You have a fully functional conventional gas engine family sedan of fairly recent vintage with half a tank of gas. As it stands, how could you use it and what could you scavenge from it if it was your only source in a survival situation. Let's assume you are doing this for a contest or something and the question of using it as an internal combustion vehicle for transportation is eliminated from consideration.

Edit: no contents beyond whatever normally comes as safety equipment.

Pretty tough to scavenge much without some basic tools. At least a wrench, a screwdriver, a knife, and a pair or two of pliers would sure be helpful.

Since I EDC at least a knife, I'm going to assume that I've got a knife, a tire iron, and a jack.

So, that nice spare in the back, it's probably the easiest to get to. Pull that sucker out, deflate it with a stab, then cut it up into strips. Makes a nice fire starter and more importantly it can be used to produce some nice black smoke, the kind that draws attention.

HJ

I think Jim has the Best answer,I'd leave the rest alone,I may have to sell the vehicle to pay the fine for rescuing my dumbass,from said- hypothetical situation!

I don't even have a driver's license so I might be way off, but...

Signal mirrors
A rag soaked in gas and a spark from the battery to make a fire. Anti-freeze or any such could probably be used as well.
A bulb, a car battery and jump cables = (heavy but) portable light source for signalling from a nearby hill.
If it was cold, I'd dismantle the back seat for extra insulation.
Webbing from the safety belts and any extra wire or cables.
Like Hikin Jim said, spare tires for black smoke and fire starters (I've never managed to ignite a piece of rubber from a spark, though). You could also cut them into rubber bands (shelter building, improvised hunting tools).

If really desperate, shatter one of the mirrors (at least my brothers 5-year old car still had real glass mirrors) to get a sharp edge. This would be enough to dismantle the seats at least.

A question to someone who knows better? Are there any metal containers inside a modern engine that could be used for boiling water? Easily removed and not coated/tainted with anything nasty, preferably.

I wouldn't drink the water from the radiator, but might boil it for hot water bottles and such.

-jh

I scavange some finger prints and a few breaths
I push the onstar button and tell the operator I need assistance, then wait patiently for help to arrive to my paved location

smart alecky I know and here is my logic
contests are never this vague, or if they are, they're the 2 minute radio talk show variety with cheap prizes


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?

The car, as it stands and by itself, is an excellent shelter against the cold, wind and wetness. The fully functional engine could even provide some heat for a limited time - until the gas runs out.

The really challenging part would be improvising a heat source inside the vehicle. Given more tools and a lot of time and dedication, perhaps the exhaust muffler and piping could be made into a wood stove?


As for the scavening part - it really depends on the situation.

"Should I stay or should I go?" would come into play outside the contest. The headliner and some wires could make an improvised backpack to carry a lot of the stuff mentioned above (Nice scavaging guys!) A battery is pretty heavy though and would be better left behind. One of the headlights could be used to start a fire instead. Or perhaps we could imorovise a fire piston with some of the metal tubing.

Pretty good list so far.
Windshield washer fluid tank and radiator overflow tank would make good water carriers if you can clean it out well. Maybe a good reason to use the non-toxic (less toxic) "green" antifreeze. The washer hoses can be used for drinking straw or siphon.
Tape wrapping on wire bundles may be re useable.
Trunk (boot)liners are often made of removeable padding for insulation.
Car tires don't come with inner tubes any more and good luck trying to cut up a steel belted radial. I don't know if the little doughnut spares are more useable.
leo

I agree, without the benefit of some basic hand tools, it will take a lot work to scavenge a car to really utilize in a survival situation.

One thing to keep in mind what is the likelihood of rescue whether that be self or waiting for SAR? I recall back in the early 1990's, up north a man and his wife got stuck off-roading in early spring. They tried for the first couple of days to dig themselves out to no avail and decided (wisely) to stay with the truck that provided shelter from the elements etc.

After a few more days of decent dry weather, the road they were stuck on dried up enough that they were able to get the truck extricated and make their way home which was about 60k (36 miles). Had this couple decided to scavenge the truck beforehand to the point of non driveability, the outcome could of been much different...

Don't forget, in a snowy environment you could use the seat pads as improvised snowshoes. Probably make good bed padding too, if you decided that egress was better than staying with the car.

If you were careful on how you extracted the foam, you may potentially be able to use the upholstery as some sort of light blanket.

Too bad it's a new car - the glass cuts nicely.

A motor vehicle is essentially a motorised metal box normally with a wheels at each corner in which some the the wheel provide traction to propel the metal box in a certain direction. If this functionality of propulsion is unavailable then the you essentially have a static metal box, which is not much use except for sitting in. Best to concentrate on ensuring that the principle function of motorised propulsion is kept intact.

