Art & Inspiration Would you rather rescue/save a part or buy another one?

What would you rather do? Anyone ever put more time into repairing a part than made sense versus buying another one, just for the sake of proving to yourself you could save it?
This occurred to me while trying to salvage a set of 2 car mirrors out of 4 for a friend the other day......I like to save everything within reason but sometimes dont know where to draw the line...
Any thoughts? or What did you save?

 

I'm not without blood on my hands here but this scenario usually plays out when someone else "doesn't want to spend any money".

 

Depends what it is...but I generally like to use as much old stuff as I can. Comes from decades of being cheap. And the fact that they don't make stuff like they used to.

 

Used to re-use things because it was "frugal". It's now become necessary to hunt down seasoned parts to recondition after numerous failures of offshore parts.

 

I always choose to rebuild old

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If one is forced by someone else to fix something rather than buy, labor sometimes becomes more expensive than the part can be bought for.

 

I retired...so it's fine with me if I spend 4 hours fixing an old part that I could replace for $15

 

I will spend way too much time fixing up old stuff rather than replace, this is a hobby after all.
It's kind of a challenge to repair stuff that isn't supposed to be repaired, and as has been said, a lot of new replacement parts are shoddy offshore junk.

As an example, I have often taken apart hydraulic lifters and cleaned the sliding surfaces up with fine emery paper and solvent. Works well to quieten those ticking little devils.

One part I've never repaired but want to is water pumps. I have a neat old aluminum one on a small block Ford that I'd like to fix to swap out the cast iron one. It's a nice sixties aftermarket unit but I don't know who made it.

Maybe some of my habits were formed because parts are much more expensive here in Canada.

 

I tend to at least attempt repairing anything, mainly for the challenge. When I crewed on a fuel car it was (still is) a budget operation. We fixed or brought back to life as much stuff as we could in house, even building a low buck line bore rig that gave an excellent surface finish rivaling any pro machine. We used 3/8-24 threaded rod for the lead screw, powered by one of those low RPM barbecue spit motors.
I have a saying, If you go past my house on garbage day and see something at the curb don't bother stopping, it's already been repaired at least once already and it's used up.

 

If it's something original or older, I prefer to try and fix and salvage what I can. Mainly for the pure fact that "stuff just ain't made like it used to be." You can go to a parts store and buy three new parts before you get a good one. Plus, it's also satisfying!


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I have to admit that trying to save a vintage part is always my first plan of attack,especially when it comes to sheet metal & trim pieces.

I spent many hours on this original splash apron but I finally beat and pounded in to shape,it would have been much cheaper to buy a aftermarket but I couldn't/wouldn't do it that way. HRP

 

Everything I tinker with has as many old rebuild parts as I can possibly use or find , to me this the way a hot rod should be built . I was a certified mechanic for a few years , I would rebuild starters , alts , trans , carbs , anything I could to keep OEM parts on customers cars , no cheap auto parts store junk for me . I lost flat rate pay , but I repaired as if it was my own stuff , I was not out for a commission on my pay check for selling parts . My old power wagon has the best heavy duty stuff , from every manufacture to make the best truck that you could not buy OEM . It has a****mins Engine , NewProcess 4speed , gear driven transfer case from a Chebby , much better than OEM chain drive unit , axles are Dana 60 front and rear , from 1ton truck , not available OEM . I know this is a "late model " for this forem , just an example of how I try to use best old stuff to build it better than new . My 32 has very few new parts , all are "Freakin Old Rebuilt Dodge" ( FORD) parts !

 

It's all been said but I usually try to fix the old one rather than just go buy another, as long as it's something I can fix without driving all over hell. Much more satisfying. Living out in the boonies sorta "makes" one exhaust the DIY option first before heading to civilization and all of it's irritations.

 

I like fixing things that "cant be fixed" just to annoy people, but also fix things rather than replace with new***** that doesn't last.

 

I always fix stuff that costs me more time than it is worth fixing. I always promise not to do it again but it does wind up happening again.

