Cars are everywhere. If you’re anywhere near a city when the SHTF, you’ll come across thousands of them. And if the disaster is severe enough, many of these vehicles will be abandoned. Why does this matter? Because there are many survival items you can scavenge from abandoned vehicles.
Some people will object to this article, saying it’s wrong to take what isn’t yours. Normally I’d agree, but I believe morality varies depending on the circumstances. If you’re in a situation where an apparently abandoned vehicle has items in it that you need to survive, then I would argue that you’re morally obligated to take them. If not for yourself, then for your family.
Besides, you could find yourself in a scenario where your own car breaks down or is totaled, in which case you might want to make use of its parts. In case either of these things ever happens to you, here are 13 things you can scavenge from vehicles.
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1. Whatever is in the Trunk
The first thing you should check is the trunk. Many people keep tools, flashlights, jumper cables, blankets, and even extra clothing in the trunk. Most people who abandon their vehicles would probably try to take some of those things with them, but not necessarily. If you check a hundred vehicles, you’re bound to come across some goodies.
2. Whatever is in the Glove Box or Center Console
Here you might find food, lighters, first aid supplies, papers you can use to help start fires, etc. Again, you never know, so if you’re walking down a highway full of abandoned cars, check as many glove boxes and center consoles as you can.
3. Mirrors
Now that the obvious stuff is out of the way, the first thing you should consider taking is the rearview mirror. If it’s stuck on the glass with adhesive, you might be able to remove it with a razor blade. Otherwise, you could just break it off. To get the side mirrors out, you’ll need a knife or similar object. Mirrors can be used for many things including signaling for help and starting fires.
4. Seats
The fabric in seats can make excellent insulation material in cold environments, and the seat covers can be used as ground covers. If the seats are leather, you can even turn them into useful items such as shoes, leggings, or a carrying pack.
5. Seat Belts
If you don’t have any cordage, use the seat belts. Just extend them as far as they will go and cut them out. If you need a cord that’s not as thick, just cut up the seat belt into smaller strands. If you unravel them enough, you could even use them as fishing line.
6. Lid, Hood, and Doors
I grouped these together because they can all be used for the same thing: building a shelter. These things will be difficult to remove without the proper tools, but they can be very useful. For example, it’s very easy to set up a lean-to with the hood of a car. And in the winter, the doors could be used as sleds.
7. Windows
The top part of the glass on car doors can be used to sharpen knives. Break off this part and wrap duct tape around the jagged edges and you’ll have a portable knife sharpener. You could also try using some of the broken glass as a cutting tool, but this might be difficult since car glass tends to fall apart into little pieces when broken.
8. Battery
You can use a car battery to keep your devices charged during an emergency. But to do this, you’ll also need some 12v receptacles and a power inverter. Watch this video to learn how.
9. Wiring
The wires in the engine could be used as cordage for any number of things such as constructing shelters, making snares, bundling things together so they’re easier to carry, etc.
10. Headlights
The glass from a headlight can be used as a cutting tool if the piece is long and sharp enough and the rest is wrapped in duct tape to make a handle. And the lamp and case from a headlight can be used to make a fire if the lens reflector has been well polished.
To do so, put some tinder in the reflector that holds the bulb and put it under the sun. Both sides, being highly reflective, will magnify the sunlight and direct heat to the tinder. Hopefully, an ember will be created in the tinder that you can blow on to start a fire. (Something similar can be done with a flashlight.)
11. Tires
Modern tires, unfortunately, don’t have as many uses as older tires due to the steel cable running through them. Nonetheless, you can still burn tires for signaling purposes since the black smoke can be seen for miles on a clear day. But be warned: tire burning is illegal in most areas, so proceed with caution. Tire smoke is also toxic so keep your distance.
12. Tubes
The inner tubes can be cut up into rubber bands which have all sorts of uses: tourniquets, shelter making, strapping items to your clothes or pack, and so forth.
13. Gasoline
As long as you have a siphon of some kind, you could use leftover gasoline for your own vehicle. Gas could also be used to get a fire going, as long as you’re very careful. Don’t puncture a fuel tank for gas as even a small spark is enough to make a gas tank explode, even if very little fuel is present.
Frank says
August 18, 2018 at 8:30 amWell folks, think about this…depending on how SHTF, there are bound to be hundreds if not thousands of intact automobiles around. Think about it…Why add the stress of “walking” down a road, trying to salvage stuff??? Go to where the cars are (dealerships, rental agencies etc) and “procure” a serviceable auto, preferably a SUV with a trailer hitch. Next, make your way to your local trailer rental or sales location. “Procure” a tandem axle, fully enclosed trailer if possible. Cannibalize a couple of other trailers on the lot for spare tires for the trailer you procure. Now you are set. As quickly as possible, load your pre packaged SHTF stuff and get the heck away from the epicenter of where SHTF. Shelter in place ONLY if you are 100% sure things are no better or are much worse elsewhere. If possible, go for a diesel when you are “procuring” wheels. You can let a diesel engine run all night and sleep in the cab to stay warm or cool. “Procuring” diesel fuel from large trucks, buses or construction vehicles is pretty easy due to the size and accessibility of the fuel tank…puncture the tank, capture the draining fuel and use a wedge of a scrap of wood to plug the hole when you are done. One major caution…if civil authority has not completely broken down, law enforcement may not be too tolerant of these extreme actions. Maintain situational awareness and act accordingly. If civil authority has broken down, don’t travel alone on your procurement outing. Have an armed family member or friend roll with you.
