66 interior

[farfignuegan]

I bought myself 66 charger  last month and have spent the entire time  since then trying to get the mouse smell out of the car. I now have the entire interior out,  including the heater housing. I  have used peroxide, pine sol, soap and water and a scrub brush, and i can still smell it !! Am I going to have to repaint the inside of the body to get rid of the smell ? thats question #1.  question #2 is about that black stuff that looks like tar that is on all the body seams. As I am cleaning the inside it falling off in chunks, what is it and what  do I use to replace it, or do i need to ? Thanks in advance !!

[stripedelete]

Dead mouse. Good luck!

Live mouse. Is the headliner out?  Try some of that enzyme spray stuff for cat urine and about a year outside with the windows down.   

[Ghoste]

And the black stuff is seam sealer, you don't have to replace it but you may find the car a little noisier without it.  Leaving it out can also create nice little pockets where moisture can sit and start body rot.

[farfignuegan]

Headliner is out. I soaked it with peroxide and the smell is gone. its the rest of the car that still stinks ! What would be the best thing to replace the seam sealer with ?  A bucket of roofing tar or just some  silicone caulk?

[A383Wing]

Is heater box out? Critters really like to live and die in the heater box...

[farfignuegan]

Yep, the heater box is out and there was a nest in there. There was even a big nest up in the fresh air intake in the cowl. i couldnt get my hand up in there good enough to get it all out so i had to take that round air/water diverter thing  loose to get is scraped out. Will have to silicone it back in and hope it doesn't leak water. I think i have found 9 actual  mouse nests, and walnut were stashed everywhere ! They even blew out of the talepipe when i first started it. It had been sitting in a shed for about 15 yrs.And  also, my seats need to be redone but am not able to justify the cost of  new seat covers to my wife. Anybody have any suggestions on what  front seats would looks good in the car, something i can get at the salvage yard?

[A383Wing]

No matter what front seat you get, it's gonna be pricey...if it's a Charger, put the OE seats back in..

My opinion.....consider the source

Also look for nest & dead critters in the trunk...far left & right side in quarter panel slot.

[farfignuegan]

There was a HUGE nest in the trunk, under the spare tire. It was the size and shape of the inside of the rim. Like a mouse apartment building ! More walnuts in the quarter panal slots, and more in the cavity that holds the taillights. The mouse urine almost ate  the bottom out of the spare tire well. Has anybody tried to make the seat covers themselves instead of buying them ??

[bobs66440]

Just be careful cleaning all that mouse stuff up & breathing in the dust and crap, they carry lots of viruses/diseases, especially the deer mice (white footed mouse). They say to wear a respirator and wash your clothes afterwards, etc. Then douse the area with bleach/water solution to kill any nasty stuff, though I don't know what that will do to the car...

[ODZKing]

I agree with severl fellows previously.  A few old brittle pieces came off when I redid my interior.  In fact some revealed some holes.  Silicone as mentioned or you could always get a tube of seam sealer and re do those spots.  It takes abouyt 24 hours to dry properly so keep that in mind.  But either will work fine.

[chargergirl]

Someone here recovered their own seats...I was impressed and hoping to not have to do that on my 66 Charger. So far they seem fine and will be continuing to clean them through the rebuild. Check with carpet people that get smoke smell out of homes...maybe they have something that will kill the mouse smell.

[farfignuegan]

 I read somewhere that you can rent some machine that produces ozone and that is supposed to destroy about any odor. Not sure where to get something like that. The back seats were perfect but they  are so stiff that the vynil splits when you sit on them. prob have to just cover will elcheapo seat covers from walmart for now.  My dad had a 66 about 25 yrs ago, black with a white interior. Great shape. I want this one to be that nice NOW, going to have to learn patience with this project.

[bobs66440]

I read somewhere that you can rent some machine that produces ozone and that is supposed to destroy about any odor. Not sure where to get something like that. The back seats were perfect but they  are so stiff that the vynil splits when you sit on them. prob have to just cover will elcheapo seat covers from walmart for now.  My dad had a 66 about 25 yrs ago, black with a white interior. Great shape. I want this one to be that nice NOW, going to have to learn patience with this project.

Well, the good news is that, as you know, the 66-67 Chargers have one of the most beautiful, unique interiors out there. The bad news is that very few interior parts are reproduced and if you can find used parts in decent shape, they are VERY expensive, therefore requiring much money...or patience as you say. My car needs many interior pieces and I am going to Carlisle in the hopes of find some.

