now this is a weird one.........

glennster

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

customer brought in a really nice 1978 pontiac trans am with a rusted left rocker. car is otherwise pristine and original. 35k miles, just about one of the nicest original i have seen in quite a few years. driven very little, never in winter. cut the left rocker open and here is what we found. entire cavity is packed with some type of insect excretion and dark rice like larvae hulls. very tiny seam opening where they gained access. car was stored for about a year in a horse barn according to the owner. gonna have to do some probing with the remote camera to see if they got in any where else. no idea what kind of insect will do this. n central illinois. heres some pics.

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Brad Buchanan

Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

Hey Glenn.

Don't know what kind of critters make that kind of nest but I would be a bit leery that some of them might wake up in your nice warm shop!

Nice neat cuttin' job BTW.

Brad

 

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glennster

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

we just had the owner stop by to show him, the we are gonna shop vac it all out and clean it up, then sand blast it. only thing i can think of is it was some kind of ants, and maybe they hauled sweet feed in there.

 

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James Babcock

Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

I may be way off since I'm looking on my phone in bright light, but that fluffy stuff looks like mice nests from insulation or seat stuffing and mice poo is small and rice sized. I know you're a farmer and probably see mouse poo, but just my opinion. Spent over 2 grand on my wife's rig because of mice nesting and chewing up sensor wires.

 

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Dave H (MI)

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

I enlarged that on my already large monitor and all I see is nasty old mouse droppings with maybe fly larvae cocoon husks mixed in. Not saying that is what it is, just saying that is first impression. It would be worth it to find an entomologist at your closest university and mail a sample in a small box over for ID. I have seen mice and bats both accumulate droppings like that. Lots of bugs live in the stuff. Really curious! Get it looked at!

 

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glennster

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

its not fluffy, its like dried dirt. its kind of concreted together, but it breaks up and dusts pretty easy.

 

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Den N Ms

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

Glennster,It looks like that left rocker has been replaced before,has it?I wonder if the (Invasion of the creatures) rusted it out before.

 

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JayinNY

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

Can't help you with that, but how about a pic of the whole car! Lol

 

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James Babcock

Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

Interesting, keep us updated!

 

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glennster

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

nope its the original rocker, only work that we see was some minor body work on the left rear of the quarter panel.

 

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glennster

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

ok jay here ya go, the front end is off and motor and trans are out. its a 400/4speed car.

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opps its a 79 trans am....my bad, also here is another blast from the past, amc rebel, 2dr convert, 343-4spd convertible

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James Babcock

Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

I have seen termite nests that looked like that, but they were in Honduras. Never seen one like that up here.

 

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JayinNY

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

Thanks alot, awesome looking car. I'd love to have that trams-am. Lol

 

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bill mart

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

AMC guy at heart, nice looking Rebel. Precursor to the 2 door fastback Rebel " The Machine " . How's the underside of the body? Bill

 

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tomturkey

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

Thats a Jim Rockford (Rockford Files) Aka James Garner car is'nt it. Still watch the reruns on antenna tv. With only 35k on the car what was the story on the engine???? Haven't a clue what the bugs were. great pictures. gobble

 

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glennster

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

its rusty and weak. we are building frame supports for it.

 

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David G

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

I had a 79 Formula, a little darker brown, but same interior.

 

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

The only way to know for sure what it is, you will have to do a taste test.

 

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Dave Sherburne, NY

Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

What is that mechanism the car is sitting on? Looks like some sort of rocker mechanism.

 

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glennster

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

its one of my chief e-z liner frame machines. it has 3- 10 ton pulling towers.

 

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glennster

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

if you scroll down and look at the amc rebel, you can see more of the other machine.

 

47fivewindow

Well-known Member

Location

Davidsonville Md.

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

I have heard of tin worms, but I have never seen a nest before

 

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ShadetreeRet

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

Well, I am familiar with the AMC Rebel, but never knew they offered a convertible! They always reminded me of a 69 Dodge Coronet.

 

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GregCO

Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

Nice cars and nice shop. I worked in the body and paint shops for 16 years. Kind of miss it, but not enough to go back. My knees and hands took a beating. I sure hope they are teaching kids now that are going into the business to wear gloves and knee pads.

Greg

 

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RandyB(MI)

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

That is a rare one as the only '79,s that came with the Pontiac 400 were the ones with the " WS 6 " package. All others came with the 403 Olds engine. Still had the 6.6 decal on scoop but had Olds engine. WS 6 was standard 4 spd trans and 3.23 posi rear and heavy duty handling package and I think 4 wheel disc brakes. I had a '77 back in '81 that I built from a total. I would check where it had set for a year for the clue to what it is. It didn't get that way while being driven. Mud daubers come to mind. that would explain not only the "dirt" but also the larvae. Google them.

 

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jennifer408

Well-known Member

• Feb 24, 2015

• #1

i have a 78 trans am that i ordered and bought for my 18th birthday. it needs to be restored big time. i bought another 78 for parts back in 01 and got started on it, but then i bought a ranch and that and lack of money for it got in the way. now it looks like time is against me. it sucks knowing your days are numbered.

 

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1130Leo

Member

• Feb 25, 2015

• #1

Jennifer, have you checked this place out? I am a
naturalist, they have helped lots of people that
the doctors here said had no hope. It is worth
looking at least.
poke here

 

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GeneMO

Well-known Member

Location

Pilot Grove, Mo.

• Feb 25, 2015

• #1

Glen, Based on your description, that panel is infested with the "Short eared, three spot, Milkweed pod boll mite"

They are an endangered insect in your area. Hope the Feds dont pick up on this. They would declare that car, and your shop a Federally protected breeding site.

Keep this hushed up.

Gene