When I was a kid I was into slot car racing, and would build my own chassis' with piano wire suspension, rewire the little electric motor windings for more power and rpm, swap out bigger magnets, etc.
I still have a hard time throwing burned out motors away. The magnets are still good, the armature is fine ... I could fiddle with that and make something out of it, y'know?
I want to make me a Rube Goldberg device one day - it's on the bucket list. I want it to move on its own with some photoelectric power, react to light n stuff. Gotta make a great big funky hanging mobile, too, with various twirling and swinging parts.
Is anyone here into steampunk? Love that stuff!