What Survival Items Can You Get From A Standard Car?

[sledge]

I came across this post from  EMPnotImplyNuclear on The Survival Forum and thought it would be an interesting topic.  Abandoned cars will be everywhere after a tshtf situation.  Using the alternator to make a wind generator to produce electricity and charge batteries isn't even mentioned.

things you can scavange from a car
- things to burn
- - windshield wiper, easy to break, burn the rubber, use metal as skewer, fishing hooks
- - tires
- - upholstery/carpet
- - fuel
- - fuelline
- - oil filter
- - various gaskets (door/trunk/hood)
- - anything plastic you can break off
- - dipsticks for a skewer, or harpoon
- - long screw from car battery bracket for a skewer
- - antenna for skewer
- - lug-wrench for hot stone method
- - radiator cap, lug-nuts and other thick metal for hot stone boil method
- - ...
- cordage
- - wire
- - seatbelts
- - timingbelt
- - fuel line
- - water line
- - ...
- containers
- - wheel contain fire
- - glove-box for water, can boil with hot stone method
- - hubcap to contain fire
- - hubcap to boil water
- - oil filter cover if metal, will hold some water or use as griddle
- ...
- sharp and/or pointy
- - windshield wiper, dipstick ...
- - instrument panel if glass
- - vanity mirror
- - light covers , front or rear
- - leave windows intact, if break small window, cut upholstery to patch hole
- - ...
- signal
- - rear view mirror
- - passenger and driver side mirrors
- - vanity/visor mirrors
- - dashboard
- - front/rear light covers and reflectors
- - ...

most of these things you can scavenge by hand by tugging, or cutting with improvised sharp, or leveraging with lug-wrench, a few use wing-nuts

when scavanging ask yourself
is it water? food?
is it shiny?....will it reflect light?
is it sparky?...will it spark? burn? smoke?
is it sharpy?...will it cut?
is it stabby?...will it stab? dig?
is it ropy?.....will it tie?
is it potty?....will it hold water?
is it tarpy?....will it cover? shade? shed rain?

[sledge]

Alright, I'll go first. 

You can make a rain water collector from the bed liner of a pick up.

You can use the bulbs from a 12 volt system to provide light in a shelter.

You can make a food dehydrator by placing the food on tray inside the car and let the windows provide the heat on hot summer days.  (Peak growing season.)


 

[NOLA556]

depending on what type of interior the vehicle has, you can use the seat and/or floor materials for various purposes.

I also advocate having some sort of siphon. they're super cheap and there's really no reason not to have one. (I'm not saying that a siphon is something that can typically be found in an abandoned vehicle, I'm just saying that you should include that into your preps)

I'd also like to point out that this topic is not for people who have no motor skills. IMO, just about anything of any value that can be scavenged from a vehicle requires a bit of ingenuity to implicate. for example, someone who's never had to build anything, assemble anything... do anything with their hands... probably wouldn't know what to do with any of the materials in a vehicle. We're not talking about using any of these items for their intended purpose. these things will need to be fabricated into make-shift solutions to for whatever problem you're using them to solve. I'm not discouraging the topic, but I'm just pointing out that this info will be more valuable to those of us who have some sort of background in working with our hands.

[TreadOnMeNot]

A car battery could also be used to produce sparks onto tinder for a fire.

[Veritas]

Good thread.  It's shit like this that keeps me on this site.   [URL=http://www.smileyvault.co

[thatGuy]

The Acid in a dead battery will "sharpen" or refresh a dull file and the lead could become bullets as well as the lead from the tire weights.

Rust and powdered aluminium makes thermite. MagRims are made of Magnesium. Not going to go any further with that one.

Need a hose to syphon gas? Pull the heater core hose it is usually the longest hose on the car that is flexable but personally I would rather punch a hole in the tank.

Springs, leaf or coil are high carbon steel. Anyone say time to blacksmith?

Need an electronic detonator? Try a ignition coil.

All the oil, gas and transmission fluid can be distilled into a very light clean fuel that will run a Coleman stove or lantern. Ironhead41 has a video on it.

Old copper radiators can be used to make stils out of.

Fuel tanks can be made into large boiling pans just for godsake don't use heat or fire to cut them. Knock a hole in them with a punch and cut them with tinsnips.

That's what I got for now without getting into re-purposing the parts into tractors and other forms of transportation.

[sledge]

Damn thatguy! Something tells me you've already been considering the uses for car parts.   

[thatGuy]

I have Sledge.. great topic by the way!

The Donut tires everyone hates so much make great wheel barrow tires. All they need is a plate bolted to them that has a spindle welded to it. Might I recommend the spindle out of the old wheel barrow tire.

I clean my brass with acid (everyone says not to by the way) maybe battery acid well thinned would work.

Car mirrors bolted to window frames increase field of view.

Steel, Steel and more steel.

Chopping off all the useless bits could turn a compact car into a handy wagon.

Need parts for a community scale grain mill like bearings, axle shafts and gear reducers?

