Concerned Auto Recyclers of Wisconsin is our state association for professionals in the automotive recycling industry. It is the only state association specifically designed to increase the efficiency and profitability of business in the automotive dismsantling and recycling industry, while continuing to preserve and protect our environment.
To learn more about CARS or to become a member click here.
Join us on April 26th for the Upper Midwest Auto Recyclers Convention & Trade Show!
Hosted by Badger Motors in Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Click here for registration and event information, or you can download the event flier.
Click here for more information about the convention.
For a schedule of events, visit the events page.
Certified Auto Recyclers program advises limited use of gas cutting torches, restricted to trained employees. Safety protocols must be followed before using the torch. Both management and torch users should review the protocol and may need additional training based on local regulations or insurance requirements. Download the Cutting Torch Protocol at https://aracertification.com/guidance
Improper use of cutting torches can cause explosions, fires, burns, eye injuries, and even fatalities. Some insurers have increased deductibles for claims involving torch-related property damage. The policy aims to make cutting tools a last resort. When using a torch, follow proper guidelines to avoid death, serious injury, or significant property damage.
Flame temperatures can exceed 6000°F. Misuse may cause immediate or delayed fires from smoldering debris or explosions. Inspect all equipment; damaged components can lead to injuries or fires. Properly regulate pressures to avoid explosions. Hidden dangers like compressed gas in shock absorbers or concealed fuel lines can ignite when cutting.
Follow these practices to ensure safe and effective torch operations.
OSHA (29CFR 1910.252(a) Fire Prevention and Protection Basic Precautions) and the NFPA (51B Standard for Fire Prevention During Welding, Cutting, and Other Hot Work) set requirements for cutting operations. They hold management and supervisors accountable for safe cutting practices, fire protection equipment, and hot work authorization.
Does it seem to you that in the last couple of years, whenever you open a trade magazine or read a blog or anything related to auto repair and auto recycling, that the subject matter is largely about EV or hybrid electric vehicles? Seems like that is all there is to read about anymore. Now I don't mind this. I like electric vehicles and the idea behind them. I believe they will be good for our industry. I am all for progress, whatever that means. But I am also a sarcastic and contradictory person a little bit, so this article will be about carburetors. I mean seriously, when is the last time you read an article about carburetors? I don't remember the last time I did, but I would wager I didn't have any grey hair at the time. A carburetor is not necessarily the opposite of an EV, but they are no longer a mainstream vehicle component.
A quick refresher: a carburetor in it's most simple form is a device for mixing fuel (usually gasoline) into the intake air that would be used for combustion. It is most common for this to also be used to modulate engine speed by metering the amount of this air and fuel mixture allowed into the engine. It all works on Bernoulli's principle, which basically says when the air passes into a narrower passage it must speed up, which creates a vacuum. At the point where this vacuum occurs there is a siphon tube to a fuel reservoir in the carburetor where fuel is stored. The vacuum lifts the fuel and mixes it into the air, and the magic happens. The rest is internal combustion history.
What is so great about this and why should you care? There is probably no real reason why you should. They are outdated, not the most efficient, a bit clunky, and even when they were mainstream many if not most people struggled to keep them working well. I grew up with them, and for some reason have always really liked them. I like tuning them, I like repairing them, I even like seeing how many of them I can get on the same engine. (To date, the answer is four, by the way). They are a critical part of hot rod craft.
As a kid growing up in an auto salvage, we very often had customers request a carburetor. I distinctly remember a customer asking my dad what the warranty was on the carb. The answer every time was "I guarantee that to be a carburetor." No warranty - sold as is. It probably wasn't going to make the old farm truck run any better than it already was, and he wasn't going to take a carb back because the customer didn't know what they were doing.
Come to think of it, a lot of parts had that warranty. Boy how things have changed. We are now expected to warranty everything for a lot longer than thirty days. I have had customers warranty everything from a six-thousand-dollar engine to a six-dollar used tire. Competition and a changing consumer culture has brought us to this point. It is tempting to look back at the "good ole days" when we didn't have to do that, but I am not sure we were better off in business that way. It was simple, but not the best performing. It got the job done, but what sales did we lose in the process? Back then if we sold an engine for five hundred, we thought we were having a pretty good day, but now we wonder if it is worth pulling an engine out of a car for only that much.
Times do change. We hear a little bit of fear or reluctance when it comes to changing to EVs. But if you were around in the early part of the century when cars started to populate the roadways, you would have heard from horse owners almost exactly the same arguments against the newfangled cars that we hear die hard internal combustion people say about EVs. "Where are they going to get enough gas for them all? They are going to be out of control and hurt people. They catch fire and you can't put it out!" Sound familiar?
So, let us not fret over changing times. Let's adjust and sell EV parts. Are they different? Of course they are. Are we going to have to change some practices and procedures? Certainly. Will it be profitable? The answer is it will be if you do the right things, just like you are hopefully already doing. I do not currently drive an EV, but I do like Tesla, and will probably drive one. I do hear they come with a super charger option; I wonder how many carburetors I can get on that?
