Totally random, but what's the weirdest thing you've found in your restorations?
So I'm midway through my restoration that started off as a '65 rustang, and in light of a few odd things I've found in the car so far as I gutted and rebuilt it, I thought I'd see what other odds and ends everyone else has run into.
So far the torque box was glued (yes glued) to the frame and the floor with a crapload of bondo shoved in the cracks. Needless to say when I cut the floor out up around the firewall, all the bondo gave way and fell out. Fun times. All stripped, cut out, and welded in now.
The weird thing that I've found is when I took my heater box apart to see what all I need to replace in there. Popped the box open and behold - the filter in there was actually part of a weedwacker - complete with the round green thing that says "weedeater" on it. Somehow I don't think that belongs in there.
What else has everyone else run across in their restorations?
When i worked in the ford dealership here we had a brand new mustang came in said the drivers door was making noises.I took the door panel off there was a small coffee can in it full of nuts and bolts and a note that said a few cuss words.Found a old pair of panties under the back seat of a 54 belair.And the norrmal bondo and fiberglass packed in rust holes.Seen a used out floor pan covered in roofing paper and tared over.
nothing in my '65 fastback. I'm the 3rd owner, so I didn't expect anything. However, my '73 had the back valance attached to the fender with bondo, and the front fender had the "bondo and piece of screen technique". It's ashamed because I have all the paperwork from the car since new, and this shop in Connecticut charged the old owner $500.00 for that crap. They put "rust removal and paint" on the invoice!!
Hello. I've seen sorts of shoddy 'repairs' like pop riveting some gutter flashing over great big rusty holes in the floors, bondo 4 inches thick, more electrical stupidity than you can imagine, all of that stuff, but, I think that the oddest thing that I ever saw, as in, " boy, I sure wasn't expecting THAT. was the time that I removed the console from a 64 Galaxie 500 XL and there were these two snakes that had both died while swallowing each other. They both had the other one's tail in their mouth and had actually swallowed a couple feet of each other before they died and sort of mummified under there. It was weird.
Well I cant match Veronica's snake story but I cant believe how anyone could have driven my car when I finally landed it.
I noticed the clutch pedal was at a strange angle and when I depressed it the brake pedal jumped around. The pedal box bearings had so collapsed that the clutch pedal and pin had drifted so far to the left that the brake pedal was about to drop off the pin. The clutch rod through the firewall was bent as it was levering itself against the hole in the firewall. Must say I had never seen such a mess.
I myself am a victim of terrible bondo repairs, including coffee cans rolled open to repair the inner fender by the battery tray and the right rear wheel well. My entire floor probably consists of sheet metal secured with rivets and bondoed on. Also, I found a halfway mummified mouse on the back of my intake manifold. I only found it after I removed the hood because it was in one of those really deep crevices. Speaking of mice, I found a mouse nest in the heater box made of old seat foam, and while it was in storage while I was at school, mice put dog food in my fresh air vent. Opened it on the freeway one day, and dog food pours out onto my foot. Needless to say I was incredibly distracted by that.
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Proud owner of a '65 289 coupe w/ C4. Equipped with Edelbrock Performer intake K&N air filter, and 600 cfm carb, Comp Cams Xtreme Energy valvetrain, Comp Cams XE262H cam, MSD ignition, and ported heads. Suspended by 600# 1" drop front and stock rear springs, KYB shocks, 1" front and 7/8" rear sway bars, and Traction Master style traction bars. Your friendly suspension kid.
Can't top the four inch bondo Veronica said, mine was only two inches thick. I did see a 66's cowl duct taped together when I was under the dash stripping it of parts. You know what they say about duct tape - it holds the world together
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2003 V-6 - the usual bolt-ons. Gremlin taking up residence in the idler pulley. I'll finish this one when I'm done with the other one.
1965 coupe - Born - straight six standard issue
Now - 5.0 motor, T5 tranny, R&P, full length subframe connectors, draglink bars, hedman headers
Coming soon - disc brakes, electronic ignition and a whole host of other stuff I forgot to mention. The list goes on and on. Basically, it's my new toy
Removed the 2bbl. intake on my '67 289 Coupe to replace with a 4bbl., found a 5/8" socket rolling around in the oil gallery valley, luckily it was a round tool and rolled back and forth constantly otherwise it could have blocked the oiling hole for one of the cam bearings. Haven't pulled the shortblock yet, afraid to see what's in the pan.
Also had a knocking in the drivers door, removed the door panel to change the square stock mirror to a bullet and found a P.O. had left a pair of vise grips to hold the mirror tight, guess they couldn't get the nut to turn.
At this rate I'll have an entire tool set by the time my restomod is finished.
