Barn Find - not a Porsche - MICE!!!

Laneco · 07-21-2007, 01:01 PM

This is my Dad's 87 Monte Carlo SS Aero window coupe. Actually fairly rare cars. Dad hasn't driven it for years (parked it about 15 years ago). It last drove in the yard about 5 years ago. Dad needs to sell it and asked me if I'd take care of this for him. The car looks awful and hasn't run for years. So I explain to him that I should get the car running to get the best possible price.

I went out yesterday to see what would be involved in this process. Understand that I"m not afraid of mice, I just find anything that urinates where it sleeps to be disgusting. Mice are disgusting... Looks like they've really gone after the upholstery from the bottom side up (left the covers alone, just the stuffing) and built unknown numbers of nests in the dashboard.

Yippee skippy... Guess who gets to clean this out? I hope the little filthy beasts did not eat any wiring. I'll be fixing that too. Oh and the mattress my mother stored on top the car is a particularly nice touch, don't you agree?

Any advice on getting all of the nasty nests out of the dash? And what if there's still mice in the car now? Best weapon?

angela

svandamme · svandamme's Garage

no pics of mice , nests, and poop?

Laneco · 07-21-2007, 01:53 PM

For you Stijn - floorboard pic has a 4 or 5 and the other pic is the glove box. I don't know how many are in the glovebox or in the dash, I was a little grossed out. Between the spiders and the mice YUCK!

So? Kill them with a vile poison? Drive them out with mothballs? What do you guys suggest?

angela

svandamme · svandamme's Garage

for starters, an industrial strength vacuum cleaner
a big'un that sucks mice , nests and poops with extreme prejudice

Laneco · 07-21-2007, 02:06 PM

Have shop vac - will travel! I'll drag it outside and proceed with my Sears Craftsman Wet Dry. I'll wear a mask. Did you know these filthy things carry Hanta Virus?

angela

onlycafe · 07-21-2007, 02:14 PM

angela,
i was going to give you a heads-up about the bonus diseases carried by mickey and friends, glad you know about the mask, etc. be careful.
i wouldn't use mothballs. you might try some cats though.

sketchers356 · 07-21-2007, 03:09 PM

Yeah dont get Hanta virus. One of the symptoms is having to urinate up to 8 gallons a day for a week. I dont know how that is possible but they have mice at Los Alamos and this is what one of the techs told me.

Joeaksa · 07-21-2007, 03:17 PM

You want to get them out, not kill them in place.

If they are under the dash you can almost guarantee that they have eaten some of the wiring. Pls careful when hooking a battery up to the car.

The Hanta virus is nothing to fool with. Several people just a few miles North of where I live died from it a few years ago. Wear a mask and gloves.

tabs · 07-21-2007, 03:28 PM

The Brazen little Ba$tards are even running away when U photo them? Geeez.....

Groesbeck Hurricane · 07-21-2007, 05:19 PM

Angela,

Don't skimp and get a cheap paper mask. Get one that actually seals against your skin, use gloves. I like One Bite and get it at Tractor Supply. The guys in there will gladly tell you what they do to kill the little dears. They LOVE peanut butter too!!!

Live traps are great, but I stopped using them when a small bird got caught in one of mine.

Chears!

DanielDudley · 07-22-2007, 10:44 AM

Scrubbing is good. Liquid lysol disinfects, but does not remove smells. Bleach and water get smells, but you can't use it everywhere... A spray bottle with 20% bleach is good for under the dash and in the heater. Partial dismantling will no doubt help. LOL

DanielDudley · 07-22-2007, 10:44 AM

Scrubbing is good. Liquid lysol disinfects, but does not remove smells. Bleach and water get smells, but you can't use it everywhere... A spray bottle with 20% bleach is good for under the dash and in the heater. Partial dismantling will no doubt help. LOL

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Call someone to tow the car away...

Laneco · 07-22-2007, 02:10 PM

I'll do the initial cleaning at my parents house. Sort of a wholesale "GET THEE OUT THOU UNCLEAN" sort of thing involving alot of water on the outside and a powerful shop vac on the inside.

At that point, I can probably survey the damage. I suspect I will wind up dismantling the entire interior to ensure that there are none in the inside of the car above the rear quarter panels etc. The headliner has fallen down to the seats, maybe they are in there as well.

This should be quite the adventure!

angela

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Angela,

Good luck!

lendaddy · 07-22-2007, 07:14 PM

Hire some illegals

SXSMAN · 07-22-2007, 07:14 PM

Drier sheets , placed under seats , glove box , battery tray ....where ever .

Cheap and they hate the smell .Drives them away . Also look in the air filter housing before trying to start it . They love to build nests and food stores in there .

89911 · 07-22-2007, 07:26 PM

I'd pull it outside, lob a malotov cocktail inside, and be done with it. Unless you strip the car to the metal frame, you will never be able to remove that mice urine smell.

Laneco · 07-23-2007, 02:43 AM

First place I went after I saw the dead mice inside was the air-cleaner assembly. Nothing in there except the filter. Whew!!

As far as mice urine smell - yes, it will be an absolutely gross process - but I will rid the interior of it.

angela

Joeaksa · 07-23-2007, 03:15 AM

Dab cologne inside your mask, it helps take the scent away. We used to use pachouli oil, it lasts longer.