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05-23-2022, 11:53 AM | #1 |
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Barn find with occupant
I just pulled a 1968 Galaxy 500 out of a field where is has been sitting for a long time. The car is complete and all the windows & doors have been closed for years. It has a living occupant, as is evident by the piles of droppings and the various gnawed items. I pulled it onto my propoerty yeaterday, and today confrmed there is some living thing still in the car as I heard some scurrying in the trunk (btw, there are no keys, so I am not able to open the trunk at the moment). What is the best way to kil the rodent? I don't want it to get out and get into my workshop or relocate to another car on my property. I have some mouse traps, but was wondering if anyone has experience "evicting" these types of squatters.
Thanks in advance, Stephen |
05-23-2022, 02:26 PM | #2 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Cover with a tarp, weight down the perimeter then set off a gas bomb underneath or stick an exhaust hose underneath attached to a running gas engine?
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05-23-2022, 02:44 PM | #3 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Put a small dab of peanut butter on the trigger of the mouse traps, set them and place them in the car with the doors & windows closed.
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05-23-2022, 03:49 PM | #4 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Yeah, that's a good idea. I'd have to wait for a non-windy day. ANd I'm not sure what kind of 'gas bomb" to use. I suppose I could idle my pickup truck nearby and run a hose to the car. The main thing I want to accomplish is to kil the varmints where they are, and not let them escape to setup shop somewhere else on my property.
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05-23-2022, 03:53 PM | #5 | |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Quote:
PS, I'm also a little temtative to root around in the car thinking whatever it is might try to bite me! LOL.. |
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05-23-2022, 05:38 PM | #6 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
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The car is pretty messy after those mice have been living there for some time. When I parked the car ~ 8 years ago there were no rodents and the car was faily clean on the inside. |
05-23-2022, 06:20 PM | #7 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
30 cal machine gun too agressive??
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05-23-2022, 08:27 PM | #8 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
I'm the meanest, roughest, toughest hombre that's ever crossed the Rio Grande - and I ain't o namby-bamby!
Now what in tarnation is living in that car! |
05-23-2022, 08:52 PM | #9 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Good one. I like your sense of humor!
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05-23-2022, 09:04 PM | #10 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Pull the car outside. Put the barn cat in the car. With water. When the cat starts to loose weight, let the cat out and put the car in the shop. One way another, they’ll be gone.
I don’t know about the smell from the cat shxx. Good luck. |
05-24-2022, 07:14 AM | #11 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Try a couple of glue traps. They work great with field mice. Bigger glue traps need to be nailed to a piece of 2 x 4 or the rats walk away with the trap.
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05-24-2022, 08:11 AM | #12 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Critter uodate: 2 confirmed kills (one in a rat trap, one in a mouse trap), 4 suspected as 4 out of 6 traps we gone this morning. I imagine the crutters sprung the traps and got caught, but the trap wasn't lethal, so they dragged the trap off into the trunk area. Evidently theres a whole family of rats living in the trunk area of the car.
I set out 3 more rat traps and reloaded the 1 rat trap and 1 mouse trap. I also put out 2 new "Tomcat" plastic mouse traps...but they seem pretty weak, so we'll see if they actually do anything. Unfortunately I don't have a key to the car, so I can't open the trunk. I'm going to wait until I think there are no more living rats in the car, then I guess I'll drill out the trunk lock. |
05-24-2022, 09:52 AM | #13 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Bet the critter family is holed up in the trunk! They know you don't have a key.
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05-24-2022, 10:24 AM | #14 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Just a thought. I bought a 68 Galaxie 500 XL with a 428 new in 68. Paid extra for a "single key locking system". After two or three years, I discovered that the trunk lock had no tumblers in it. Could be opened with a flat blade screwdriver or a dime. Cheap way to make a single key system. Might try to open yours with a screwdriver in case it is a "single key locking system".
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05-24-2022, 10:40 AM | #15 | |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Quote:
I'll give that a try once I think all the critters are dead. I have visions of all these rats moving fast and scurrying around when I open the trunk. I don't want anythigt to do with that nightmare. Update: I tried a trunk key from a 1968 Mustang and it wouldn't budge. Last edited by Stephenorf; 05-24-2022 at 10:51 AM. |
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05-24-2022, 01:20 PM | #16 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Put some peas in there.
When the critter comes out to take a pea...shoot him .
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05-24-2022, 02:08 PM | #17 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
If you don't want a dead animal smell in your car for the next few months, use a live trap...they're cheap.
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05-24-2022, 09:11 PM | #18 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Got another one. It cleaned off two of the rat traps but was unlucky on the third.
