Severe Smoke Damage to T

[colonelpowers]

Hello,

I wanted to see if anyone has any advice on cleaning/restoring smoke damage from a T. We had a fire two nights ago and my beloved T has suffered greatly. It took me over a hour before I was able to convince the firemen to stop fighting the fire long enough to push the car out of the garage. When it finally rolled out it was completely blackened inside and out. It has not burned at all but it is totally coated inside and out. Fellow member, Joe Lucas has given some good advice so far and I wanted to say how much I appreciate him. I wanted to ask the forum for any more ideas. I have tried cleaning some other things saved from the fire and it has thus far proved nearly impossible to remove the black. I expect to have to replace the interior, but I truly hope that it will not have to be painted as well.

Thanks for any help.

God Bless,
Joshua A Powers

[martinola]

Very sorry to hear of that. When cleaning antique Edison Phonograph finishes, I've had really good success with non-pumice GoJo hand cleaner and lots of paper towels. It may be worth a try on some hidden surfaces. Good luck!

Martin

[TXGOAT2]

There are some commercial concerns that clean up after housefires. They claim to be able to clean up soot and smoke damage.

[ThreePedalTapDancer]

Look for a professional car detailer. The good ones do a thorough fire damage cleaning head to toe.

[perry kete]

Sorry to read about your home and fire. Check with your homeowners insurance policy to see it your Model T is covered and if it is have it professionally cleaned. They have products and equipment that not only removes all the soot and grime but also the smoke smell.

[TWrenn]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck. Thats one of my big concerns of course as is probably everyone's.
As Perry said, if not able to get commercial help, you could try Purple Power, or Crud Cutter from Menards, or believe it not the wife gets this red liquid cleaner from the dollar store that cleans like no tomorrow. I mean everything...dirt, grease, grime...its called Totally Awesome Carpet Spot and Stain remover...but it works on everything. It cleaned the oil buildup from underneath my Torpedo fenders since they were probly never touched for years and left them spotless and Shiney like new. Otherwise I'm sure you've got ple typos good advice to choose from and wish you the best.

[KWTownsend]

Companies like Kennedy Restoration deals with smoke damage and such. Hopefully covered by insurance...

[John Codman]

There are some commercial concerns that clean up after housefires. They claim to be able to clean up soot and smoke damage.

I agree. This is the way to go. Sorry about the fire though.

[TRDxB2]

Links all suggest professional cleaning see ServPro. https://www.servproabingdonbristolmarion.com/ thy may direct o another professional
Also you might have home insurance converge to cover the cost
Here is a good reason to do so https://www.suburbanautobody.com/blog/e ... e-to-a-car
"Smoke Damage: Even if a vehicle hasn't been on fire, smoke damage can be considerable. Depending on where the smoke originated from, the smoke itself could contain hazardous chemicals. The smoke will often coat everything inside of the car and could take a professional cleaning to remove. If the smoke is allowed to remain in the vehicle for long enough, it might actually begin to eat away at the interior surfaces and cause permanent damage."

[jiminbartow]

If your upholstery is in the form of a kit such as is sold by Classtique, you can remove it from the car in sections, remove the fasteners and throw it in the washer, washing it in detergent and a weak solution of bleach. Of course you can’t wash the door panels like this but if the upholstery can be removed from the cardboard backing. they can. Removing the backing will be necessary anyway in order to get the smoke smell out of the cardboard by wiping it down and sealing with an impervious coating. Run the upholstery through the washer several times until clean, or you can consult with your dry cleaner who does your clothes. Choose wisely because I have heard that, once an article goes through the dryer, any stains that remain will be fixed and permanent. The dry cleaners may be able to advise you or even send it off to be done. They do drapes, which’s in the same ballpark. You might even want to consider leaving a small panel with them to try. If they are successful, let them do it all.

While the upholstery is out of the car, you can give the interior and exterior a thorough cleaning to remove the smoke smell without worrying about further damage to the upholstery. You want to get all the smoke smell out, for if you don’t, every time you catch a whiff, it will remind you of that awful experience. Take it from one who knows. I suffered a house fire in 1987. I was lucky to find a good “Public Adjuster” who handled all of the details from negotiating with the insurance company to cleaning up the mess. An insurance adjuster works for the insurance company and tries to lowball you so the insurance company does not have to pay you so much. A Public Adjuster works for you, to squeeze as much out of the insurance company as possible. I was hurt in my fire and spent 2 weeks in the hospital. While in the hospital being treated for my burns, the insurance adjuster offered to settle for $50,000.00. The day I received the offer to settle, Dad brought me my Mail which had a brochure from a Public Adjuster named “Tutwiler and Associates” in Tampa,FL and are licensed in Virginia. By the time he was done negotiating with the insurance company, we settled for $150,000.00. You may want to consider calling a “Public Adjuster” to help you. If anyone knows the people best qualified to clean up fire damage, they will. Good Luck. Jim Patrick

[colonelpowers]

Hello Everyone,
I want to thank you for your sympathy and your suggestions. Sadly, I don't know that I will see any insurance money for the car. Dummy me only put liability on it when I first purchased the car figuring that I would get better insurance once I had it reliable and on the road but then it just slipped through the cracks. I ran an antique store within walking distance of my house and garaged the car in the store. It was the store that burned down. I had managed the store for years and owned probably 20 percent of the antiques in the 60000 sq ft store. I also displayed a pretty decent collection of early bicycles (a highwheel, a wooden rimmed safety, and others). I never once considered the chance of a fire and of course, the store's insurance policy will not cover any of it. But I digress.

