Using Used Car Parts For Restoration Project

[ruthvik_93]

hello guys,
Received a warm welcome from you guys and i want to start off with a boost.
The reason i have named this thread as used car parts thread is to find out a few ideas as to what you guys feel about used car parts when it comes to restoration.
I have been doing my research on this field for the past 6 months and when it comes to antique restoration parts is the greatest test.
So guys feel free to talk about your restoration and i would like to be of some help.
I strongly believe in personalization and when it comes to rebuild/restoration i use my mechanics as my vehicle growth drivers whereas the rest 80% is prue planning and to industrial standards.Feel free to discuss the various drawback we face with the mechanics and i have developed a few steps to make sure the mechanic-client relationship is a smooth one and at the same time we can discuss the pro's and cons of putting used car parts.

 

[Shrikanth]

Hi Ruthvik

Happy to be the first person to reply in this thread As far as use car parts is concerned there is many +ves and also it has its own fair share of problems. I got this experience while restoring my uncle's 1973 Fiat. It was Mysore state (Karnataka) registration MEE ! He bought it from Mangalore in 1995. My uncle was the second owner. The guy maintained the car well for about 22 years. Initially the car was running with the original Fiat Petrol engine. My uncle also used it with gas. Its engine was pretty silent and performed well for 3 years. One fine morning in 1998, its engine totally gone!

Since his usage was frequent, he thought of fitting a diesel engine to it. During those days, conversion of diesel engine was so popular. He proceeded with engine conversion work at Pollachi. (A small town in Coimbatore district.)

The positives and negatives were as follows after the conversion:

+ves:

* We got a used Mazda diesel engine with turbo for a reasonable price for about 40000.

* We also bought tail lamp covers, steering wheel, modified number plate light covers (Rear), silencer etc from a Padmini which came for its last journey to the workshop.

Positive is that we got the above parts for a reasonable price at Old market in Coimbatore.

-ves:

Slowly and steadily, the car started to give troubles one by one.

* My uncle was happy that he got a diesel engine with turbo, which was quite new those days! But he made a mistake by fitting the same old gear box for this engine also. It was steering gear box and has 4 forward gears.
But this Mazda engine was about 1800 cc and doesnt match with 4 speed gear box. This leaded to heavy vibration when the car crosses 60 kmph.

* Since the engine was over powered for a Fiat, its silencer frequently gave problems. This issue used to have an expensive repair always.

* Another head ache was with the frontal tyres. Since the weight of the engine was awkward to the front tyres, it leaded to an early tyre wear and alignment needed very often. (Like the Matador powered Ambys.)

* Above all its braking system was a crap. Braking was always a trick in that car since it could not cope up with the engine's power.

Inspite of these minor troubles, he had that car till 2006 and sold it with a heavy heart!!!

Conclusion: Borrowed parts for restoration/rebuild is suited only for non mechanical parts such as Tail lamp covers, Bumpers, Steering wheel etc. This is my kind suggestion.

Cheers
Srikanth.

 

[ruthvik_93]

Hello ,
True that ! I always feel that used parts always will lead to problem
But during my jeep restoration I made sure the parts which I bought was perfectly inspected and I made sure I fixed the minor problems ! The idea of using old parts is that I buy it if I feel the company parts is too expensive (like the power windows in my old safari ) which is rare to get and I make sure I fix all the problems !
Used parts 60% working while the rest I fix to make them work !
I truly believe that as an automotive fan I want to know what exactly makes my car run and the by doing my own research in old parts I learn a lot and gives me the satisfaction that I truly know my car under the hood !

Cheers
Ruthvik

 

[anshuman8]

Hi Ruthvik, since you are from Bangalore you must already be aware that old car parts are available aplenty in Gujri, Shivajinagar and in the bylanes of JC Road.

Cheers,
Anshuman

 

[ss80]

This idea has its own pro's & con's

+ves
1.Lots of parts for very little money
2.only choice is scrapyard/gujri since no new ones are available
3.quick to complete the restoration

-ves
1. You are fixing used parts, so basically they are like mini time bombs, you never know when, which part will give up.
2. Unlike tyres, glasses there is no certain way to judge how old/used some parts are
3. the reliability of such a restored car is always short & risky at times.

suggestion:
1. common/ purpose specific parts like AC compressor need not be sourced from scrapyard instead look for compatible new ones from smaller current generation cars
Radiator, battery, power windows, central locking, fluid tanks, wheels etc
2. a good example for the same is Matiz has some parts same as ZEN old shape - like drive shafts.

 

[samsag12]

Nice topic for a discussion Ruthvik. While I agree with the views of all, would like to add that while restoring a Old/Classic/ Vintage car used original parts( excluding wear & tear ones) are the way to go if the replacement parts are not easily available or are of very inferior quality. The reasons are;

1. Used parts are a direct fit, being pulled out from the same model car & no fiddling is required as is the case with new/ repro ones.
2. Quality is better compared to the new/repro parts available. Sometimes one can get lucky in finding an original part in good working condition at almost 1/4th the cost of new one.
3. Mostly new parts for old & classics are hard to find leaving you with no choice.
4. The joy of dismantling & cleaning, in the process learning the working of a specific part (only useful for DIY people)
5. Lastly, reuse (of a part) will reduce the wastage of natural resources (consumed in production of repro part).


Above all one should have a sound knowledge & the knack of finding decent quality used parts for any car.