How in the…

[Filthy Filbert]

While standing around my car, visualizing the work that's gotta happen, and in what order... I notice a ball of fluff.   Inside a front frame rail.

Last thing I want or need is a dag-gone mouse nest rotting the currently solid frame rail from the inside out.

How in the heck do I access the inside of the front frame rails to clean them out?

[cuda hunter]

Power wash the holes until the dried mice become soaked and blow apart.  Drain, repeat, spray, drain, repeat.
Remove the frame rails and replace?
Get a long drill bit and a vacuum cleaner and cut em up and suck em up. 

[Dakota]

I didn't have a mouse nest, but I had a bunch of bee nests inside the front and rear frame rails.  I used a blow gun attachment (sometimes with a rubber hose attached to get around the bends) on my air compressor to clear the junk out.   The debris blew out of the other frame tail drain holes.  Made quite a mess though. 

[jimynick]

I found a length of thin, but strong wire, bent a hook in the end and started fishing Mickey's house out, piece by piece. You want a piece about 2 foot long and when you've "fished the hole out" buy a blow gun that you can screw in a fitting that'll take a piece of 1/8" copper line and blow at one end and vacumn at the other. You can buy interior panel spray lines and/or take it to someplace like Krown rustproofing and get them to thoroughly spray your inner frame rails. By the way, if you've got mice already, be prepared to either restrict or plug those holes or you'll be doing it all again, soon. Good luck! 

[JS29]

After you are done, Mouse traps around the car. A good mouse hunting cat dose wonders as well.  I through the carcass out in yard for the crows to eat. I believe in recycling!      

[Filthy Filbert]

If you read my thread 'St Louis blues' you'll see that this car has spent a lot of time in storage over the last 10+ years.   Once it's done, it will be in much better storage conditions. 


Is the frame rail open under the front floor pans?   I have a half-ass repair job to fix correctly... someone used sheet metal screws and caulk to cover rusty holes in the floor.    If the rail is open under the floor pan; then I'm good to go.

[jimynick]

Yeah, if memory serves, they are open under the front floor pan for a bit. The floor pan forms the roof of the rail there. You'll need a wee bit longer wire if you're going in via the floor pan area though. Good luck

[1 Wild R/T]

This is a B body but an E is pretty much the same...

[Filthy Filbert]

Perfect.   That'll be easy enough.   Blow it all back from the front, then vacuum it out once the floor pan is removed (and by floor pan, I mean the flat sheet that was screwed in with screws and caulked for sealing )

[jimynick]

"caulked for sealing" Luxury! Usually, it's a chunk of an old school locker, pop rivets and no damn sealer!  Just think how nice it'll be when you do it right, eh? 

[Filthy Filbert]

Oh, I can't wait, that's for sure!   Worked through the AMD installation center's quote and whittled out what I don't think I need, removed the cost of the parts I already have on hand, and it's a much more palatable $9-12k vs the $24k "Throw everything at it, with the kitchen sink" quote they gave me originally.  (It even included replacing the driver side quarter panel and wheel houses, which I've already done, and both styles of spare tire hold down -- hard top AND convertible )