Effin' scrappers...

[ramenth]

My neighbor across the street is one of those scam guys...you know, one of those guys who claims a permanent disability yet somehow manages to have the reserves of energy and strength to be able to cruise the city and clean out people's garages and backyards for scrap. But I digress.

I walked out my front door yesterday to chastise my wife's pup for being at the driveway gate and barking at the neighbors. I hate this. My next door neighbor's dogs do this to everyone who walks by and I won't allow my dogs to do it. Again, I digress.

Turns out he was barking at my scrapper neighbor and his buddy when the scrapper asked me if the "old car" in my garage was for sale. He's talking about my Barracuda, of course.

A simple "no," from me isn't good enough. He has to press the issue. "Well whatta ya gonna do with it?" (Like it's any of his business.)

"I'm gonna build it and drive the hell out of it."

"Oh," he responds. "What year is that, anyway?"

"It's a '74." And I let it go at that.

What the hell is it with these damned small time scrappers? They see something and all the think of is scrap prices.

But, nah, I didn't spend all day with a buddy of mine, crammed into his rollback moving cars around, with the endgame to get the car in my garage. I didn't pay him for his troubles to move said cars around for me. I didn't go out and spend the money for caster dollies so I could move it around in my garage and driveway easier. Hey, it's under a roof (finally) and out of the weather, but that just makes it a "junk" car, right?

People like this kill me. They seem to leave their IQ (if they have one) in their wallets with the price of scrap. Yeah, I'm gonna sell an E-body for less than the price of scrap so this dips*** can haul if off and make scrap prices on it. :icon_rolleyes:

I have little use for this guy. I've got even less use for him now.

 

[pagilman]

burden to society

Yes, I have one of these societial blood suckers in my family, SSI and his back hurts to much to have a honest job, but he and his doper buddy can pickup a engine block and haul it to the scrap yard with no problem. SSI was the downfall of America.......

 

[3404speed]

I look around Elmira, and there isn't much laying around...most of the metal and anything of any value has been cleaned up and scrapped, ditto for the surrounding area.
The mentality is just wacko, though. All the scrapper sees is pounds of metal...mmmm enough for one more buzz, lol.
Hell, I was at the scapyard the other day, dumping off some rare T/A Challenger diversion valves, and found out GM catalytic convertors were getting $140 each...gonna have to take the power saw down some side streets and cut them off those cars just laying along there. Bwahhaaahaaa!
:crazy:

 

[burntorange70]

They come and go. When the price of scrap is high like it is right now evey one and there brother is a "scrapper".

 

[btceng]

Totally agree. There's an old grown-up junkyard here that hasn't been in business in 30 years. It has 40' pines growing through some of the cars. Now some guy with a log skidder is in there dragging the old treasures out by any means necessary to move them 1 mile to the scrap yard. Luckily, all that I see is a few Edsels and some old farm trucks. It's a shame. Cash for clunkers killed a lot of good parts cars and now the Chinese hunger for iron is claiming the few classics left.

Talk about scrappers. I'm in the telephone business and the copper vandals are out of control. One cost us $14k from a lightning strike because he stole $5 worth of ground wire. Go figure. Unfortunately, it's just a sign of our times.

 

[Chryco Psycho]

well the upside is he might drag home something you could use if you can enlighten him on letting you know if he finds something of value to you .

 

[btceng]

I guess you're right. Maybe I would mine the place too if it belonged to me. What,s a car worth now on the scrap market? $400 or more my guess.

 

[ramenth]

There are two kinds of scrappers. A buddy of mine, Jimmy, has owned a little scrapyard for decades and made the investments in it as he's built it up. He gets calls daily to haul cars, farm equipment, etc out of folks property. A lot the smaller stuff, generic crap, like refrigerators, stoves, etc, people bring to him. It's a pretty efficient little operation. I've fed him literally tons of crap over the years and he's fed me some good parts, too. A sharktooth grille and an 8.75 A-body Sure Grip come to mind.

Jimmy is actually a car enthusiast, too. Many of the cars he's brought in over the years that are worth something he's put to the side and offered up. Some he's put on eBay, advertised on craigslist. A few he sat on for years trying to sell. Only after he's done all he can to sell 'em is when they go to scrap.