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05-25-2022, 06:44 AM | #19 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Victor makes some newer plastic snap traps that work well. I had baby rats in my yard last summer... I bagged 4 of them in 2 days. One within minutes of setting the traps out. In all I got 7 of them.
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05-25-2022, 07:43 AM | #20 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
I'd pull the back seat cushions out of the car and see if there is access to the trunk through there. Picking some of those old Ford locks is possible but a person needs the right picks to do the job. Ford liked the double sided keys starting back in that era but I'm not sure about 1968. I keep a pick set that has double sided rocker type picks for old Fords so I know they are out there.
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05-25-2022, 10:20 AM | #21 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
I've had good luck baiting rat traps with hard salami - the kind that comes in a 2" or so diameter roll in the deli. Its greasy so it attracts the rat but its a tight fit in the trap so it isn't easy for the rat to take the bait without springing the trap. Many times I can reuse the piece of salami more than once. And I only use Victor brand traps. Others such as Tom Cat don't seem to work as well. Happy hunting.
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05-25-2022, 12:10 PM | #22 | |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Quote:
Yes, the 1968 has the 2-sided key. I don't know how to pick locks, but I might try to learn! Otherwise I might drill out the lock. I also heard that the door key should be the same as the trunk key, I could take a door key to a locksmith to have a new key made, and then use it to open the trunk. I'm leaning toward this solution. |
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05-25-2022, 12:16 PM | #23 | |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Quote:
Could this car be referred to as a RAT ROD ...
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05-25-2022, 12:16 PM | #24 | |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
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05-25-2022, 12:18 PM | #25 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Update: Kill count is at 4 as of this am. That's for the dead rats I've been able to recover. I'm afraid there may be more dead rats in the trunk as I have a bunch of missing traps and I suspect that more than one wounded rat has manaed to crawl back into the trunk to expire.
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05-25-2022, 12:21 PM | #26 | |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
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Quote:
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05-25-2022, 12:25 PM | #27 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
I'm going to buy some new traps this afternoon. The ones with the plastic trays seem to be more sensitive and don't let the rats feed for free. So far I got 4 that I know of. The evidently the small Victor mouse traps just injur the rats and they crawl off with the trap attached to them.
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05-25-2022, 01:53 PM | #28 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
I always use the large Victor brand rat traps. The smaller mice traps only injure a rat if at all. And always tie a wire to the trap so the rat can't drag it away and die somewhere where you can't get to.
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05-26-2022, 07:59 AM | #29 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Update: I think I must have go them all. I rebaited the traps yesterday afternoon, and when I checked this morning, they were all untouched. So either the rats are all on diets, or they have all been killed.
Next Step: Open the trunk and start cleaning out all the rat turds and other vermin waste. PU....I recon this is going to be a messy, stinky job. |
05-26-2022, 09:19 AM | #30 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
I'm not sure on the 1968 models but Ford used the same key for the trunk that was also used for the glove box. Ignition keys should operate the door locks. The trunk key is likely H50 type secondary double sided keys for 5 pin locks . This link is to the type of rocker picks but a full set is very expensive and the success rate is only around 80%. I've worn blisters on my fingers trying to open some locks but my success rate is not far from the 80% range. https://www.lockpicks.com/grand-mast...-pick-set.html
It may be less expensive to consult a local lock smith. I purchased both picks and jimmy sets when I started unlocking my own projects years ago so they weren't so expensive back then. Drilling the lock is an option but you are going to have to put on the respirator and rubber gloves one day to take seats & carpets out and hose up all the crap with the shop vac anyway. The latches have 3-bolts holding them if I remember correctly. most Ford cars are the same in that time frame. Get an extension or a stack of them long enough to reach the latch from the back seat area and take the screws out. The trunk lid should open with the latch free from the bracket. The lock can then be rekeyed with an H50 blank by a lock smith. |
05-26-2022, 11:21 AM | #31 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Is that right, for 1968 the glove box key and trunk key are the same? That glove box lock is a sinch to remove...two philips head screws. Thanks for the tip!
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05-26-2022, 11:24 AM | #32 | |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Quote:
"H50 Blank Ford Motor Company Key is a nickel-plated brass, precision-milled replacement key. The key is used for ignitions and door locks in compatible Ford vehicles." Thanks! Stephen |
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05-26-2022, 01:08 PM | #33 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Should be H51 for the glove box, deck lid and tailgate.
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05-26-2022, 01:37 PM | #34 | |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
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05-26-2022, 01:39 PM | #35 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Nice, yeah, now that you mention it I've always wanted one of them bona fide rat rods! Unfortunately it has the rat rod smell to boot. Not sure if I need to take the carpet/seats out if that will help, or if I need to spray the whole thing down with bleach or what. Now that the rats are all (presumably) dead, I have the doors open to help air it out a little.
