Best way to thouroughly strip an e30 for parts?

[dobbie82]

When I have had a car fail an MOT, or when I have had a crash in my Citreon or shhh rover! (Not my fault!)
I tend to just grab the easy bits, like interior, switches, and engine ancillaries, then send the rest of the car engine, drive train etc to the scrap.

But, for future reference, say I did want to strip an e30 properly, has someone written a good guide on that? I am guessing it has been done many times even by those having the shell resprayed.

[Grrrmachine]

There's lots of guides online on how to strip a car, and they apply equally well to E30s. It really depends on how much storage space you have at your disposable, as a car in bits takes up a hell of a lot of room. Everything needs to be bagged up individually, including all the appropriate screws and clips, so that nothing gets lost.

If this was a scrap car I would:

1) remove the interior, including carpet, dash and headlining, and store them carefully. Chop eavery single plug off the interior loom, leaving a reasonable amount of wire.
2) remove every serviceable exterior panel. Take a picture as it comes off, then wrap it in cardboard immediately. Include glass if you are prepared to post it to the buyer.
3) removing all lights, bumpers and trim pieces. Again, chop off loom plugs.
4) remove all boot trim, including carpet and accessories.
5) strip engine bay of as many easy-to-reach parts as possible, including radiator.
6) remove exhaust.
7) Jack up back end. With rear wheels still fitted, then cut brake pipes and handbrake cables. Undo the prop shaft bots, then the rear beam mount plates and nuts, and undo the shock top mounts. Drop the whole rear beam as one piece and wheel it away.
8 ) Remove prop and associated headshielding.
9) Undo the gearbox shifter linkage, reverse light plug and gearbox support member. Support gearbox on jack.
10) Now move to the front end. Remove the wheels, then the lower control arms and the front struts. Cut brake hoses to save time. Pull out steering rack.
11) Final stage is the engine. You can either pull this out the top with a crane, or lower the whole subframe to the ground using four lengths of threaded bar where the subframe bolts go.
12) You'll be left with the bare shell. The pikey method is to take a gas axe or angle grinder with slit discs, and salvage the rear quarter panels, the roof (if it's non-sunroof), and possibly the scuttle and VIN plate if you're of dubious moral fibre. I even bought a front inner wing from a scrappy once. Chop up the rest into manageable pieces and take it to the local scrapyard.

This method really only works if you have a decent garage/container to store all the bits. Otherwise you need to keep the shell as waterproof as possible while it's being stripped - only a hero could do all this in one day.

[andyp]

7) jack up back end. find out if it has lsd or not

[Grrrmachine]

7a) With a sharp bradawl, scratch an "S" to the start of the diff tag plate

[dobbie82]

Wow thanks for the detailed reply, and the tip about the tag lol.
Would never strip a car at home again. Not fun lying on freezing wet grass swearing at things. Would have to be in a proper lockup.

[HairyScreech]

7a) With a sharp bradawl, scratch an "S" to the start of the diff tag plate

I think I have stamps in the correct font.

[DanThe]

You could just 'fire' it to save the agro

[gooner1]

Park it in Ilford.

[BenHar]

Park it in Ilford.

Or Iver Heath.

Ben

[G-Bear]

Good write up Mr Grrr....