[farfignuegan]

 I also have some small holes in the floor. I dont have a welder tho. Is it a huge sin to patch the floor with fiberglass ?

[lisiecki1]

YES!

I also have some small holes in the floor. I dont have a welder tho. Is it a huge sin to patch the floor with fiberglass ?

[stripedelete]

Headliner is out. I soaked it with peroxide and the smell is gone. its the rest of the car that still stinks ! What would be the best thing to replace the seam sealer with ?  A bucket of roofing tar or just some  silicone caulk?

Spray the cat urine stuff on the rest of the interior(metal, seam sealer etc).  IF it's going to work - it will immediatly eliminate the smell.  However, the smell will probably return.  Just keep re-applying every day.   Pouring it on doesn't seem to make it work better.  If you can somehow keep it outside with the windows open it will help.

Don't use that ZEPP stuff for used cars.  You'll just trade one fowl oder for another.

If mice died in it, all bets are off........   

[bobs66440]

I also have some small holes in the floor. I dont have a welder tho. Is it a huge sin to patch the floor with fiberglass ?

You should weld in patches, especially in a unibody car, which yours is.

[farfignuegan]

What kind of padding do I need to order for under my carpet? I am reusing the old carpet but need new pad. Is is jute padding ? where is the best place to get it ?

[ODZKing]

Well, IMHO ... the problem with padding is if it gets wet ... it stays wet.  That is why our car floorpans rotted from the inside.
You don't need padding ... you're not walking on it.  You need sound deadner and this worked great.
I just redid mine ... pans etc.  And it is posted elsewhere but here is what I used:
http://www.retrorarities.com/FloorPans/index.html

[bobs66440]

Well, IMHO ... the problem with padding is if it gets wet ... it stays wet.  That is why our car floorpans rotted from the inside.
You don't need padding ... you're not walking on it.  You need sound deadner and this worked great.
I just redid mine ... pans etc.  And it is posted elsewhere but here is what I used:
http://www.retrorarities.com/FloorPans/index.html

Hey Bob, looks great! Did you replace the floor pans or just clean up the existing?

[ODZKing]

No, replaced them.  Short version - When we did the resto in 04 from underneath they looked fine.  Undercoat was quite thick but when we yanked the carpet I saw it would have to be done soon since they had rotted from the inside.  Carpets got wet and the jute underneath probably stayed wet and rotted the floors.  Finally last summer I found a dime size hole on one side so I decided this winter it was time to do it right.
A side note, when we did the floors this winter the undercoating had to be at least an inch thick in some spots which was basically holding the floor together.  Overall, it was kind of bad in spots.  But they're done now!

[farfignuegan]

 Looks like something I might want to try myself. Diff subject, I have seen that POR-15 mentioned as a rust inhibitor on the floor pan. Does that stuff have to be applied to bare metal or can you use it over paint?

[bobs66440]

Looks like something I might want to try myself. Diff subject, I have seen that POR-15 mentioned as a rust inhibitor on the floor pan. Does that stuff have to be applied to bare metal or can you use it over paint?

It's meant to be applied directly to rust and seasoned metal only. I suppose you can put it on bare metal but there is a prep product they sell that you have to use first.

http://www.por15.com/quickindex.asp

[bobs66440]

No, replaced them.  Short version - When we did the resto in 04 from underneath they looked fine.  Undercoat was quite thick but when we yanked the carpet I saw it would have to be done soon since they had rotted from the inside.  Carpets got wet and the jute underneath probably stayed wet and rotted the floors.  Finally last summer I found a dime size hole on one side so I decided this winter it was time to do it right.
A side note, when we did the floors this winter the undercoating had to be at least an inch thick in some spots which was basically holding the floor together.  Overall, it was kind of bad in spots.  But they're done now!

It's a good feeling knowing your car is like new again, huh? Thankfully my car is pretty solid (that's why I got it) so hopefully I won't be doing that too soon, but I know what you mean about the undercoating. All the 1st gens I've seen have it caked on in massive amounts. Mine is the same way...not so much on the floors, but inside the quarter panels and fender areas, etc. I was never much of a fan of undercoating, but I think - in my case at least - it helped preserve the car.

[chargergirl]

Was thinking I was good with the undercoating till reading here...man! Will have to yank the rugs soon..hope I won't be crying. Don't know if the guys checked that already or not. I do love the interior of the '66 though.