TAMPA, Fla. -- About $5 million worth of unused 1982 Chevy Luv pickup trucks that developed rust problems while sitting in a dock-side parking lot were deomolished Thursday by General Motors Corp.
Demolition of the 600 trucks, which began Wednesday, was to continue through Friday.
Fork lifts ripped out tires and gasoline tanks and two huge crushing machines then reduced the $8,500 trucks to 9-inch chunks of metal that were hauled to a shredder on a flatbed trailer.
Bill Stewart, international relations director for Chevrolet, said GM decided to scrap the vehicles after severe rusting was found on the undercarriages. He said the rust was not visible at casual glance.
'We checked the trucks earlier this year and everything was hunky-dory,' Stewart said. 'But when we checked them recently, they had developed rust underneath.'
Stewart blamed the rust on heavy rain in Tampa earlier this year. He said the trucks, manufactured for Chevrolet by Isuzu Motors Ltd. of Japan, had been parked in a low area while awaiting delivery to East Coast dealers.
It is GM policy to eliminate any vehicles that are damaged through 'acts of God,' Stewart said, adding the rusted Luvs would 'jeopardize Chevrolet dealer integrity' if they were sold.
'This is not unusual, though obviously it is expensive,' Stewart said.
He said the trucks could not be simply sold at a lower price because 'we would have no control over who received them next and could still be faced with angry customers and lost credibility.'
GM also would incur substantial costs if it tried to sell parts from the trucks, such as engines or tires, he said. 'It's more economical for us to do it this way.'
An employee at a Tampa scrap dealer said pickup trucks generally bring about $50 each as scrap.