I took a body man with me today to look over the car and it looks much worse now than it did when I parked in the garage after we got it out of the store. The nickel plating it ruined ( I don't know how). Though there was no fire in the immediate vicinity of the car when it was removed, there must have been terrific heat because the door weather stripping was burned. The fellow said basically that it looks like it will have to be completely disassembled to fix it. The black is almost baked into every surface on the car. Funny thing, it runs like a dream. Everything works like it should, it is just stinky and black (this particular T is supposed to be green).

What do you all think I should do? This car is rust free and as reliable as a new car. I wasn't afraid to take it anywhere, but looking at the expense of fixing it versus buying another, I don't know what the best move would be. I could probably save money if I just bought another. It is all too much to think about.

[speedytinc]

I feel your pain. This a like a loss in the family. Take a breath & dont jump to quick. Take the time to really figure the best course of action after the shock wears off.

[George Mills]

….

For the metal parts, I’d put on a mask and blow it down with compressed air. Then wash it with vinegar water (more blot than scrub) Wring out often. If that don’t lighten the load, a wash with water and a good amount of ammonia. This should be blotted. (If it’s oily residue, the ammonia will re-emulsify it. The vinegar is to shift the pH to see if it gives up its bite! )

Next is a wash with Dawn. Then a wash with TSP. Yeah, long and tedious, but that should do it. Consider it a detail. They make soot blotter pads if you have any stubborn splots but that will be like watching paint dry, I’d use Bar Keepers Friend before the pad route.

The fabric is a different story I think. Most of the above might lead to later mold with fabric. Dry cleaning fluid on a blot paper would prob work…but I don’t think you’ll get it back without splotches…test something first.

[jiminbartow]

If you are contemplating putting in new upholstery, then you can do anything you want to the sooty upholstery to try and salvage it including washing it in the washer as suggested above using a strong bleach solution, or whatever gets out the soot and odor. If it doesn’t work, you have lost nothing. If it works you have saved a couple thousand dollars. Either way, you will need to carefully remove the upholstery from the seats, walls, doors and ceiling, leaving the bare interior. Then you can clean and scrub the interior nooks and crannies to your hearts content. Removing the interior upholstery will be your first step. Jim Patrick

[BuddyTheRoadster]

First off, I hope you and yours are safe physically and emotionally. That's a lot to process.

Now, what is your T? How hot did the fire get? All the cosmetic damage can get sorted out, but if your car has significant wood that got heat damage, you might have a bigger job. Tell us more, and we might be able to help guide you.

[david_dewey]

If you can borrow an Ozone generator (Ozonator) from someone (know anyone with a motel, they are commonly (since covid) used to sanitize a motel room), set it inside your car and let it run for a few hours, should get the smoke smell out. If it's an open car, put a tarp over it to keep the high Ozone air in the car. not good to hang around while it's going! If you think you might have more use for one, they aren't that expensive on the internet, you COULD buy one!

[Southfork Creek]

I do a lot of fire claims, and the smoke that's on your car will prove to be extremely corrosive. You may have already concluded that by seeing that the nickel plating on your headlights is now ruined. This will happen to the rest of your metal electrical components although cleaning them as soon as you can might mitigate the failure of the simple electronic components in a Model T. Ozone is itself poisonous, but is used by insurance companies to try to take the smoke smell out of structures, but since it's an oxygenator, it will increase corrosion as well. Frankly it was my car I wouldn't put an ozone machine in it. Id just let it air out. Sorry for your loss.

[david_dewey]

I hadn't thought about the corrosion factor, but I did once salvage a grand piano that had been in a fire, but only had smoke damage, not even heat damage. When I first looked at the piano a week after the fire, it looked pretty good, but very sooty. The insurance company dragged their feet for 6 months, at which time the owners gave me the piano as it had been counted "a total loss." and giving it to me was cheaper than hauling it to the dump. By that time the strings had rusted enough that it needed restringing! I did "tent" it and used a ozone generator to treat it after blowing it out with an air compressor to disturb all the loose soot. I also wiped it down with "smoke eating" sponges sold for just this purchase. Piano actions contain a LOT of felt, and the ozone generator was able to eliminate the smell, and I didn't notice any corrosion on the action metal parts (the action is pretty protected from things like floating soot, being mostly encased by the piano body).
Even if this T has vinyl upholstery, the padding will have absorbed some odors, so it will need lots of cleaning and airing out!

[Mark Gregush]

Have you checked your homeowners policy? If parked in a structure that was covered under it, it might be covered too.