Guys like this guy, well, I'll explain in the responses.

Yes, I have one of these societial blood suckers in my family, SSI and his back hurts to much to have a honest job, but he and his doper buddy can pickup a engine block and haul it to the scrap yard with no problem. SSI was the downfall of America.......

My neighbor's claim to fame is he's only got 10% of his heart function left according to his wife/girlfriend, whatever. Ummm, 10% of his heart, really? Where's his 02 tank? Why is he still smoking? Why is he still roaming the streets loading up his pick up with crap to haul off? Why doesn't the Social Security office ask these simple questions?

I chased one out of my garage that was hanging out because my business partner was feeding him scrap. His backs hurt and he can't get a job. But if you gave him half a ton of rotors then watch 'em fly into his pick up. He's lied to both me and my business partner to get what he wants, going back and forth saying one of us said one thing when we really said another. I won't tolerate a liar. Out he went.

I look around Elmira, and there isn't much laying around...most of the metal and anything of any value has been cleaned up and scrapped, ditto for the surrounding area.
The mentality is just wacko, though. All the scrapper sees is pounds of metal...mmmm enough for one more buzz, lol.
Hell, I was at the scapyard the other day, dumping off some rare T/A Challenger diversion valves, and found out GM catalytic convertors were getting $140 each...gonna have to take the power saw down some side streets and cut them off those cars just laying along there. Bwahhaaahaaa!
:crazy:

John, with the mentality of some of these guys I wouldn't put theft of cats past 'em, especially on trucks and SUVs where they wouldn't have to jack 'em up.

They come and go. When the price of scrap is high like it is right now evey one and there brother is a "scrapper".

Only the lazy ones, Russ. The smart ones stock pile until the price goes back up, like my buddy Jimmy.

Totally agree. There's an old grown-up junkyard here that hasn't been in business in 30 years. It has 40' pines growing through some of the cars. Now some guy with a log skidder is in there dragging the old treasures out by any means necessary to move them 1 mile to the scrap yard. Luckily, all that I see is a few Edsels and some old farm trucks. It's a shame. Cash for clunkers killed a lot of good parts cars and now the Chinese hunger for iron is claiming the few classics left.

Talk about scrappers. I'm in the telephone business and the copper vandals are out of control. One cost us $14k from a lightning strike because he stole $5 worth of ground wire. Go figure. Unfortunately, it's just a sign of our times.

It is a shame. It's a shame that those cars weren't for sale back when they were still salvageable. It's also a shame that idiots like the one you're talking about can't realize that the cost of repairs like the one you've sited are passed onto the consumer as a price of doing business. But what the hell, he probably gets all his bills paid for on the dime and hasn't got skin in the game.

well the upside is he might drag home something you could use if you can enlighten him on letting you know if he finds something of value to you .

He lives in an apartment. Everything he hauls has to fit in his pick up as the landlord won't let him offload. It's not a bad idea, though, to sick him on something of real value to me, but the idea of perpetuating a fraud makes me back off. He's already scamming the taxpayers. I don't think I want to help him with it.

 

[burntorange70]

There kind of nice to have around if you got some junk you just want gone. Had my friend who des it part time drag a refrigerator deep freez and a stove away.

The recycle center down the street would have charged me 10 bucks each to take them. They will also take scrap but will not give you any money for it. So I only go there for bottles and cans.

 

[old tired rebel]

I do haul scrap when needed but not cars or anything of real value. I am on SSDI and my son goes with me to load and unload the scrap. Again I only do this when needed to buy food and gas for a few days.

 

[Big Jim]

There IS a difference between someone who worked and busted their ass and got hurt or just simply wore their body out- they paid for the benefit and still have to jump through hoops just to survive. But let some asshole milking the system whine and they get everything handed to them. Just ain't right. Than you government bureauacracy!

 

[GranCuda70]

There are millions of people like the scrapper you described. Pretty sad!

 

[Ray]

True the price of scrap metal has gone thru the roof lately. Now think about how much the cost of anything you buy that's made from that recyled iron is going to cost you.