Byron says
February 14, 2017 at 5:47 amTry these additional tips that are probably better than this entire thread
..in my opinion anyways.
Windmill:
Inverter combined with the altanator tied into the fan clutch and some batteries and you got yourself a windmill.
You could fix an entire a battery Bank and the rear portion of your vehicle with this windmill setup attached to the top of your vehicle you can make several even.
That way when you’re driving your mobile power station is recharging and when you’re not driving try to park facing the wind the best you can.
Firestarter or ignitor:
Also you can break open the glass from the head light to expose the filiment and wire the end to the battery and put some tender on it. Will light up quick.
Could also find older car with cigarette lighter.
Fordge or metal foundry:
Could use Rims to build a forge to melt down metals for blades or ammunition.
Firestarter signal:
Might be able to use the diode out of a blueray player to signal or start a fire.
Perimeter defense:
Could use the car horn/battery, and rig perimeter traps to notify you of enemy location.
Cb radio:
Check semi trucks and all redneck looking trucks.
Guns:
Check all trucks with rifle racks, balls hanging under the tail hitch, or a tribal deer sticker, or any redneck paraphernalia stickers. Your sure to find something useful like tools or an actual gun.
Food:
Check for trash, there’s a story of a man that survived in a wrecked car eating ketchup packets.
Flares:
You should get these for obvious reasons you can reuse them if you don’t let them burn down all the way.
Heat protection:
Electric radiator fan w/ battery for a hot day when not traveling and Umbrellas to block the Sun when on the move.
Best vehicle:
In my opinion the best vehicle to have would be a City Recycling or dump truck that has hydraulic Forks at the front normally used for lifting large commercial dumpsters could possibly be used to move cars out of your path. Or you could use them to make Road Blocks with cars by lifting them up and stacking them on top of each other.
Airbag traps:
You could use the airbags as traps for hunting bye rigging the impact sensor to the airbag and then the impact sensor two make contact when something steps on it or walks by you would have to position the airbag in such a way it would throw the animal towards something solid or you could create something with spikes you could also bring this up to the car horn to notify you when you have caught something. You may be able to use this as perimeter defense as well bye rigging projectiles in front of the airbag they would have to be very small like bearings crushed glass or small rocks. Ideally you would want to position the airbag higher if it’s for humans to potentially hit them in the eyes.
Fire trap:
You could use gasoline combined with a tripwire and a flare. The flare would ignite the gasoline or fuse leading to Hidden canisters or gas tanks full of gas.
Molotov cocktails:
Pretty self-explanatory keep your eyes open for glass bottles and rags.
Food storage:
Ice is it going to be a rare commodity. you could find a semi truck and adapt the refrigerator to your own vehicle.
Most semi trucks will have a refrigerator in there you could even take a actual Frozen semi truck that transports cold food, but they can’t be left off for more than a couple days. They need to be running so have plenty of gas stored.
Mad max:
If you wanted to get really creative you could reroute the windshield wiper sprayers to the front and rear of the car. Fill the Reservoir with gasoline. Affix an ignitor of some kind (like a grill lighter) to the door actuator. (have to remove the actuator for this) to the end where the gasoline will come out. You will probably only get to use this a couple times before the rubber hoses catches on fire so I recommend finding some aluminum tubing from another vehicle usually by the front end around the radiator or break coolant. Now you have a ridiculous flame-throwing device that you will probably never use.
Relaxation:
Look for lowriders or any lowered vehicles with stupid rims I believe they are called 22’s. Check the ashtray for seeds and stims. It’s likely if the car is dirty that there could be some in the floorboards. Might take a while but you can find some napkins soak the napkins and water and store in a warm place keep adding water don’t let the napkin dry out. This process is called germination you can then find you something to fill with dirt after one to two weeks the seeds should be about 2 inches long with a baby stem coming out. After about 6 months if it’s a female it should Sprout buds that you can pick and smoke if it’s male does not have any buds, throw it out.
Personal protection:
If you can somehow find a dog along the way try to make friends with it partner with sharp teeth can go a long way when it comes to hunting and personal protection and perimeter defense don’t just walk by a dog. Worst case scenario he could be food. But he could be more useful alive if you work with him.
Dead fall trap:
Look in the trunk find the car jack jack up the car take the tires off prop them up. Reg seat belts to activator underneath car bait and watch. Not going to get into detail how to make a Deadfall trap you can Google that.
Generator/Welder:
occasionally you will see a truck with a gasoline powered generator and welder on the back. It’s commonly used by the Mobile Mechanic or welder. You could use this vehicle to do a lot of stuff.