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05-26-2022, 01:46 PM | #36 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
I would take all of the soft trim out if there is an odor and let it breathe somewhere dry and blast it with LYSOL/FABREEZE. That odor can really permeate seat covers/padding.
Don't forget a nose guard as the dropping dust is a killer.
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05-26-2022, 05:38 PM | #37 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
I remember the square key being for ignition on those cars with the oval for the trunk. My memory isn't what it used to be so I could be wrong.
Rodents like to pull the stuffing out of seats and make nests. They pee on near everything they can crawl over. The back seat may be the only one to pull out fast to clean under it. I'll guarantee it was a mouse house under there. The trunk is a good second if there is a lot of old boxes or stuff like that in there. Last edited by rotorwrench; 05-26-2022 at 05:43 PM. |
05-26-2022, 05:49 PM | #38 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
You are correct, the square key is for the ignition, and the oval ket is for the trunk. I'm guessing the oval ket is also for the door and glove box. I guess we'll find out tomorrow as I'm taking my glove box lock to the local locksmith to have a new key made.
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05-26-2022, 05:53 PM | #39 | |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
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05-26-2022, 05:55 PM | #40 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Thanks, I'll probably suit up like i was going to paint. Hazmat suite with full facemask with respirator.
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05-26-2022, 05:57 PM | #41 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
The locksmith guy said that number cross references to a Mazda. He said Mazda and old Fords use a lot of the same keys I guess. I'll be dropping by his shop tomorrow. If the "FB0293" isn't right, he can make me a key from scratch, it'll just cost a little more.
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05-26-2022, 06:20 PM | #42 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Yes, the key code. FA is for IGN/DOORS and FB for the DECK LID.
FORD didn't really get involved with MAZDA until the mid-seventies. One of the door cylinders will have the FA CODE.
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05-26-2022, 06:27 PM | #43 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Thanks, that's good news. I can pull a door panel and get the number of one of the door lock cylinders and have an ignition ley made too.
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05-26-2022, 06:33 PM | #44 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
The CODE should be on one side door cylinder. Which one is according to who was assembling that day.
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05-26-2022, 08:38 PM | #45 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Darn, I pulled the DS door lock and there's no code on it.
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05-27-2022, 05:25 PM | #46 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
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With the key codes, I got the keys made for less than $60.00. And this includes a spare set. The door key turns the ingnition, and the glove box door key opens the trunk. Yay! The locksmith said the key code for the door key is generally found on the passenger side. Sure enough it was on the passender side on my car too. This is a happy sight. The trunk on this car hadn't been opened in unknown years. I had to take the door panels off to get to the door locks, but I can live with that. I would have had to remove the door panel on the driver's side anyway since the door latch decided to break yesterday. Without the key codes, if I brought him the door lock and the glove box lock, he could have made keys, but it would have taken way longer and cost 2x the amount. Last edited by Stephenorf; 05-27-2022 at 05:30 PM. |
05-27-2022, 05:40 PM | #47 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Here's what I saw when I opened the trunk. Notice a couple of the mouse traps got dragged back there somehow. I thought there might be some dead rats back there....like if the mouse trap got them, but didn't kill them immediately, they would have died in the trunk. But it looks like the mouse traps were innefective on those big suckers!
Trunk is full of rat turds. I'm going to let it air out for a couple of days. The daily highs are supposed to be in the 90s and the forecast doesn't show any rain for the next few days. I don't look forward to cleaning the car. Here's another look toward the rear of the trunk (or is it the front...towards the back seat). There's a little pile of cotton batting that looks like they were enjoying. Those rats didn't tear things up like I thought they would. No wires are gnawed on. The wires even still have the paper tags from the factory. I saw some of these paper tags on the headlight loom under the hood too. |
05-28-2022, 12:39 AM | #48 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
It looks like you got a grave marker in the deal.
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05-29-2022, 11:32 AM | #49 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
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06-02-2022, 04:53 PM | #50 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
wear a mask and rubber /latex gloves when you clean that stuff can make you sick if using a vacuum put a sock over exhaust to catch the dust happy cleaning
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06-02-2022, 11:34 PM | #51 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
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06-02-2022, 11:36 PM | #52 |
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Re: Barn find with occupant
Thanks for the advise. I haven't started cleaning it out yet. I'm pretty ticked off at myself for letting those rats get in there. I should have been more careful with where I parked it, and should have done something to prevent the rodent infestation....dryer sheets, mothballs, fox urine...something.
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