 

I try and save the old part. My wheel cylinder was leaking on the 56 Chrysler. I went on Goggle and saw a guy just hone out the wheel cylinder and use the old rubber parts again{because it was made in the U.S.A. not China} and it worked .I did the same thing but found a brake puddle under the wheel so I guess I will have to buy the rebuild kits.Bruce.

 

I believe I have been guilty of doing this on more then one time.
It comes from growing up and not having much money because back in the late 50's and 60's I never purchased many new parts but every weekend I was at the local junk yard looking for what I needed.

Sometimes having very little money makes you realize that you will have to think of another way of fixing things.

Today world is much different and when I see the things people throw out rather then trying to fix something it's kind of crazy.
I have gotten brand new lawn mowers that someone used a few times and could not figure out why it would not start and rather then try and fix they went right down and purchased a New lawn mower.

What was wrong with their old mower? An intake value that was stuck and simply removing the spark plug and tapping it with a screw driver and it ran just like brand new. I used that mower for another 10 years or more!

Just my opinion.
Jimbo

 

Not really a car part but this old plate was found in the woods by my younger brother and it was rusted into sevral pieces almost returned to earth with all paint gone, but he picked it all up and brought it to me cause he knew I would be interested as I have a few old plates, I did like it and couldnt let him down cause he thought I could do something with it and to my own surprise, I did I had an old flat car dealer plate that I JB welded all the pieces to and painted it all up with some rustoleum, I think it turned out great considering, and think it looks great hanging in my garage with all its "character" still visible and its story of my brother giving it to me

 

I love making silk purses out of sows ears........

 

Yes I use old parts,rebuilt. More satisfying to me and makes the build more special

 

It depends on the situation, really. Nowadays I'm thinking if it works, it's good enuf.

 

I'm with Squirrel.....I'm cheap. I'll fiddle with something until it's fixed or I break it and have to buy a new one.

 

I have fixed stuff which people have taken to "the man", who told them that it can't be fixed.
If I had to charge an hourly rate, it would'nt be worth fixing, but I like to stick it up "planned obsolesence", and besides, I would rather do that than watch TV.

 

Exactly. This sentence defines what we are all doing here. Well said.

That's why the whole street rod thing always baffles me.

 

That's interesting, you could pass for 40, clean living?

 

I always prefer repair, but then again I'm in the restoration biz so it's part n parcel. Not much Asian/import junk you can buy for a Packard. Reman or NOS is it. Well, luck too...

 

That's true to a certain extent,seemly things do take more time but in the long run they are pieces that are not easily replaced. HRP

 

I was given a "junk" 35-40 Ford frame out of an old rod years ago. I grabbed it for patches for my '36, but now I need a frame for a '40. So I drug it out and everytime I weld/grind/straighten/patch the rational part of me knows I should toss it and find an unmolested one, the bigger irrational part says the rod frame deserves another shot at the highway.

 

Well I don't throw anything out.

If I need to be back on the road quick I buy the part (if I can) and put the used part on the shelf to be rebuilt in my spare time for a spare part.

I am running a harmonic balancer that I repaired the snout where it goes through the seal about 20 years ago. That was a matter of cost, I had the 11 bucks for a repair sleeve and the balancer was/is good. One that was a match to my build was about 80 bucks new at the time.

I am doing the same thing with a brake caliper now. The repair kit was 7 bucks ( my cost) and when I opened it up the piston bore is good. If the bore was pitted I would replace it. It is a fairly rare caliper and I know where this is a new in the box one on the shelf that I could have easy enough and if I was going to have to machine the sleeve or create a new piston to make the repair I would replace it and make the repair to the old one later.

I have all but stopped repairing master cylinders (car masters) most of them that I use can be had rebuilt for the cost of the parts to rebuild it or within a buck or two.

 

If it's something I haven't done before, I challenge myself. However once I've tackled something I have to move on and let others do it on their own or they need to pay someone else. That being said, no more project cars for me with exception of my girl friends 32 because it is something I've never dealt with and I always wanted an early Ford of some type. This one is free for the experience and I know she'll give be the credit which is equal to being an owner of one. That's all I really need anymore. Just because I know and can doesn't mean I have to.