Many folks who find their metal box is now static, usually give up to easily to keep their motor vehicle going forward.

A lot can be learnt from these fellows.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgalod_top-gear-bolivia-special-part-1-of-8_auto

Even the worst car in the world won out in the end.

You won't be able to cut up tires without ruining your knife, the steel belts are pretty tough. Likewise you won't make rubber bands from a tire like you would a tube, the rubber in a tire doesn't stretch that much.
Headliner material won't make a backpack, you probably won't even get it off the headliner in one piece. I'd use the material from a seat back or something though both our vehicles have re-usable shopping bags in then, but then they also have tools and other gear.
battery, wire, light bulb can make a fire starter. Seems most cars still come new with a lighter, instead of tossing it out put it in the glove box for an emergency fire starter.
I bet you could find enough material to make a snare.

The cause of the survival situation would probably dictate how much you would/could cannibalize the car.

Now, if we had a massive solar flare or an EMP, the usefulness of the modern car would deteriorate to the point where it would be more valuable for its parts than as a mode of transportation. And if the flare/EMP hit while we were fifty miles from home in snow country, the trick would be to survive until you could get clear of the snow and hike home. One problem with this scenario is that you would probably have to face the fact that it isn't likely anyone would be looking for you, you would be on your own.

If possible, maneuver the car around to face south and use it for solar gain during the day. I would like to think the occupants had some socket wrenches and a ratchet tucked in it somewhere.

Remove the seats, they're nothing but a hindrance; you can stretch out on the floor. Peel off the seat coverings and lift out the stuffing. Fluff the stuffing to use as insulation. Cover the windows at night with the seat coverings to help retain body heat.

I don't think you could use those silly new wheels for much of anything unless you had a liner. If you had some aluminum foil, you could probably set the wheel over a fire and melt water if you were careful not to melt the foil.

The owner's manual would now be useless except as something to get a fire going.

The tires would mainly serve as low outdoor seating.

A week or so ago, I was passed by a Lamborghini (accompanied by the whiplash-effect of my passengers coming to full attention). Can you imagine an Italian being stranded with only his beautiful car, having to make the decision that Dweste has outlined? The car would be found totally intact and polished, the driver dead of frustration.

Sue

While I don't have an Italian ride I do have cool cars and that would be me. Cleaning and polishing the car while waiting for rescue would not be out of the question. Now if I am out in the truck it would be stripped to the frame if it needed to be without a second thought.

Rule of Threes: Given the environment, you can die three minutes without air, three hours without shelter, three days without water, three weeks without food, and, some say, three months without human contact.

So what is your survival situation? Is it likely you will have to cross water that might pose a drowning hazard? Is it likely your environment does not have accessible water? is it likely you will be on your own for enough weeks to require you to obtain food to survive? Are you so remote that three months without human contact is likely?

I would treat this as a STOP situation, analogous to realizing you are lost. Although variouslyinterpreted, I think of STOP as an acronym for stop, think, obseve, plan. Literally stop, sit or otherwise take physical ease. Think through your situation, commit to surviving, and answer the Rule of Threes questions; if possible record your analysis on paper. Observe: first to answer the Rule of Threes questions, then to inventory resources available to avoid violating the Rule of Threes. Plan: determine how you are going to use your resources to avoid violating the Rule of Threes.

If you are with others, then involve them in STOP. One of your resources may other people. One of your biggest obstacles to avoiding the Rule of Threes may be other people. You want to know which it is most likely to be for each person with you.

The scenario restricts your inanimate object resources to the sedan and challenges you to think about what you could scavenge to meet any survival situation. One way to start would be to address what you could scavenge to avoid violating each of the Rule of Threes.

After working through the above, in a real world situation I would address any impending violation of the Rule of Threes in priority order. Indeed it very pressing, I would survive first and work through my plan second every time!

For some time now I have also broken equipping for survival into categories. For now, I look at the categories of First Aid, Shelter, Fire, Water, Food, Navigation, Light, Signaling, Self-protection, Hygiene, and Morale. Time permitting, I would think about scavenging whatever the car might offer in each of these categories. If resources permitted I would actually write this stuff down, too, to reduce the load on memory and prepare for its inevitable holes [and, for me, restore some sense of control and normalcy].

As with shopping for gear, I would also like to consider scavenging things that are light weight, durable, and multi-tasking. But I would also look for handy consumable or one-time use stuff, such as burnables or strap metal that can be wrapped around a nut ot bolt as a one-time wrench.

I also would try to look at the scavenged stuff as raw materials for primitve crafting. Examples would be use of glass to form cutting tools, fabrics to turn into cordage, etcetera. This is where having learned some primitive skills comes in handy.

