arkie Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Thought I'd pass on a tip for those looking for steel such as coil springs, tie rods, torsion bars, other linkage but are unable to scrounge the salvage yards. (So many salvage places nowdays won't let you pick through the stuff). My son had an idea to hit up some of the bigger offroad mod shops that do conversions from stock Jeeps, Hummers, etc. to high-end off road suspension modifications. We hit up a place in Georgia that did that sort of stuff and when I told them I wasn't a scrapper but just a hobby blacksmith, they said I could get a few parts from their "scrap bin". OMG, you can't believe what I found. LARGE coil springs, tie rods, torsion bars, etc....ALL BRAND NEW, NO RUST, NO MUD, NO NUTTIN'!!!!!! on any of it. Not a scratch one on any of them...paint was unblemished. The parts tag attached to them was spotless clean! They were new takeoffs for suspension upgrades and the vehicles were probably driven directly from the dealer to the offroad shop. The springs were about 1" to 1 1/4" diameter as I recall and the various bars were likewise. New, those parts probably cost in the hundreds of $$. So, go humbly into an off road mod shop and gracefully request a few pieces from their "discard" bin. At least you don't have to clean the rust off!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Gee I've posted that suggestion for years; glad to see others think the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 It was amazing how much mod work this shop did. The guy at the counter said that I probably wouldn't be able to retrieve any parts from the "scrap bin" since the scrap dealer had been there the day before. Well, when we looked in the bin, which was about 6 ft. x 6 ft. and 4 ft. deep, it was about 3/4 full!! A blacksmith's dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Smith Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I did the same thing. Went to a lift shop and asked. He went to his storage area and handed me 2 new leaf springs and 2 new coil springs. How much -- free! Then told me who else to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Heavy duty truck repair shops are a GOLD MINE. Make sure you ask graciously and polite. Return with a bar you made from their junk, as a gift. Nothing is free, little snippets keeps the door open. A box of donuts/muffins goes a LONG WAY. Sometimes a box of beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 also, you could always...........huh?...........beer????......umm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 when I lived in the city I had a small welding shop near my house; a cold sixpack of brownpop right before quitting time on a hot Friday afternoon would result in quite a lot of welding done, and nobody would be over indulging right before driving... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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