Jon
Hello. I've seen sorts of shoddy 'repairs' like pop riveting some gutter flashing over great big rusty holes in the floors, bondo 4 inches thick, more electrical stupidity than you can imagine, all of that stuff, but, I think that the oddest thing that I ever saw, as in, " boy, I sure wasn't expecting THAT. was the time that I removed the console from a 64 Galaxie 500 XL and there were these two snakes that had both died while swallowing each other. They both had the other one's tail in their mouth and had actually swallowed a couple feet of each other before they died and sort of mummified under there. It was weird.
Funny you should mention mummified snakes. I opened a '62 or '63 Falcon radio last week and found two baby scorpions that were "ghostified". They actually looked like ghosts. I don't scare too easily but I must say I did JUMP when I saw those little dudes.
Hi again. It's amazing how often one will actually find stuff like that in an old car. I found a big crow like that under the back seat of a 67 mustang 'vert one time, frogs, lizards, god alone knows how many wasp nests, some hornet nests, mice skeletons, dead scorpions, live scorpions all sorts of stuff like that.
I got my Rustang as part of a barter........
Quick story, the woman I got it from said her husband told her he could have this on the road in 2 months (BTW, he is one of the laziest people I ever met).........
The car sat for about 12 years.....here's the list:
snake skin, mouse parts, dash completely filled with shelled nuts, parts of insulation, etc., seat risers completely packed with shelled nuts and insulation, trans bellhousing filled with the same, oh, and the rust, MOST of the front frames are gone, about 1/4 of all brake and fuel lines remain, rusted out,.........the car is far more of a basket case than I first thought .....
I will be lucky to have this completed in 2 YEARS !!! but, it is enjoyable work
later..........
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1965 289 3 spd Rustang
2001 Dodge Cummins Dually
quote from the Greek
"I haven't had my engine on a dyno, but it's probably around 300HP at the crank or maybe a little more. I don't really know for sure, but if it was World War II, you could say that I've sunk the Japanese Fleet in my neighborhood. Remember Pearl Harbor!"
I second the wasp nest - forgot to mention the stuff I found in the frame rails when I cut the floors out. Driver's side inner rail had a nice large wasp nest in there (luckily it was uninhabited as I was tearing things apart). And for some reason (I have yet to figure this one out - maybe somebody on here knows a reason behind this) both rails were literally stuffed full of this nappy looking wool that was disgusting to pull out. Absorb moisture, maybe??
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2003 V-6 - the usual bolt-ons. Gremlin taking up residence in the idler pulley. I'll finish this one when I'm done with the other one.
1965 coupe - Born - straight six standard issue
Now - 5.0 motor, T5 tranny, R&P, full length subframe connectors, draglink bars, hedman headers
Coming soon - disc brakes, electronic ignition and a whole host of other stuff I forgot to mention. The list goes on and on. Basically, it's my new toy
Probably a colony of mice used the wool to build their nests i.e. absorb mouse urine, feces etc.
Grreeaaattt...and to think that I pulled that stuff out. You were thinking what I was thinking... Mice are no longer welcome in my coupe....
That would make sense as to why the underside of my backseat (made of wool) was torn to shreds as well. Upholstery shop otta have fun with that
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2003 V-6 - the usual bolt-ons. Gremlin taking up residence in the idler pulley. I'll finish this one when I'm done with the other one.
1965 coupe - Born - straight six standard issue
Now - 5.0 motor, T5 tranny, R&P, full length subframe connectors, draglink bars, hedman headers
Coming soon - disc brakes, electronic ignition and a whole host of other stuff I forgot to mention. The list goes on and on. Basically, it's my new toy
Grreeaaattt...and to think that I pulled that stuff out. You were thinking what I was thinking... Mice are no longer welcome in my coupe....
That would make sense as to why the underside of my backseat (made of wool) was torn to shreds as well. Upholstery shop otta have fun with that
Hi again. You have to realize that they've been there for generations. It's their ancestral homeland. You are the unwelcome addition, according to them.
Totally random, but what's the weirdest thing you've found in your restorations? 
I've seen sorts of shoddy 'repairs' like pop riveting some gutter flashing over great big rusty holes in the floors, bondo 4 inches thick, more electrical stupidity than you can imagine, all of that stuff, but, I think that the oddest thing that I ever saw, as in, " boy, I sure wasn't expecting THAT. 
was the time that I removed the console from a 64 Galaxie 500 XL and there were these two snakes that had both died while swallowing each other. They both had the other one's tail in their mouth and had actually swallowed a couple feet of each other before they died and sort of mummified under there. It was weird.
I found a big crow like that under the back seat of a 67 mustang 'vert one time, frogs, lizards, god alone knows how many wasp nests, some hornet nests, mice skeletons, dead scorpions, live scorpions 
all sorts of stuff like that. 
Mice are no longer welcome in my coupe....