I would say the most practical approach to the issue is "What can you scavenge from a car without disabling anything important?"

Without decent tools, you can only go so far anyway. And most people in most situations will want the vehicle back, or need it to bug out after the initial crisis.

For example, stuck in a three-day blizzard I'd be willing to:
- cut up seats to supplement clothing and bedding
- cut off seat belts in the rear to improvise a tow rope
- pull out speaker wire for cordage
- pop off the glass in a side mirror for signalling

Since these things are repairable/replaceable, they do not really trash the car. People might be more willing to do them as a result, perhaps leading to more positive outcomes. My 2c.

Think of the scenario as a contest-type situation. The vehicle is not yours. The test is of your knowledge and creativity in scavenging everything possible from the car. Think of it being done inside a large building if that helps. Harvest whatever you can!

Again, "no contents beyond whatever normally comes as safety equipment" means no tools, so whatever you can lever off or smash with the tire iron is about it. EDC isn't part of the exercise.

- - -

Glass from mirror or headlamps: small cutting edges. Safety glass is useless by design, so leave in place as shelter, solar collector, and stationary signalling device (flashes when sunlight catches it).

Reflectors from lamps or headlights: sun-driven firestarter using parabolic or fresnel lens, possible night signalling in bright moonlight.

Spark plugs: smash tops off for a ceramic sharpening stone (for the knife you don't have)

Antifreeze (glycol): poison small animals. The meat should be okay, but toss the head and guts.

Tires on alloy rims: may be light enough to have some positive buoyancy. (Steel rims are said to be neutral or sink.) Lash together with wire and undertake Titanic deeds on the briny deep.

Airbags: hat, clothing, moccasins, kite to get attention, loincloth, hot air signal/aerial balloon. Whether you can get them out without blowing up the high pressure cannister and gassing yourself, I don't know.

Vinyl from seat backs: rough waterproof clothing or groundsheet, protective mitts/moccasins/wrapping for hands or feet, pouch for foraging, fabric for snowshoe frame.

Airbag cannister: throw in fire (and run, baby) to generate signalling boom. You probably don't want to use it for cooking given the very toxic contents.

Seat belts: hammock to get you off the damp/bug-infested ground, tow/winch strap (overhand knot will hold), belts and pouches, material for crude fishing or bird catching net, rope ladder to get into tree.

Metal tongues on seat belt buckles: good steel, may take a cutting edge with lots of work and patience.

Resistor board: uses resistors to drop voltage and control speed of cabin fan. Will also drop voltage from the car battery, possibly to a level where you could charge a cell phone or other small battery.

Aerial: skewers for fishing spear, drill for tool construction.

Windshield wiper frames: skewers, fish hooks

Speakers: contain strong permanent magnets to give you a crude north-south line, or magnetize other iron/steel objects.

Car hood or trunk: if you can twist it off, a crude sled to transport stuff on low friction surfaces (e.g., snow).

Windshield washer tubing: tube to blow coals into flame (may have some methanol in it, so rinse a lot and don't use to ingest anything); tourniquet if you really need one; crude slingshot

In that case,1st-I would gather some gas from the fuel line for signaling purposes & build 3 piles of Flammables to have at the ready,24/7,2nd-then I would salvage some plastics for rain catch/funnels to containers securely fastened to keep from knocking over,3rd-Fashion a knife from some high carbon steel such as the bracket for the alternator or trunk door hinges,once I had a useable knife,I'd cut out the headliner to make solar stills using windshield washer fluid for the catalyst for condensation.4th-I'd take off the power wheel(Right rear usually)Chock the front tires with rocks,Jack up the rear of the car,start her up,put it in gear with a rock on the gas pedal,& further fashion my knife by grinding it on the wheel cylinder,also any aluminum parts could be ground down & The shavings would make a nice Bright flash when burned,to further the signaling process!5th-Flash cannons could be made from tubing & gas fumes,again furthering the signalling process.Use the radiator fluid for poisoning purposes set out near snares made from accessory wires or nylon pulled from the carpeting,basically unweaving it.Gather expendable flammable material to have at the ready for adding to the signal fires.Any bugs that happen into my AO will be appetizers,& Immediately dispatched via my fingers&teeth!

A caution -- many forms of windshield washer fluid contain methanol, which is deadly poisonous and will distill out along with the water. If all you've ever used is straight water, no problem.

Now you're cooking!

Ah, that is neither practical, safe or entertaining.

The safest and most entertaining way is no doubt to see for yourself what kind of BOOM those airbags make when they go off. Much easier to remove the fabric after they've blown.

Does anyone know how to manually set off an airbag with minimal tools? I'm drooling to know.

