LS1Formulation

iTrader: (13)

I am beginning the build on my Formula and it's been off the road for 15 years. The engine, clutch (and all hydraulics/lines), cooling system, fuel system, and wheels and tires are all being replaced with new. I plan to flush the brake system with new fluid, put new trans fluid in the T-56, and refill the rear diff with gear lube and replace the axle seals, as one has a leak. The car has Hawk brake pads on it, and while the rotors look pretty ratty and should be replaced, could I get away with keeping the pads? I have drilled + slotted rotors presently, but I'll probably just go to regular rotors because they're cheaper and easier to obtain locally. Aside from that, is there anything else I should be replacing as a preventative?

Finkledbody

your list is pretty comprehensive. Perhaps add

Replace brake hoses
pads should be fine
rotors tend to rust and become crusty, don’t worry unless they are warped
brake flush is a great idea
Charge the air conditioning system
Clean the inside windshield

LS1Formulation

iTrader: (13)

Ahh, the rubber hoses. Good call there. May as well upgrade to braided ones. No A/C on this car, turbo kit wouldn't allow it. Going to do a full interior detail including carpet replacement, as it had chipmunks in it at one point. Lucky for me, they had no interest in the wiring. I've already cleaned the entire duct system in the dash, but the carpet was already getting old and the rodent **** made it unusable.

Y2K_Frenzy

Power steering fluid.
Speaking of rat **** and such,
Anyone ever use an ozone machine to get rid of smells? My buddy says it works. Maybe give it a go.

LS1Formulation

iTrader: (13)

Surprisingly, the interior smells pretty normal. I forgot about the power steering fluid, I'll have to flush that for sure. I'm wondering if I should replace the water pump. I know mine is low mileage, but it's been sitting for all those years and I'm figuring the seals probably have dried up.

Finkledbody

I own and use ozone machines regularly. Works on almost all smells. Be careful when using, follow the instructions as there is potential for u to kill ur self or others. I know, pretty extreme warning but life can’t survive ozone. That’s why it’s so effective at killing smells.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

In your experience, can this type of machine also be used to kill mold in an automotive interior? I realize that many chemical products are marketed for this, but for situations where none of said products have worked, and when the surface is too sensitive for bleach, might this machine be an effective method?

LS1Formulation

iTrader: (13)

I just did some research and it seems that ozone is really bad for plastics. Which make up a significant portion of our interiors. I'm guessing you wouldn't want to run one for very long inside the car.

Finkledbody

it will kill mold but it won’t kill or remove the mold spores that cause mold to grow (conditions permitting). The best way is to clean the surfaces where mold is present in order to effectively remove mold. All surfaces require a different approach of course depending on material. Carpets are the hardest to rid of mold but it is possible. I use ozone machines as a last resort to remove smells only.

Ive never tried products designed to remove mold. I use products designed for regular cleaning but it’s all commercial grade stuff not available to the public. As an example, Some of it is super caustic and can remove skin so it’s good for cleaning hard plastic, but can’t touch leather. It melts leather.

only run it for 2 hours max. The ozone plates in those cheaper machines are only good for 1 use anyways. Then it needs a replacement plate which cost roughly $25 per. Ozone machines are incredibly effective though. I don’t fear the use in our cars.

LS1Formulation

iTrader: (13)

I'm installing brand new carpet in mine, but it would be nice to have that new car smell again, lol. I found a cheap one for $38 on Amazon that has good reviews, maybe I'll try that.

Chris Cusumano

As far as mold goes.... I used Shockwave when doing mold remediation for banks and realtors back when. I used to get it from JonDon. I know hospitals used it at one time for disinfecting operating tables--HIV
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=...BAgDEDY&adurl=

jybravo70

iTrader: (5)

I'd add replacing the drive belts, rear bump stops, possibly the transmission mount bushing and inspect the sway arm bushings and suspension connection points. Mine were all cracked and hardend and there is still a squeak somewhere on the right side of the car (currently not moving as I replaced the carpet). For the carpet, get some extra batting/padding material. I ended up ordering 2 different carpet kits, standard backing and thicker backing and both came with bare minimum padding that only covers front and rear floorboards.
Edit: forgot to mention another item I found dry rotted, the front and rear T-top caps for the center bar. You can find some re-creations on Marketplace. If there are dry and brittle the first time washing or driving in rain will get messy. Check the door jam drain/weep holes. As you don't have AC no need to check the weep hole under the firewall.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

My Judge sat in a garage in San Francisco for 18 years and the interior was moldy when I got it. I just used regular cleaning products (like Tough Stuff). Cleaned it right off and there was no recurrence.