Byron says
February 14, 2017 at 5:51 amPlease forgive all the typos I have the hiccups and I’m using the mic text feature
James Richard says
April 26, 2018 at 4:02 pmAs far as a shelter, wouldn’t the car be better left intact? It’s watertight, draft tight, and is furnished. A car makes a beautiful bedroom in a pinch.
Diana Davies says
December 20, 2018 at 5:50 pmYES!! Exactly what I was thinking! Why on earth would you break off bits to make a lean to, when you could just get in and be completely sheltered?
Paul says
November 21, 2016 at 4:42 pmI believe the wights they put on tires to balance them are made of lead and could be removed, melted down to make bullets.
G says
September 6, 2016 at 2:01 pmQuite assuming a car is just a pile of scrap just because it doesn’t run. It a ready made shelter from weather (yes it can be improved) rain, wind, wild animals. and with draft animals transportation.
Bustednuckles says
August 6, 2016 at 9:29 pmAll outside glass on cars are made out of Safety Glass.
Trying to “break off” and save a piece would be quite the trick as it is designed to shatter into tiny little pieces when broken.
Serpentine belts can be cut off and used for cordage, the same for wiring harnesses.
If a useable battery is found in one, you can also remove the bulbs, wiring and sockets from tail lights to use as lighting at night.
Cutting the headliner out makes a blanket.
The steel from the rear leaf springs on older cars makes excellent knife material.
John says
April 28, 2016 at 10:20 pmREALLY??? Whatever is in the trunk or glove box or console??? Who would have ever thought of that?? ROTFLMAO!!
TheLight says
January 2, 2016 at 11:03 am“But be warned: tire burning is illegal in most areas, so proceed with caution. ”
In a SHTF situation, i don’t think very many people will care if you are burning tires. They will be too busy trying to survive to enforce petty, little, BS laws like that.
Mad Monkey says
January 1, 2016 at 9:31 pmMost window washer containers have usable water, or as a container, easy to start fire with vehicle battery, I friend of mine, gun once jammed and he used some oil from dipstick, rubber mats for insulation or shelter, leaf springs make a good machete requires a bit of tools. The vehicle itself makes a good shelter, if you need to signal just put the entire vehicle on fire, good for blockading roads and access restrictions.
TheLight says
January 2, 2016 at 11:05 amWindow washer fluid is NOT water and you’d be stupid to put water in there. Water alone has almost zero cleaning power to get dirt off the windshield and it will freeze and split the tank open in the winter.
gotsteam says
December 23, 2015 at 8:35 pm#13 ESPECIALLY if there is little liquid left in the tank. Always remember, liquid gasoline isn’t flammable, it’s the VAPOR that is extremely flammable AND explosive.
David Amberson says
November 29, 2015 at 8:07 pmThere is so much more you can use!
1. Alternators/Stators can be used to produce electrical energy (add the diode bridge to make it compatible for the battery).
2. Gasoline can be used as a fire starter (just don’t cook over it).
3. Large panels like the trunk and hood can be used as a makeshift roof.
4. Nuts, Bolts, and brackets can be made into all sorts of useful things.
5. Rear axles make great solid steel handles for weapons.
6. Tires can be used as weapons too, you can light them on fire and send them down hill against enemies, they will also provide light to see your enemies by for ranged weapons and tires burn for a long time. Tires can also be used with their axles to make a wagon so you can move around easier.
7. Fluids can be drained for all sorts of uses, especially lubrication.
8. Bearings can be found all sorts of places, and there are multiple types too. Bearings are great for anything that needs to rotate in place. The most common would be for a spit so you can cook game over an open flame. If you are lucky enough to find a bearing set that actually has ball bearings, you have ammo for a wrist rocket style slingshot.
Honestly, what you can get out of any vehicle you come across on the road is as varied as your imagination. I’ve seen pistons welded to a metal rod to become a hammer. I’ve see, the rear axle of a differential removed to become form of mace for bludgeoning opponents. I’ve seen used oil spread out and used as a slipping hazard and later, once their opponents were covered in oil, as an incendiary device. It doesn’t take much to use car parts for survival. The only two things you really need are some tools, and a whole lot of imagination.
Illini Warrior says
November 16, 2015 at 3:12 pmI double down on draining the crankcase also – other fluids like transmission fluid as well – if nothing else they can be mixed and thinned with kerosene or diesel for use in tiki type torches ….
Bolofia says
November 16, 2015 at 9:46 amOil drained from the crankcase is also a useful item for starting fires. It’s dirty and smokey, but in the type of situations that you reference, it could make a difference.
All vehicle seats require no more than 5 minutes to remove . Bench-type seats can be used for a variety of purposes, including beds. All you need is a socket wrench.
Carpet from the rear compartment of SUVs and most vans can be used as an insulator or for padding.
Wheel lug wrenches can be used to force entry into a locked door or as a defensive weapon.
Stewpedaso says
November 16, 2015 at 8:37 amTires can also be used as a very sturdy shelter, pack dirt in between them and stack away, this shelter is excellent in all weather conditions, especially if you can get it under a lot of earth.