What you don't want to do is trying to dismantle the mechanism without proper tools, procedures and knowledge. If you tamper with an airbag it will most likely blow up in your face - OUCH.



Fun, fun, fun... but how do you remove it without triggering it?

Bummer. I was just waiting for the ETS forum crowd to jump in with their somewhat more extensive definition of "standard safety equipment".


Without ANY tools beyond the equipment supplied by the car dealer you probably won't even have a knife. Breaking some glass is probably the easiest way to get a sharp edge.

Does "safety equipment" include first aid kit? It does in some countries. If so, scissors and tape may be included in the first aid kit. Wrap tape around the glas splint to create a more comfortable handle to your glas knife.

The 1st aid scissors - IF you have them - are probably more useful for cutting through fabric (seat belts, upholstery) than your glas knife.

In Europe, standard safety equipment includes bright neon yellow reflective safety west and a red safety triangle. At least take the west and think really careful if you should take the triangle, too.

Removing the washer fluid tubing is a good idea. Just rinse them with plenty of water and you should be fine with them for water tubing. They also have plenty of other uses. Your "standard safety equipment" may or may not include enough tools to dismantle the fluid tank without breaking it.

Beyond that - listen to Dweste and STOP. What is the situation? What are your most immediate concerns? (The rules of 3 is a good indicator here). If you can meet those most immediate needs (i.e. won't freeze to death/die of thirst/heat stroke), what are your options? (Self extract/wait for rescue/wait for improvement of conditions). You should weight your options really careful before you render your vehicle inoperable.


Beyond the washer fluid tubing (don't forget the headligth washers if you have them!), the safety equipment, the tires, the seat belts and whatever fabric you can get from the seats / upholstery and the wipers, there is very little you can do with minimum tools.

What about making the tools you want?

A good point that merits some comments.

With odd objects extracted from a vehicle (say, glas splinters and a windscreen wiper) and some rocks you can create tools for slicing, poking, prying, manipulation and scraping. Those are highly valuable tools, and not only for bushcrafting - but they are not the kind of tools you need to dismantle anything serious from your vehicle.

Creating tools for mechanical jobs (such as a wrench, a 10mm spanner or needle nose pliers) is something you realistically can't do out in the bush. Now if you have a metal file and lots of time and patience you could actually create a 10mm spanner out of the seat belt buccle. No file - no 10mm spanner.

I think a flat headed screwdriver might just be possible to improvise - if the screw in question isn't too tightly screwed. Again, a file would make the creation a whole lot of easier. A philipz screwdriver? That's a lot harder. It may be possible with a file and the right material. No file? Forget it.


One obstacle is that any metal soft enough to be shaped into the right form is probably be too soft for the pressure involved in say, the tip of a screwdriver. Modern mechanical tools are hardened and tempered to be just the right compromise between hardness, strenght and brittleness. This is particular important at the tip of the tools, where the tool connect with the screw or bolt. The stresses involved here are enourmous. The wrong tempering or shape and the tip breaks/wears out immediately.

What tools do you reasonably expect to be supplied with a recent model sedan?

My experience is that when you pop open the trunk you are going to find at least some kind of scissor jack; one or more hollow tube segments that fit together to make into a handle connecting to the scissor jack; and a smallish angled tire iron with a lug nut socket end and a beveled end presumably reminiscent of the days when tires were pried from rims for repair or replacement.

How much auto dismantling do you think you could accomplish with these tools, remembering you do not care what you must twist, bend, or mutilate to get what you want?

Lots of interesting thoughts here but I am curious as to the definition of no tools - does this mean I don't have at least minimal EDC (say a knife and/or firestarter) with me?

Some things aren't practical without tools or even with the tire change kit that comes with most cars. Good luck even getting the tires off with the tiny little lug wrench most cars come with these days. Getting into the spark plugs or headlights (or disconnecting hoses etc.) is just not really an option without at least a knife or multi-tool. Given those there are lots of options. Without them, well, there are some things that brute force and ingenuity will get ya but the best toys need tools to access.

Realistically my minimal car kit (in every car I own) would let me totally dismantle your typical sedan. Putting it back might require some additional tools and maybe some replacement parts.

- Eric

Initially I did not include or exclude your EDC, but as the thread evolved it was assumed no EDC and I went with that.

What "good stuff" do you think is beyond the reach of the normal manufacturer supplied tools and your ingenuity?

What tools would you want whose equivalent you could not improvise out of the car itself?

Your scenario is rather unrealistic in that any auto (at least any in my possession) always has an assortment of tools, including some that are specifically designed to effect routine maintenance and emergency repairs and deal with the predictable raoadside hazards.