LS1Formulation

iTrader: (13)

Amazingly, mine isn't moldy at all. But it was stored with Damp-Rid the majority of the time. The new carpet I bought is from Classic Industries and is a thinner style - I was more concerned about weight than padding. This car has been kinda noisy since I bought it in '06, so I'm not particularly concerned with having thicker backing. I just wanted to get the nasty looking stuff out. I'm not even sure I have bump stops in the rear, I thought I chopped them off to run wider rims years ago. I'll have to look. Easy to forget after 15 years. All the motor/trans mounts are poly and look perfect - I pulled the drivetrain yesterday. Since I'm running a turbo, I have to do a new front drive setup anyway, so a new belt is already in the cards, as are hoses for a stand up radiator.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Some of the stuff mentioned above (like bushings, mounts) shouldn't really be much of an issue in my experience, at least if the car was stored in reasonable conditions. I've spent the last ~18 months getting my '74 back to being road worthy after sitting for about 15 years as well. There were no issues with mounts or bushings, etc. Just fuel system, cooling system, brake hydraulics (but the pads and rotors/drums were fine), and other basic things that have already been mentioned. If the car was stored outside all that time, it might need more help than mine did (but, to be fair, mine was already 24 years older to start).

As for the mold, my question above had to do with an area of the driver's seat on one of my cars that has a cold-growth mold that seems to be unkillable. By "cold growth", I mean it only grows when the temps are somewhere between just above freezing and about 40-45 degrees. Any warmer and it goes dormant, regardless of humidity. This is on a car that I have owned a very long time, and no product/chemical has been able to kill it permanently (only thing I have never tried is bleach because of the risk of damage). It comes back every year during winter storage, same spot, then it's gone until the following year.

Chris Cusumano

RPM---If you haven't already, look at that Shockwave. It's good stuff! We used it many ways. We would HEPA Vac after drywall tear out. Then treat everything with a dilution of it (because it's a concentrate) with regular old pump garden sprayer and wipe. Cleaned all carpets that weren't removed with it in the carpet cleaner chemical/soap tank. Install industrial grade dehumidifiers and air scrubbers with HEPA filters for ten days of house quarantine. Finally, perform an air quality test. Our sample cartridges always came back from the lab approved for habitation. And that's houses that were foreclosed on, no power for a couple years of flooded basements. I know I'm talking houses but this stuff smells good and isn't harsh like bleach, never had any color fading issues with anything. Same spot on the seat? Weird!!!

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I haven't tried Shockwave before, and I'm not opposed to giving it a shot, but I just wish there was a way to get a smaller size for less money. I've tried so many products without success that it's hard to justify that price per gallon if it doesn't work. But maybe I will give it a try, I might be able to find some other purpose for the rest of it - actually now that I think about it I could perhaps use it to scrub my old cement laundry sink that has decades of build-up.

Regarding the car though, yeah it's just this area on the upright portion of the bench seat back (near the headrest) on my '71, just on one side. It's vinyl and black, so I have to be careful not to fade it. I've tried every type of automotive interior cleaner, also several products specifically designed for mold, plus things like Simple Green, various versions of Lysol, several different grades of vinegar, lots of other home brewed suggestions that folks have made, but it always comes back during the winter. I keep plenty of Damp-Rid in the car too, and keep it changed out regularly, but it doesn't matter. Again though, once you clean it away in the spring (no matter how strong or weak of a cleaner is used) it's gone until the next winter. Just for reference, of all the products I've tried I seemed to have the best results with Simple Green (even better than mold-specific stuff); it came back weaker that next year, but still came back.

jybravo70

iTrader: (5)

@RPM WS6 Did you use the "off the shelf" Simple Green or the concentrate straight or concentrate diluted? I have found Simple Green concentrate to work really well as a general purpose cleaner at about 1.5x to 2x strength. Good to know it can clean mold too.

Finkledbody

ur running into what most people don’t know about mold remediation. Ya can’t get rid of all mold due to the mold spores being left behind. Mold spores are indestructible, no amount of heat, no known chemical will destroy mold spores. They can only be removed or trapped with paint. There are hundreds if not thousands of types of mold that can grow in various conditions.

try cleaning the surfaces, then run a charcoal filter w/blower inside the interior for a few days. Don’t skip, go big. 6in ducting to 24” char canister with 6” 200cfm blower. Can be bought on Amazon or a local horticulture store. Final step, leave 1lb desiccant bags hanging from the coat hooks, to help dry and trap any moisture cold air tends to bring. At the end of the season you can bake the desiccant pack in the oven to dry it again.

if it comes back again the mold spores are residing in the padding of the seats or the like.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I already had a gallon jug of the concentrate for other cleaning purposes, and then someone on another site had mentioned having success using it to scrub an entire interior on another car of similar vintage that had sat a long time. So I tried it as well, and used it at full strength. That definitely gave me the best results over the years of trying many different products. Second best product was janitorial grade vinegar, but the smell of that was awful compared to the Simple Green.

I think this is likely the case, and what you said about 'removing' it will probably be the only option (meaning re-cover the seat, replace the padding, etc.). It's just not worth doing that since the seat is otherwise in excellent condition, and the problem isn't constant throughout the year. I supposed I could give it another scrub with Simple Green and then follow your procedure above, but I won't actually know if it has worked until the following spring.