MTFCA Forum

I was prepping my 1979 Ford 4 X 4 for shipping to the UK as our youngest is going to use it on their farm, hauling animals to shows, etc. This truck has been restored, parked in the barn, started on occasions, etc. After starting it up getting ready to move it, all hell breaks loose with antifreeze hitting the windshield. Antifreeze just going everywhere. After pulling the radiator, and looking real close, teeth marks everywhere on the flat core tubes and the filaments pulled out. This radiator was brand new when I restored this truck.

It appears either a rat, squirrel, or groundhog was eating on it.

I did some research...., BE CAREFUL OF THE PAINT YOU USE! This radiator was USA made and it was coated with an environmentally friendly paint, (soy vegetable oil base). As Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know the rest of the story".., "Good Day"! The ingredients being natural attracts critters. Use a good petroleum base if you can!

I hope none of us have a beautiful T or other car radiator ate up!


Hank

dang. Who'da thunk?

I've not heard of soybean based paint, but am not surprised! I hope the wiring is old enough to be petroleum based insulation, not the soybean based as it is now! I spent almost 14 hours repairing rodent chewed wiring at the rear of a 2015 Subaru Forrester. It had the right rear ABS sensor wiring cut twice, and the worst was a seven wire plug in to the evaporative emissions canister that had the wires chewed off flush! I had over six hours fixing the plug in, since it was not made to come apart! I finally got it all back together and cleared all six codes from the computer, and it is good again! Oddly, the evaporate codes shut down the hill holder, and stability controller!

HANK! Did you send me a photo of a groundhog in the engine compartment ? I fought all spring to evict one from my place. Tonight I won. Conabear trap was his demise. After tunneling under my shop and coveringT parts with dirt in my outbuilding, it was war. He lost.
I feel for ya buddy!

That was the groundhog Dallas!

Hank

Just another government based mandate.

I had a friend that had the wiring of his camper all chewed up by squirrels. Another bought a farm with pretty new modular house on it that had been empty for a couple of years. He was going to rent it to college kids. It turns out most of the wiring was eaten by mice. He tore it down. It's in soybeans now.

What a waste.

Hank,

That is not a radiator. Isn't that the pan Patty was cooking the cornbread briskets we had with lunch?

I'm glad you caught it before shipping.

Too bad buddy,
Dom

Using boiled linseed oil can net the same results. The wood on my 25 pickup box was getting dried out so coated it with boiled linseed oil, the rats loved it, not very filling but must have tasted good.

In a week and a half last year I caught 6 groundhogs and 2 possums making home under the shed behind the garage. Persistent jokers.

Brad

Wow....that's a first for me.

WELL HANK HERE IS ONE FOR YOU TOO, OUR 31 DOODLE BUG WAS SETTING IN THE LOWER PASTURE WAITING FOR THE NEXT USE, ABOUT 3 MONTH'S BROTHER JOHN WENT TO USE IT AND HALF THE RADIATOR WAS CHEW'D OFF BY THE COWS THIS WE KNOW BECAUSE OF THE HOOF PRINTS ALL AROUND THE THING. NONE DIED YET BECAUSE OF THE ANTIFREEZE, SO I GUESS WE WONT BE PARKING THERE ANY MORE. WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED, AND THAT WAS THE OLD RADIATOR TOO,

I keep my flatbed car trailer in the pasture. After replacing the wiring a couple times from the cattle finished their electrical inspection , I only use it in daylight hours.

Well.., My two Girls with four legs (the Blue Healer 6 1/2 yrs old and the Doxie 7 months old) brought me the criminal dead as a wedge to the back porch of the house wagging their tails! I should watch what I say around the children in ear shot, they over heard my intentions!

Just earning that spot on the seat next to you in the T. Our big bad attack dogs cant be outside if its too hot, too cold too wet or too windy, cloudy,sunny,too dry, if there are bugs around or other animals like squirls, birds ,cats,deer, ect...

Yup the wife wont let them. If they could use the toilet, they would never leave the house. If they had thumbs, they would be a teenage kid playing video games all day. Milo the pound rescue thinks he has gone to heaven. Adrea is happy to be anywhere. She is deadly ! Always on guard and will kill anything thats a 1/4 inch long with wings like house flies or even a fire fly if the season is right.

You have some good dogs there Hank.

Our two AWESOME Girls! The Healer treats the little one like her baby teaching her everything.

I heard the same thing on mice eating newer cars wires with wiring coated in non-solvent enviro-friendly coatings. They love the flavor! Luckily, I don't own anything that new out of our 9 cars!

That's true, Mike. Hondas use soy based wiring coating and the rodents love it. I do quite a few repairs each year at my dealership.

I need to post pictures of the engine bay of Dad's 1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Quady with 50,000 original miles. I do not think there is on bit of insulation left on any of the wires. Bare copper everywhere!

My baby brother(he hates that as he is 55) has trouble with black bears eating the rubber components off of his lawn tractor and his quads. They eat the wiring the seats and the tires. He lives in VA.