Perhaps it would be profitable to recast the proposition - what kinds of tools should you carry in order to effective use/dismantle/alter your auto in a survival situation?

I must say I am not very enthusiastic about ripping my car apart. At least not when there are other options. But this is a fun thread. When we have exhausted the possibilities for cars, we can move on to planes, boats, steam locomotives, ATV's.....

Most Manufacturers only provide tools for changing a tire - ie. tiny lug wrench and jack I wouldn't bet my life on.

A couple examples of things mentioned in the thread that are hard/nearly impossible to get to without tools (or breaking the thing you want).

Remove Battery - good luck without a wrench. Top mount terminals are rather fragile and the battery case cracks easily if you over torque them while trying to force off the clamps. Side mount terminals are even worse.

Remove head light - same challenge -getting one out without trashing it will be very difficult on my cars without a decent socket set and screw driver. Not sure I could bust my way through enough stuff to get to it just using the lug wrench and jack (at least without breaking the light or something else that might be useful).

Remove spark plug - without tools? - you must be a whole lot stronger than I am. Lug wrench won't fit or even reach.

Cut up tires - really? It will be tough to get the tire off the wheel with the tools available but probably do able with some brute force and perserverance. Cutting the tire (modern steel belted radial) with "knife" improvised from the mirror?You'll be working on that for a long, long time.

Improvising a knife from some glass? Most of the glass won't make for a good knife - safety glass will tend to crumble and the windshield is a laminate that will be tough to get something out of without hurting yourself. That actually brings up another question - gloves? Not usually included in the basic car kit.

Airbag - remove it intact - forget it, nothing in there worth dying for. Bash or short the trigger switch on the bumper, maybe but how am I going to cut it loose after that - no knife and that bag is tough!!

Removing a fuel line without tools - you might be able to brute force it off but I hope you like bathing in flammables. Not something I would try to beat or lever off using the jack or the lug wrench since a spark would be uhm... unfortunate.

Typical torque to remove major bolts is in the 90 ft/lb range and sparkplugs are in the 7 to 30 ft/lb range. Maximum human pronation (twisting with your arm/hand/fingers) torque is right about 1 ft/lb. You might be able to beat / lever things out but anything that requires removing bolts/nuts is just not in the cards without some simple tools that are not part of the car as it is sold around here.

-Eric

WHY the criteria of no tools? You're asking ETS PEOPLE here!

Like all of us run around without some tools in the car???!!! How stupid is that? And what would be the point? The title of this website is EQUIPPED to Survive, not 'Incapable of Surviving'!

Sue

The scenario specifically includes whatever tools the manufacturer of the car provides with a new vehicle.

The scenario specifies it is not your vehicle.

This is a thought experiment to learn from each other what might be scavenged. Wrecked and abandoned vehicles as a class tend to be common enough, even in some remote areas, to be fair game for this type of consideration.

There have to be some limits in a scenario. As previously posted, the scenario specifies you do have the manufacturer-supplied tools. Also as previously posted, I originally thought the scenario would involve people's EDC, but the thread took a different turn and now we are not exploring the application of EDCs to the scenario.

This is not a what-would-you-scavenge-from-your-car-if-stuck scenario. It is specified you are not dealing with your car. Think of it as you are in a contest to demonstrate all the possible survival items you could scavenge from the car.

The implications for your EDC, BOB, car kit, car tool kit, etcetera, are probably pretty obvious, but the brain trust will also probably post some ideas that will lead you to think of some modifications and additions to those kits.

Taking a lead from the Rule of Threes, what could challenge your ability to breathe and what in the vehicle could help you meet that challenge?

Perhaps a smothering, particulate- or ash-laden, cloud or other airborne breathing threat? Using the engine air filter, heating-air conditioning hoses, and seat coverings and insulation you have a shot at creating a breathing mask system defending your airway and lungs.

Perhaps invading water, or a need to use a waterway to survive, brings drowning into the picture? Air-filled tires and foam seat-filling both float, and ropes of scavenged wire-harness twisted or braided together could lash them together. Some of the smaller fill or overflow tanks, such as those for coolant or windshield washers, might be scavenged and sealed with seat foam plugs to add buoyancy.

The next of the Rule of Threes you might not want to violate is being without shelter for more than three hours.

The intact sedan cabin is a shelter from wind and rain in moderate temperatures, but is less able as shelter from temperature extremes.

For cold, it seems to me you would want to scavenge everything that might as as insulation from the rest of the car and to line the cabin. This would include all noise insulation in the engine compartment, the material insulating the cabin from engine temperatures, there may be hood and trunk lining material, also. You will probably want to set aside some material to wrap around yourself. As the scenario specifies the vehicle has some fuel, selective running of the car heating system will work for a while.