Come on guys spill your guts, I know I am not the only one who has thought of these things!

[NOLA556]

I have Sledge.. great topic by the way!

The Donut tires everyone hates so much make great wheel barrow tires. All they need is a plate bolted to them that has a spindle welded to it. Might I recommend the spindle out of the old wheel barrow tire.

I clean my brass with acid (everyone says not to by the way) maybe battery acid well thinned would work.

Car mirrors bolted to window frames increase field of view.

Steel, Steel and more steel.

Chopping off all the useless bits could turn a compact car into a handy wagon.

Need parts for a community scale grain mill like bearings, axle shafts and gear reducers?

Come on guys spill your guts, I know I am not the only one who has thought of these things!

I've tossed this topic around in my head a time or two but damn dude, you take it to another level!

[Kentactic]

yeah i actually havent thought about it... but lets see....

-Maybe use a couple cars as rolling gates to block an entrance to your base camp.. easily pushed back and fourth but very dificult to ram out of the way with another vehicle...theyd have to get out and push the cars.

-take a coilover shock combo and rig it so when you pull a string or trip something the spring is released. thats a lot of energy being released that could do some damage. theres alot of defensive options there with booby traps and what have you.

-the airbag has a shitload of energy that only requires a touch from the 12 volt battery to set it off. again lots of possiblitys there. you could use it as a booby trap in some way or maybe wedge it between some thing your trying to open up and set it off to spread what ever it is open.

-headlights used with the battery to communicate over long distances through signals

-use the antifreeze to poison a bad guys water?

-horn as an alarm when tripped

I dont know im just thinkin out of my ass right now..

[thatGuy]

You could use the anti-freeze as a heat transfer media. Solar panels with AF in them instead of water would run all year without worry of frost and could then be used to heat a home passively though radiators or tubes under the floor.. good stuff.

[sledge]

You could use the anti-freeze as a heat transfer media. Solar panels with AF in them instead of water would run all year without worry of frost and could then be used to heat a home passively though radiators or tubes under the floor.. good stuff.

That!  Is a really good idea! Bravo!

[EJR914]

Abandoned cars are one of the best things to scavenge in a SHTF scenario.  Way to much good stuff can be taken from them.  Great thread.

[Ghost]

All I'll need is a seat and cup holder.



What? Can't give no love to the guy providing you overwatch with a drink?

[thatGuy]

That!  Is a really good idea! Bravo!

Check out New Low-Cost Sources of Energy for the Home by Peter Clegg from Garden Way Publishing

[mountainredneck2051]

you forgot the go bag behind the seat and the 357 in the glove box!

thats pretty fucking common out here, atleast the gun is

i thing the last i think the last study i saw was something like 4 out of 5 people in my county have survival gear and a firearm in their vehicles

[Colombo]

Permanent magnet electric radiator fans make pretty good low amp wind generators and the sulfuric acid from the battery can be used with strong moonshine to make ether if your chemically minded. Squirrel cage fans from the heater/ac are handy forge/smelter blowers... and then there's the airbags, maybe it's all those warner brothers cartoons I watched growing up but I always wanted to make a acme quality landmine out of one complete with wood crate for a proper cartoon launch... hmmm a battery, microwave door switch, birdseed and airbag, that roadrunner's going to the moon.

[sledge]

Permanent magnet electric radiator fans make pretty good low amp wind generators and the sulfuric acid from the battery can be used with strong moonshine to make ether if your chemically minded. Squirrel cage fans from the heater/ac are handy forge/smelter blowers... and then there's the airbags, maybe it's all those warner brothers cartoons I watched growing up but I always wanted to make a acme quality landmine out of one complete with wood crate for a proper cartoon launch... hmmm a battery, microwave door switch, birdseed and airbag, that roadrunner's going to the moon.

Holy crap!  No wonder the DHS is worried about "Mcgyver like" potential terrorists.  Is it even legal to possess that kind of knowledge?  LOL

[Colombo]

Permanent magnet electric radiator fans make pretty good low amp wind generators and the sulfuric acid from the battery can be used with strong moonshine to make ether if your chemically minded. Squirrel cage fans from the heater/ac are handy forge/smelter blowers... and then there's the airbags, maybe it's all those warner brothers cartoons I watched growing up but I always wanted to make a acme quality landmine out of one complete with wood crate for a proper cartoon launch... hmmm a battery, microwave door switch, birdseed and airbag, that roadrunner's going to the moon.

Holy crap!  No wonder the DHS is worried about "Mcgyver like" potential terrorists.  Is it even legal to possess that kind of knowledge?  LOL

Still not sure if it's knowledge or brain damage from the images of the coyote imprinting on a brain fueled with captain crunch and yoo-hoos or genetic but I suspect my file requires a pallet jack. I can say for sure that the writings of Hunter Thompson didn't help either though.

[Reaver]

Make sure you take it from your car. If its some others guys car its not right.  [URL=http://www.smileyvault.co\



yart yart yart yart. Morals, fuck that I need to collect rain water.