Old Lincolns and Mothballs...any suggestions?

[ironrite]

No, not a new dinner receipe. One of my co-workers just bought a 1979 Lincoln Mark V Collectors Series. The story is the car came from the original owners that took good care of it and kept it in mothballs, literally! In the interior and trunk. The smell is pretty potent from 10 feet away.

So, any suggestions on how to get the smell out of the car? Fabreeze has already been tried, with no luck.

Thought I'd post a picture for the other car folks out there.

 

[oxydolfan1]

If it's stationary, you may want to try a solution of vinegar and water in the ashtray.

Baking soda might help as well.

Fabuloso All-Purpose Cleaner (by Colgate-Palmolive) will abolish virtually any scent if you use it....the only problem is the lavender/pine/ocean fresh fragrances are very strong on their own.

 

[58limited]

Not sure other than opening the windows and airing it out. It will take awhile for the odor to leave.

The collector series is a great car to invest in, I think the value will continue to rise over time. As mentioned in another thread, too bad the 460 motor was discontinued for the 1979 model year.

 

[danemodsandy]

Time and Air

It's going to take awhile for that smell to dissipate; airing the car out is the only thing that will do the trick. I really hate it that someone did that to the car- there are no materials in it that would be susceptible to moths, so the mothballs were completely unnecessary. Old cars of the '50s and earlier can have wool and other materials that must be protected, but by '79, Federal safety regs had eliminated pretty much all natural fibres from car interiors.

 

[jamiel]

Also, letting the car air out in the sun should drive off the paradichlorobenzene odors.

 

[rp2813]

There are also some odor absorbing products on the market, usually they come in the form of what appears to be a small mesh bag of pea gravel. I don't know how well they'd work on getting the smell out of the upholstery and carpeting and you'd probably need a few of them, but may be worth a try.

 

[polkanut]

That is sure one sharp-looking ride.

 

[gyrafoam]

The sun is the answer!

 

[MikeS]

Try Charcoal

You might try charcoal briquets. Just line an area of the interior with plastic sheeting to protect the upolstery, place about ten pounds of charcoal on the plastic, then allow them to do the job. When you're done, reuse them for your barbeque!
I've heard about this tip; it's worth a shot.

 

[paulg]

OZONE?

Don't auto refurbishers have ozone machines? They saturate the interior with ozone to get rid of the odor of cigarettes or dead mobsters (remember I'm from Chicago). Check also into fire-restoration firms - they know how to eliminate odors quickly.
True story, my mother knew someone whose husband was found dead in the trunk. They scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed and just couldn't lick that darn odor.
Maybe funeral homes should have a little cardboard standee holding leaflets suggesting Fabuloso and charcoal briquettes? Or maybe they should have little mini-shopping bags under each folding chair at the wake with sample packages of Fabuloso and charcoal briquettes?

 

[scott55405]

...reminds me of the time I spilled an entire bottle of poppers inside some guy's car...ah memories. Great car! Who was that heavy detective guy on TV in the 70s that drove a car similar to this?

 

[mayken4now]

The sun and the wind. Just leave it open, doors and all if you can every chance you get to air it out. It will go away, but in due time

I have a 1985 Town Car that the original owner smoked in. I cleaned my azz off and air out, aired out over and over. The car smells like brand new at 22 years old.

Steve

 

[ironrite]

As usual a very creative bunch! From mobsters to poppers! I've passed on the suggestions and my co-worker appreciates them.

Scott, not sure of the detective you are thinking of, but the brochure for this car shows another detective that was doing modeling at the time...Tom Selleck.

 

[scott55405]

Here it is, it was a show called "Cannon". He always drove a Lincoln with that round thingy on the back of the trunk, like the one in this thread.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0066636/

 

[selectomatic]

Beautiful car.

I love blue! I suggest lots of air and sunshine -- I hate the smell of most products that claim to get rid of odors. They mostly just cover it up with something at least equally offensive.

I was never a fan of cop/detective shows, but I loved to watch Cannon just to see his silver Mark!

-kevin