Barn find advice

[Bolisk]

So, just found a 1972 454 power steering, power break, ac, and 4 speed covertible in a barn untouched for at least 12 years. Looks like several mice have raised a few families in it. I know I'm going to need to gut the car and start over from scratch. . .

I really don't want to bring the mice with the car to my house where I don't believe I have any mice today. . .granted. . .i just haven't seen any. Any ideas on how to "clear" the car before I move it from it's present home in a pole barn in the woods?

I realize this is not technical. . .but everyone is usually so helpful.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Get a cat.

 

[Bolisk]

Get a cat.

Captain obvious strikes again!

:L

 

[chuck]

Get a cat.

LOL coming from you Hib that's a great one liner.

 

[vetteboy86]

I've seen a few ideas around here before. I believe moth balls have been suggested, along with dryer sheets.

 

[White75]

Cheese, lots of cheese and mousetraps. :L

In seriousness, mothballs are supposed to work too.

 

[Dad]

Since you're going to need them out anyway I'd remove the seats, carpet, consul, and the dash. Then check the newly opened areas for nests and spots in the insulation where they pee, check all the air and heater ducts and wires. They nest in the frame rails also, use an air hose as a flexible probe to push/blow out what you can.

When you do get it home I'd use a live trap with peanut butter bait and this time of year I have to check it often. I recommend the J. T. Eaton repeater # 421CL. You can then cut the feet off some and turn them loose to go tell the others how mean you are, not. Check them often, those he don't catch my cat will hear them scratching to get out so I don't have to many of them become ripe. If they do die in the trap you need to wash it out or the mice will avoid it, even with fresh bait.

When these farmer type mice are done with their field work in the fall they come to my house for the winter like most of the farmers around here go to Florida. My worst problem is my daily driver door that is left open some times and the word goes out. :eyerole

Good luck

I see they have a new size that might work even better # 428CL, take a look. http://www.jteaton.com/retail_productpage.php?id=2

 

[GTR1999]

I place bait stations in the garage to get rid of them. I've heard the soap and fabric sheets don't always work but I can see the activity with the stations.For $5 at Lowes it seems to work the best.

 

[Hib Halverson]

LOL coming from you Hib that's a great one liner.

Actually, less painful (for the mouse) and more way is a cat and a Glock 22.

Turn the cat loose inside the car and open the door. When the mouse runs out onto the garage floor, shoot it with the Glock.

 

[Red Vette]

Actually, less painful (for the mouse) and more way is a cat and a Glock 22.

Turn the cat loose inside the car and open the door. When the mouse runs out onto the garage floor, shoot it with the Glock.

May I suggest that you do a lot of practice with the Glock or other suitable weapon because a running mouse is just a little more difficult to hit than a human threat in your garage. I suggest also that you use a .22 revolver as the Glock probably only uses high velocity long rifle ammunition while a revolver can take low velocity .22 shorts or .22 longs. If you are not a good shot, suggest a .45 long colt revolver with snake shot loads. Less damage when you miss - and you will miss, after all, you will not be shooting at Mickey Mouse.
Barrett

 

[Hib Halverson]

Glock 22 shoots .40 Smith...more than adequate for rodent abatement. Also, it's got a 15-rnd mag so if you miss, there's plenty more ammo.

Seriously....

I've heard of a variety of strategies to keep mice away...rat poison trays under the car, mouse traps, dryer strips, cats...

My wife, the fairest Sandra the Red, owns an 82 CE she stores in the garage at her parent's place which has trouble with rats now and then. We place rat poison trays under the car and that's work very well. We've never seen any evidence of rats/mice under the hood or in the interior in the years we've had the car there.

Also, I know people who've had great success with cats. Get one or two cats, put them on a weight-saving diet and...no mice.

 

[Bolisk]

So I talked to some pest control people and they said that an obscene amount of old fashioned mothballs would be better than a glock.

So i've done that. I've also pumped up the tires. Then I put the car in neutral and tried to push it. It would not budge. Any possible ideas? I'm thinking it's just the break pads frozen to the rotors, bit I'm looking for other possibilities.

 

[6880 Mike]

...So I talked to some pest control people and they said that an obscene amount of old fashioned mothballs would be better than a glock...

But no where near as much fun.

 

[Mac]

So i've done that. I've also pumped up the tires. Then I put the car in neutral and tried to push it. It would not budge. Any possible ideas? I'm thinking it's just the break pads frozen to the rotors, bit I'm looking for other possibilities.

Perhaps your clutch is stuck to the flywheel and/or pressure plate? That can happen even if the shifter is in neutral.

-Mac

 

[cfCorvette]

I really was hoping for a vid of a cat, a mouse and a glock.

 

[Bolisk]

Wife wouldn't let me get the glock.

My .22cal pellet gun put a few holes in the wall.

Garage was to cold for the cat.

So I set six old fashioned wood mouse traps with peanut butter. Next day all the peanut butter was licked clean. So I reset the traps, and tried to make the traps more sensitive. Next day all peanut butter was licked clean. So reset the traps, and put our several sticky traps arround the snap traps. Next day all traps licked clean, but one mouse caught in a sticky trap. I executed that mouse as humanly as possible and reset he traps. Placed more sticky traps. Next day all traps licked clean, no mice in sticky traps. Reset wood traps, and placed beaut butter in center of sticky traps. Next day all traps including sticky traps were licked clean. Now I was pissed. Threw out the old fashioned traps and bought the super sensitive one handed snap taps that have teeth. Set those and put a peanut in the cente of the peanut butter. That night, I went out to the garage to get something and heard a flop noise. Cheaked the traps and a mouse with a peanut was stuck on a sticky trap, t hree mechanical and two sticky traps down from the trap that was missing the peanut. I executed him, and reset the traps. Been over a week. Since I caught the second. Think I got them all.

Note I've found 6 large nests in the car interiors so far. All were vacated. So I can say that the napthalean moth balls work. I'm guessing these two were in the frame or exhaust.

 

[Tom Maine]

I know it sounds dumb, but get one of those insect bombs and set it off in the car with the windows up. Dont go near it for a day but the mice and any bugs will be gone. You said you were going to gut it anyway so it wont hurt anything.

 

[Toms007]

Pictures of the car and the progress would be nice here.

 

[Clive]

What To Do and Dead Mice

Good luck with your discovery. I rescued a vehicle from a chicken coop once. Fortunately it was under a cover and the chickens didn't actually roost on it but man, did it ever stink for ages!

As for mice, you don't want to have any die in areas such as the heater core box, heater ducts or up behind the dash as they really stink!

The brake pads may be seized to the discs and if the parking brake was left engaged, the shoes and cables are probably seized on. You'll have to check and work on all those first.

The second and a probable possibility is the clutch disc has become attached to the fly wheel. You might have to remove the drive shaft to get the car rolling again once the wheels are capable of turning on their own.

This will be an ambitious project for sure, but be careful as the total restoration costs may exceed finding a nice example.

 

[Bolisk]

It was the break pad seized to the rotors. The car was purchased and moved to my place on Jan 7th. I've started the restoration, and the mice were caught in my garage. . . Not in the barn. I'll try to post photos here soon.