Of Mice and Men

[Osons]

Hi,
I came across a dilemma as some one else had made mention in his snowball analogy. It seems every time I take a wrench to my 68 C20 it is going to cost me both time and money causing me suspicions as to the amount of inbreeding of those two commodities due to the fact they are so closely related.
Exactly one week ago I decided to attack the mouse nest contained in the heater box while I was waiting for parts to be delivered for the rear brakes and ball joints. My assumption was to pull it off the fire wall and shop vac the nest out. Well there are only two things I hate more than mice...and both of them come out of said creature. I also hate urine induced rust.

This is what I found:

[leddzepp]

...and I get to tend the rabbits, right George?

[Osons]

I know that many of you have done this before and I really appreciate the wealth of info on this board, but I thought I'd share one little idea I had as to how to repair the flap that isolates the heat coming from the core. The mice had chewed part of the rubber away and I couldn't find any replacements.
I thought I might be able to build it up with some Polyurethane. And to my surprise it worked out great.

First step was to protect the fiber box with masking tape. You can see the area that the mice had chewed out.

[Osons]

Then I used more tap as a backing for the poly

[Osons]

After all the prep work was done The rest was easy. Just make sure the flap stays in the closed position while the poly is curing.

[Osons]

Wait 24 hours then trim away the excess (fully cured) polyurethane with a sharp blade. then remove the tape.

[67 chevelle]

Mice work ,, I Mean nice work

[Osons]

On a side note: Borax is fantastic for eliminating the smell of 47 years worth of mouse pee. Just be careful using it in conjunction with Por-15.

[Orange Crate]

Nice job of separating time and money, but you know they will get back together to ruin your next project (I'm just sayin').

[michael bustamante]

looks good and pretty inventive. i used bleach to get rid of that nasty crap in my heater box.

[Osons]

I soaked the metal parts in a bucket of bleach. The fiber box; I used gunk engine degreaser then pressure washed it; then I scoured it with dish soap mixed with half a box of Borax. My wife was away so I was able to use our kitchen sink muahahahaha.

[michael bustamante]

hope you didnt leave any "evidance" in the drain catch

[Osons]

Originally Posted by michael bustamante

hope you didnt leave any "evidance" in the drain catch

Heck no! All poop had been removed and the box was pressure washed at the car wash before I even thought about bringing it into the house.
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[firedemon]

i have an old portable dishwasher i found on the side of the road replaced a couple O-rings and keep it for car and bike parts sani cycle cleans everything . old lady hates me stealing the cascade from the kitchen though

[Osons]

Originally Posted by firedemon

i have an old portable dishwasher i found on the side of the road replaced a couple O-rings and keep it for car and bike parts sani cycle cleans everything . old lady hates me stealing the cascade from the kitchen though

Now THAT is recycling at its finest. I really hesitated paying the $20 disposal fee for our old but working dryer. I thought about its usefulness as a parts tumbler after the fact. They make a reality show about people like me. It's about whoring...oops...I mean HOARDING.
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[lil hoodlum]

I've used vinegar to remove odors.


For smaller objects, a few drops of vanilla extract on a cotton ball and seal it an air-tight bag.


And for what it's worth, supposedly mice and rats do not like Bounce drier sheets. Have heard of people leaving a few laying around vehicles, boats, etc when storing them.

[Acorn]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

...and I get to tend the rabbits, right George?

[Dave K.]

Always wear a mask when playing with mice leavins...... Hanta virus and other diseases lurk in their sheet and the dust. Nasty stuff we take for granted...

[Osons]

Originally Posted by Dave K.

Always wear a mask when playing with mice leavins...... Hanta virus and other diseases lurk in their sheet and the dust. Nasty stuff we take for granted...

Yes. Very good point. There is a 50 percent chance of death if you get the Hantavirous. It is recomended that you soak everything in bleach for a minimum of 30 minutes.
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