For heat, the sedan cabin could turn into an oven. You could put the insulating material on as a cover, expecially to prevent windows from creating a solar oven. It likely at some point you will want to encourage the evaporative cooling effect of your own sweat, so you will set up for shade and airflow by opening all doors. As the scenario specifies the vehicle has some fuel, selective running of the car cooling system will work for a while.

If you needed to leave the vehicle, then the scavenged material needs to become wearable insulation. Use of scavenged wire, thread, or strips of material from seat covers or belts, can become fasterners, thread, or lacings. Think hooded parka / great coat that you can also sleep in / under. For rain and heat, an improvised umbrella might be handy. Door or insulation panels may be light enough to form the basis for an umbrella, though improvising an umbrella frame may be the main challenge. The various door and window operating rods, and various exterior and interior trim pieces, might be light and bendable to be used for umbrella frame purposes.

Water is next up as the Rule of Threes you do not want to violate.

I am not aware of any drinkable water normally part of the modern sedan. I would love to learn I am just ignorant on this point!

So I think what you can scavenge is limited to things that can act as digging tools, tools for gathering, holding containers, filters, and boiling vessels.

Any sturdy metal thing could be used for digging, such as a hubcap, door handle, etcetera. You will, of course, have to supply the know-how to find a water source.

If there is dew / condensation that gathers on the car, then you need to harvest some form of cloth with which to wipe-up-and-squeese-out that water into a holding container. Edit: Of course, you use the cloth to gather dew / condensation anywhere you can find it in your environment, too.

If there is rain, you will want to use the body of the car, any waterproof fabric, and perhaps air hoses to catch and lead water to holding containers.

Holding containers might include scavanged drink cups, storage compartment liners, map and document pockets, and clean air hoses that are plugged at both ends.

Filters for dirty water might include the engine air filter and any fabric from outside the engine compartment.

With creativity you may be able to fashion a solar still using windows, air hoses, and a holding container.

With similar creativity you may be able to fashion a solar oven to Pasteurize water from, say, a tire, a flat window, and a boiling container.

Boiling vessels might include any holding container that is metal, and of course, fire, which will be addressed later.

To avoid violating the Rule of Threes you need to find food within three weeks.

Food is not standard equipment with any recent model sedan of my acquaintence. But scavenging such a vehicle might help you get some food.

What you are hoping to find or make are hunter-gatherer tools. So, hunting, fishing, and gathering, including digging are in order.

Any substantial metallic bit that is not too heavy for you could be a digging tool. Bar or rod bits can act as digging sticks, pickaxes, drills, etcetera, to penetrate earth, lever up stones, pry open woody plants, etcetera. Hubcaps, flat pieces, slightly curved sheet metal, etcetera, can stand in for shovels, hoes, rakes, etcetera, and when sharpened can be crude saws, pruners, eetcetera. Sharpening can be against substantial vehicle frame members or any handy roadway material, rocks, etcetera.

Digging tools can get you roots, corms, tubers, truffles, rhizomes, and a plethora of insect foods [yum!]. You can also dig pit and bottle traps typically effective to catch anything from rodents and reptiles to larger prey if you dig large enough pits.

Digging tools also get you bait for other traps, snares, fishing, etcetera.

Metal bars, such as the one usually found to prop the hood up, can be a formidable multi-purpose spear when sharpened. whether thrown or thrust, you may be able to subdue reptiles,amphibians, fish and mammals. If you find a metal bar or narrow strip with both strength and flexibility you may have the basis of a bow, when paired with a wire bow "string", and improvised arrows [from light metallic tubes like an antenna or light, straight plastic].

Wire can forms the nooses of snares to seek game of just about any size. You actively hunt reptiles and amphibians with snares on the end of longer pieces of metal [as well as wood and other things that might be available in the environment]. Wire can be twisted into fish hooks and gorges, with other wire used as your "line" if need be [think poke-pole fishing]. Wire can be used as tripwire for deadfall and other traps. Wire can be knotted or woven into nets to actively seine fish or create passive fish traps placed in streams or rivers.

Plastic and thin metal parts can be abraded and sharpened into knives, spear / arrow points, fish-hooks for fishing and snagging, and fish and frog gig heads, sling and sling-shot ammunition, etcetera.

Simply placing floor mats and similar scavenged material in moist areas often draws worms, grubs, and various insects under their cover. The morning harvest could tide you over.

Using you scavenged and crafted metal and plastic knives, if you found wood materials in the environment you could craft many other food finders. Such knives also let you clean and portion whatever food you have obtained.

