Ask HN: What is a good gift for a mechanically oriented 8 year old

My friend has a son on the spectrum who is fascinated by mechanical objects. He has an awesome marble race and train setup in his room.

He loves to disassemble things. His mom asked if I thought it would be ok to get an old vcr or something from Goodwill (snip the cord for safety) so he can just take things apart.

I was wondering if anyone here had a rec for a toy, or if old electronics like this are dangerous. Any and all thoughts welcome.