Morris Minor Owners Club

Just a reminder to everybody that just because your Minor may not be on the road or even in a pile of bits be careful.
Almost daily we get scrap collectors around where I live and often they stop at the top of my drive and look down.
I've even had one offer to take the "old car away" for me
All kinds of things are "going missing" from road signs to manhole covers to childrens bike so the engine or gearbox etc that is left beside the car overnight might not be there the next morning.
Sorry to be paranoid but I had a brand new £75 car battery taken from down the drive (and out of sight) - just so some scroat can get a couple of pounds for the scrap value.

Paul Humphries

Same problem here ,I may move to texas,if he is on
your property stealing YOU CAN SHOOT HIM.

a man hole cover can get up to £70 scrap cars are starting to come down in price these are about £110 depending were you are


no no i do go round nicking them i get a lot for my kids to play with then scrap them

moggyminor16 wrote:a man hole cover can get up to £70 scrap cars are starting to come down in price these are about £110 depending were you are

When I scrapped our Chrysler Neon I got more by weighing it in as mixed scrap metal than the car breakers side of the same business - in fact almost double

Paul Humphries

unrepairable, or financially non viable minors will go this route

Father in law had a garage door, 2 new radiators and a stainless kitchen sink nicked from next to his house last week. They all would have been fitted this summer if he'd not had his accident, so he's feeling extra sorry for himself.

I've had a Rover V8 gearbox nicked from sitting on a pallet next to my garage.

If it's not bolted down, then it'll go!

Yes Ray, it's like that around here. If you leave it out the front in view, it will be taken!!!!! I make sure I keep everything out of sight.

Driving around our village the other day I assumed the roads were going to be resurfaced as a lot of the drain grids had steel plates over the top.
I then heard on the radio news they had been stolen
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/fi ... ticle.html

Paul Humphries

There is a truck goes round our way at around 4am each morning - picking up any scrap metal that has been put out for the Council waste collection!

There was an article on the news recently about a local company that's doing a roaring trade in plastic replacement manhole covers - they are running flat out and can't keep up with the demand.

alex_holden wrote:There was an article on the news recently about a local company that's doing a roaring trade in plastic replacement manhole covers - they are running flat out and can't keep up with the demand.

I went to the Millenium Dome exhibition (wife won familly ticket) and there was a section on recycled products.
One thing that caught my eye was the timber substitute made from recycled plastic and they had numerous items made from it that are commonly used my councils such as fencing, bollards, lampposts, benchs etc. As yet I haven't seen any council item from the same recycled plastic - always fresh plastic, timber or steel
Lets hope the plastic manhole covers are made from recycled plastic - but doubt it.
BTW locally it was the rain grids, and not manhole covers, that were taken as they easilly lift out when raised. There are currently big sheets of steel covering up the holes so wonder when the next scrap collector will nick them !

Paul Humphries

As yet I haven't seen any council item from the same recycled plastic

Recycled plastic picket fencing is pretty common place in some places. I've seen plenty of recycled pastic benches too. Normally it will be black as it's the easy way to hide the donor plastic colouring.

There was an article on the news recently about a local company that's doing a roaring trade in plastic replacement manhole covers

Well as one part of my job is involved in this area I hope the covers mentioned were the type used for drain covers as the carriageway types in use are still generally metal with sometimes concrete inserts and so far I have not heard of a plastic type that can cope with the heavy traffic loads on our roads.

Hello!
I'm a new kid on the block here with a 1960 Minor called Happy. Well, you can call me happy. So that's what I call her right now. I put an intro in the Where are you from? thread.

Now, I'll take a risk that it may be unlikely thieves are reading this site. On the other hand... it may be wise to not release too much public information on location. Hmmm.

At any rate... I have a camper van (1987 Ford E150 with all the works, like a Westphalia would have but, well, bigger).
I use it for camping and hiking and am often parked in the boonies. Will need to get a locking gas cap because gas for it, as is for Minors, is a target for theft. The parking spots out in the wilderness areas are targets for vandalism and getting away with it, often with valuables because of traveling. I'd hate to be stuck miles from a real road... argh, with everything gone or trashed. No cell range, etc.

Anyways, on the van, I asked a mechanic to run a hidden "kill switch toggle" in a location I can reach but unseen and only I know about. It simply cuts out any juice between the ignition and the battery. A person may still be able to hot wire it I suppose but they would have to be very motivated and with time on their hands. Most thieves are hit and run types.

The toggle is great because I know that if someone jumped in, had those sets of keys thieves use, nuttin, not even a starter click. Cheap for a mechanic to install or a do it yourself project with basic wiring skills.

This has has been an eyeopening thread to read. My former '58 was broken into and small items stolen. A car theft, though, how heart breaking. Thank you folks for sharing the reality of metal thefts etc. In my area it's copper wiring even at great personal risk with high voltage boxes for public utilities. Meth money is the usual motivation. Sad.

Am reading a book looking at the criminal mind. Basic gist is they do it because they can. Just like we love Morris' and we enjoy the time spent and camaraderie, same goes for people who like to thieve or hurt others... etc. Interesting view but I digress. Main point being, sort of like why climb the mountain/steal a Morris? To some, it's because it's there and the easier the better.
Be well, and may all be safe, cars and their humans included. Try the toggle! Let us know how it works for you. Gotta remember to use it, it's always optional. Oh, and let others know who share the car.
StinkBug. (aka Kathryn)

When the A20 was built from Folkestone to Dover there was a manhole cover about 600mm square that dissapeared from the middle of one of the carriageways. it was close to the exit of one of the tunnels through Round Hill. It was noticed at about 6am by a motorcyclist - who fortunately didn't find out the hard way. It has been known for these covers to be flipped out by HGV's if they are not set in the road correctly but there was no trace of poor workmanship or the lid itself so we had to conclude that it was stolen.

We have stopped getting the people comming aorund after scrap so I assume prices have dropped.
I was told, but don't know if it is true, China suspended processing of metal during the Olympics so there are now huge stockpiles hence drop in price.
I weigh in large quanities myself but normally give odd and ends to any passing collector. I've a pile that will now go to the tip as nobody is comming around.

Paul Humphries

We have had the same problem especially when people come around to buy/drop off stuff or get work done by me! shame that people are like that! We now have at least 3 lads staying over at the mother-in-laws looking after the place!! Helps having a BIG house lol! If anything goes near Wigan post about it and i will see if i hear anything about it as am always buying and selling up here!

scrap i am told is £70,00 a ton in lincoln area, certanly not so many transits going by us at the moment.,,,grandad.

grumpygrandad wrote:scrap i am told is £70,00 a ton in lincoln area, certanly not so many transits going by us at the moment.,,,grandad.

i get around £160 a tonne at the docks in Liverpool and £80-120 a engine!!!

Basic gist is they do it because they can.

I agree with that one. I won't say much more as it'll all go off topic ;-)