Some suggest that the final part of the Rule of Threes should recognize a need to experience human contact within three months. I am uncertain about this myself, and will not address this except as part of scavanging other survival categories of stuff such as signalling or communications, navigatioon, etcetera.

Too much of me in this thread, so I will skimg through what might be scavenged in my categories of First Aid, Shelter, Fire, Water, Food, Navigation, Light, Signaling, Self-protection, Hygiene, and Morale.

First aid: relatively straight stiff parts such as window mechanism rods for splints and braces; wires and fabric to secure splints, braces, and dressing;, small sheet metal parts ground sharp to cut or shave whatever must be cut or shaved; light sheet metal bent to use as forceps / tweezers; springs straightened to use as needles / awls and small sections used as clamps for wound-closing and bandage-holding; heat from near but not over fuel-based fire to "sterilize;" "sterilized" sheets of seat foam as dressings / bandages; one or more mirrors to give yourself the once-over - especially in areas not otherwise visually available to the normal person for injuries, bites, tick removal, etcetera; and longer metal pieces padded with seat or other insulation as crutches.

Shelter: , except to note environmental resources like trees suggest heavier sharpened metal be used as an axe or ground against frame members or rocks into crude toothed saws.

Fire: Starters would include the lighter, spark from wires connected to the battery, any traffic flares, and steel parts which may prove to generate sparks from rocks in the environment. Fuel might include: any rubber, such as weather stripping around windows, doors, trunk, and hood; seat and headliner fabrics and padding; and, very carefully, any remaining gasoline or diesel.

Water: Already addressed as a Rule of Threes item.

Food: Already addressed as a Rule of Threes item.

Navigation: There may be a useable standard or electic compass onboard. whether or not there is a working clock onboard, you can use any straight rod-like item to set up a sundial to tell time and another placed in the center of the "dial" to do the halfway-between-the-center-rod-shadow-on-the-time-and-12 noon is north [in the northern hemisphere] trick. You may also be able to use a magnet, say from the vehicles speakers, to magnitize a light needle-like piece of steel or iron, which will align itself north-to-south when you float on the surface tension of a liquid [it can be fiddily to make this work]. Strips of any material can make trail markers, especially if brightly colored or metallic.

Light: The battery powered lights will last for a while. If you can remove the battery and wire up one or more of the smaller 12-volt brake or tail lights the power should last longer and have some portability. Wrapping material around a longish metallic piece and soaking it in fuel can make a crude torch. Filling a metallic container with soil and soaking the soil in fuel may be used in the same way.

Signalling: Obviously, light can be used, smoky fire can be used, metallic fabric and mirrors can be used to "flash," metalic and brightly colored fabric can be fixed to anything tall and bare as signal flags, and large X's, perhaps three in a row, created out of material or scrapped into the ground can create signals highly visible from a distance, including the air. Any traffic flares can be great signal, especially at night. And by all means use Onstar if available and working.

Self-protection: The creation of spears, knives, slings, slingshots, and possible bow-and-arrow have previously been mentioned. Alarm-sounding stone-in-a-metal-container or noisy wind-chime-type arrays can be hung up attached to trupwires wherever you think best. Many smaller vehicle pieces may be used as missiles. Any edged or blunt tools you have created can serve a defensive purpose.

Hygiene: Mirrors can play their customary roles. Water acquisition, etcetera, has been addressed as a Rule of Threes item. Dedicated persons can sharpen metal razor sharp, and abrade crude combs into being from metal or plastic. Coarse fabrics could be used as rough scrub brushes, but not I think toothbrushes. A plastic sliver could be abraded and smoothed to form a toothpick or fingernail cleaner. You could fashion a Roman / Greek style strigil [a small dulled crescent-shaped tool] to remove dirt along with sweat by scraping them off.

Morale: Game pieces for playing chess, checkers, cards, and dice can be fashioned over time from smaller pieces of fabric, plastic, or metal. Loose nuts, screws, and whatever can act as objects for which you are gambling. Crude drums and other noise-makers could be made, and something approaching music might be created. Throwing games using scavanged or crafted items also come to mind.

These are just some off-the-top ideas. I look forward to whatever the brain trust chooses to add.

Tools? This is not going to be pretty or quick.

You have steel and plastic in various sizes and configuration. You have a heavy frame on which to pound, bend, and abrade materials into shapes of your fancy.

Screwdrivers: standard configurations could be made from the window-moving rods found when you pry open door panels. With more abrasion, Phillips, Torx and hex screwdrivers as at least theoretically possible. Keep your eye out for small metal parts whose thickness allows them to be used as-is for screwdrivers.

