Designing A Custom Car From Salvaged Parts: Can It Be Done?

With all of the cars that end up in a salvage yard, it is a wonder that no one has thought of going to a salvage yard, plucking salvaged pieces, and putting them together to create a vehicle. Well, maybe someone has, but it does not seem to catch on. The biggest reason for that might be design skills and/or the ability to weld things together. Perhaps the question at hand is whether or not it can be done at all. Let's take a closer look.

Are You Creative?

A creative person already has some natural design skills. He or she can look at the back end of one vehicle and the front end of another and say, "Hey, those pieces would make a great vehicle!" If you have ever wondered how different vehicle bodies would look "mashed" together, you could already design your own from salvaged vehicles.

Are You an Auto Mechanic (or Do You Know One)?

You can salvage all of the car parts in the world, but if you do not know how to assemble engines, you are in trouble. If you are an auto mechanic, or you are close friends with someone who is, this unique project is doable.

Can You Weld?

Creating the body of your unique salvage vehicle requires some welding. You will not be able to get the frame of the vehicle or the body of the vehicle to hold together without welding things in place. A welder could definitely do this, but you may have to hire one if you personally are not a welder.

Can You Find Your Way Around a Salvage Yard?

This is a lot like finding your way around a graveyard, Dr. Frankenstein, only you are digging up car parts for your experiment. You will have to become very familiar with the layout of one or more salvage yards and then visit these yards often to find the car parts you want. If you can do that, plus all of the above, then yes, you can create a car from dozens of salvaged vehicles.

Your main problem is going to be how you decide what goes on and into your unusual vehicle. Plus, it has to be safe, and road-worthy. No vehicle on the road today got there without extensive safety testing. Ergo, you might have to take a lot of notes as you build so that you can repeat the process and have at least one working model for safety testing.

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