of parts left over from my Cummins that I finally got rid of in 2012.

I still have some Mini parts, but that car only left me a couple of months ago so they haven't quite had a chance to "age".

Nevermind the pile of mtn bike parts I have that I will never use. Fortunately, since anything that had value was sold off through FB groups (seriously - FB is the new CL), I don't feel too bad about tossing most of it.

I have collected waaaay too much stuff over the years, so my new rules involve two questions, most effective if done while holding the part:

Which project is this for? (In case I might need it someday is not a project!)

If I need an X (M10 head bolt or whatever) would I use this one, or would I buy new?

If I can't easily and definitively answer both questions, the part goes. Deciding if I scrap it or sell it usually involves a quickie search of sold listings in eBay.

I'm the packrat who's estate sale you dream about.

All aluminum and copper spare parts should go into your home made foundry.

All steel parts should also go there, once you build one that gets hot enough.

I'm the guy who got rid of all of his 12A, carburetor, and 4x110 wheel stuff because 1st-gen RX-7 values are going through the roof, I'm never going to own another one again and the car I have now is very far removed from 12A/carb/stock suspension.

Enter the '81 I just got. Which is going to stay 12A, carbureted, and 4x110. Time to re-acquire parts.

This is a bad precedent

Tough question. I sold/trashed a bunch of E32/E34 BMW parts last year that I had kicking around from my time parting out cars 10 years ago. All that time of them taking up space, and I knew I'd never own either of those cars since I had the E30 and some other stuff.

I bought an E34 last month. I need about 75% of those things I got rid of.

Hummmm. I am going to have to learn about this concept of tossing old parts. I still have stuff from my 1979 z28. And my 1975 formula 400.

It is good karma to give them to others who will use them.

On an unrelated note, I am looking for . . .

Knurled wrote: Two days before you need it.

Now THATS funny!

I give my stuff to unsuspecting people.

Group of kids building XJ Cherokees, I just pulled up one night they were in their garage and handed them all my XJ stuff.

I have 1992-1996 F150-Bronco stuff here and there. I'll end up giving it to someone I can see is trying to keep one alive.

ebonyandivory wrote:

Knurled wrote: Two days before you need it.

Now THATS funny! I give my stuff to unsuspecting people. Group of kids building XJ Cherokees, I just pulled up one night they were in their garage and handed them all my XJ stuff. I have 1992-1996 F150-Bronco stuff here and there. I'll end up giving it to someone I can see is trying to keep one alive.

Kids, never take candy from a stranger. But always take car parts from one!

Im at the point of backuing the truck in, loading, snd dumping. Not even responses to free on Craigslist.

If i cant identify the part, a use, or what I would use it for vs buying new, its going away.

Having said that, if anyone wants to come with their truck, ill give all of it to you. Saves me the guilt of scrapping.

In reply to ZOO:

I'll have you know I pulled up in my truck with my wife and three kids with me and quickly explained I lived up the street and have some Cherokee parts.

Not looking to get beat up for trespassing!

It was kind of funny that when the guy showed up to cart off my MG parts horde, he did mention something about a lot of it being new, especially the suspension and panel bits. He then mentioned that he got a lot of that when clearing out car hordes hordes. When I asked if he tried to sell the good stuff, he said "Nope, no money in parts; takes too much time to sell"

I have too much room and stuff tends to pile up. I have parts for cars I no longer own and parts for cars I have never owned! I spent a lot of money in 1978 for Mustang parts for later projects. Numerous times I have just reached into the stash to retrieve some obscure part for a fresh project.

Bruce

Oh, I know this pain all too well. And BMW 2002 related paint, too. I have so much crap and I'm getting ready to purge all of it. I have alternators, an engine, a bottom end, carbs (Weber and Solex)..... on and on and on.

I finally decided it was too much of a horde to keep because it's recently become painfully obvious that I need to downsize my entire life. House. Cars. Collections. All of it needs downsized.

So, some will be sold. Some will be given away. Some will be scrapped. Time will tell what parts will go where but this is starting a.s.a.p.

I wonder if it's coincidence that this came up now or if this an actual societal trend of becoming happy with less....