Wrenches: thinner metal bent around to pinch a nut or bolt-head can work for smaller, less stubborn parts. Oil dripped from the dip stick and left to soak might act as penetrating oil to add lubrication on more stubborn fasteners. Adding small metallic pieces to the inside the lug-nut socket should allow it to get a grip on fasteners of smaller than lug-nut size. Note that the hollow-tube jack-handle pieces are usually designed to be added to the tire-iron to increase its leverage, use them for more stubborn fasteners. Keep your eye out for straight-sided, slotted metal parts that might serve as wrenches.

Hammers: sturdy, heavy things that can be used to pound should be found as you dismantle the vehicle. The tire-iron can be used for some of this but is probably too valuable except for initial use to get to other hammer-usable stuff.

Prybars: Much like hammers, just look for suitable scavenge and the tire-iron can be used initially.

Saws: Plastic, and with more time, metal teeth can be abraded out of straight plate material.

Cutters: Sharpened metal plates bolted together to "close" closely together should be possible. Pruning-style hooks with sharpened inside edges can be abraided into being.

Knives: staight metal with an edge abraded on one side.

And I am sure the collective has those in it who can think of many more.

Aw dweste you stole my notes. I was getting ready to make those exact same posts ... uh, really. That'll teach me to be quicker on the draw next time. Reading through your survival solutions, I have now modified my post zombie/rapture/killer meteor/whatever apocalypse plans to include going to the local car lot.

Ok, all kidding aside, I am afraid I haven't anything to add. I am still a bit overwhelmed by all the info in your posts. You have obviously thought this through quite a bit. Your thread has been both challenging and, at least for me, very educational.

I am sure there is a goldmine of possibilities still remaining on this topic. Hopefully someone who really knows cars will post. For example, I am not comfortable with using pieces of the vacuum assist / pollution system because I do not know what, if any, substances exist in its various parts that might be toxic to humans.

I am not sure it is deserved, but thanks for your praise. You are most welcome.

the underlying point of the thread is to think about what you might want to add to your survival kits to aid in using the resources found in abandoned or disabled vehicles.

In the movie The Yellow Rolls-Royce, staring a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, the main character's cooling system was used to boil water.
The horn is a signaling device.
Headlights are a source of light.
The radio is your source of news.
Inside the car is a good place to be in a lightning storm or anytime the weather is bad (except when there is a tornado).
Even good weather, a car makes good shelter. Just roll down the windows when it's warm.
The jack can move a heavy object several inches.

Jeanette Isabelle

Anybody know of other survival uses for vehicle electronics or fluids?

A friend commented that the various interior and exterior light housings should provide bowl-like containers and perhaps a parabolic reflector or two that might focus enough sunlight to be a fire starter. He also reminded me that oil fires generate a lot of thick black smoke: signal fires.

Might you use one of the metal "containers", filled with oil and with a strip of fabric, make an improvised lantern?

I believe this would create a smudge pot producing mostly greasy smoke, but I am sure our more "technically-inclined" members has run this experiment and can report the results.

Ack! Cough! Maybe not then except perhaps as a signal fire, but I think we've covered that already.

That's exactly my problem, I don't really know cars that well. i am also not very mechanically inclined. That being said, though, assuming I wasn't trying to keep the car mechanically usable, if I needed a part from the vehicle for survival purposes I'd be doing my best to get it. At least some basic tools would make the task much easier I would bet: a basic wrench/ratchet set, hammer, pliers, adjustable wrench, etc. But perhaps that discussion is best left to a new thread eh?

Add some gas to Motor oil,possibly 1oz gas to 20ozs oil,you will end up with an xlnt mixture,something like Liquid wrench to soak threads/nuts with,to help loosen them,& It will also burn similar to Diesel fuel of which could be used as a lantern,It would also stretch your supply of Flammables a bit more or could be used for explosive effect for signaling or Depredation purposes should something out there,Deem you as a meal!Tranny/Brake fluid mixed with gas would also work real well & would be better for a Lantern as it would burn cleaner!Mix straight gas with extracted foam from the seats,& you'll end up with a Haste version of Napalm,of which could be an Xlnt signal assist or Pursuade those higher up on the food chain or Zombie hordes!:)

Tranny fluid and diesel 50/50 is better than nearly ALL penetrating oils commercially available, research has proven this.

Ironwood

That's what the antique car guys use to unseize an engine that's been sitting for decades. I find that Liquid Wrench works faster for things like rusted bolts though.

As an aside: I have been using tranny fluid (leftover stuff) mixed with the dregs of 5W30 containers as my go-to quick lube. It soaks in very quickly and then stays tenaciously. Great stuff.

I guess a little homebrew penetrating oil could make it easier to get some of the small bolts loose on an abandoned car. It still takes a lot of torque to get them off though.