Hot Rods Who da thunk it stunk!

Ever since I aquired my Dodge there has been a foul odor I have not been able to trace or get rid of. Smelled like someone barfed in the car. I looked everywhere and couldn't find any sign that this had happened... Some of you may know from a previous thread, that I am in the process of adapting an aftermarket steering wheel to the original hub. (No adapter kit available...) The original wheel was in bad shape, and the previous owner had taped up the crumbling bakelite to save what was left. My plan was to remove the remains of the plastic and cut the old wheel off the hub. As soon as I started untaping the old wheel, I knew exactly where the foul stench was coming from. It was the deteriorating bakelite!

Who da thunk it would smell so bad...

 

If I'm not mistaken bakelite is made with a dairy protein and formaldehyde.

 

Screwdrivers and other hand tools can ruin your nose, too.

 

My OT Bracket Car had a "smell" also; could't quite pinpoint exactly what it was
, but if asked to guess, I'd say decomp. And, there's a large "stain" in the front passenger side of the seat. Have't seen any ghosts, but I think someone died in the car, and for whatever reason, was left there for a "while". Perfect interior except for that! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Had on old Bakelite radio in a box for years that I forgot about, the box got some kind of solvent or oil spilled on it.
The garage had this slight hint of oily fish ( like sardines or anchovies) for about a year!! Not super strong but if the door was closed for a few days and you went it it was a ....

Sniff,sniff... what in the fuck is that smell?!?

Anyways , yup, familiar with that smell.

 

When I was a kid , my Dad had a Body Shop and he often went to Insurance Salvage Auctions , He would buy wrecks , fix and sell them . My Mom often used the cars until they were sold. He gave Mom a Renault Dauphine to drive us kids to school or go grocery shopping. we could not ride in that car with the windows up because of a foul odor , He had the car reupholstered thinking that would clear up the stench , but no , still stunk . years later He told us the car was found in the desert with a suicide victim inside , weeks after the guy did himself in .

 

Have you ever drilled a hole in an 8 ball to make a shifter knob? Doesn't smell to good either.

 

An antique dealer I knew would place Bake a lite in warm water, if it smelled it was Bake a lite, if not it was plastic, he used this method to identify reproduction items.

 

Ahem, woman hitchhiker maybe?

 

Always check for fish

 

It's decomposition of organic materials. Mostly it's the natural-derived plastics of that age, but it can also be skin and bacteria from hands that got wrapped up under that wrap. Several threads about it, including one with 'remedies' here. I think in the end you're going to need to seal it up with something, like paint.

 

My Butt must be made of Bakelite, 'cause it Stinks!

 

Lol

 

Anyone ever smelled old celluloid film that's gone bad? It is a special kind of rancid. Very musky.

 

Local tribal members used to throw the fish they caught at the river in the trunks of their cars with no cooler or anything else and some of those cars got pretty ripe. When I worked at the local Pontiac dealership there was a car that was about 5 years old out in the pen that had been traded in and sat out there with the windows down and the keys in it all the time. We hated to get in to move it out of the way because it stunk so bad. I think the sales manager thought he might be able to sell it and hadn't got rid of it. One day the boss walks out and has to move it himself to get a car out and after moving it and pulling the other car out comes back and asks "who owns that green Pontiac?" someone hollers "YOU do". A half hour later that thing was hooked on a junk yards wrecker and headed out of there.

 

Probably kept him around so he could use the car pool lanes.

 

Only the older ones because they are made of ivory. Smells just like burning hair. Then they switched to bakelite and now plastic resin.

 

Maybe a fresh urinal mint could've saved it from the wrecker!
Believe it or not, I've seen people use these as car air fresheners, they say it smells clean!

 

Friend told the story of a wreck that came in the end of November and sat outside until mid December in Florida. It got hit so hard they used pry bars to get the trunk open. Guess it was hit on the way home from Thanksgiving dinner shopping. Bob

 

At the tow-in auctions most buyers have a routine when looking at a car: first they'd walk around the vehicle to check for body damage, then they'd open the driver's door to check the interior and the odometer, while they were there popping the hood release so they could check the engine oil and the radiator. This one car, once they got around to looking inside they'd slam the door shut and walk away. Found out later the smell was coming from a grocery bag worth of used diapers on the passenger side floor, and yes, I got it cheap.

 

I bet you did! Who the hell leaves shit in their car for any period of time....... Just had a thought; maybe they knew it was going to be repoed and wanted to leave a gift. That's about the only thing I could think of. Either way I might pass on that one myself.

 

8 balls are black. Never seen black ivory.
Cue balls were white. Maybe ivory.

 

From what I understand, plastic was invented to replace the expensive ivory used for billiard balls. All the other uses were developed after the fact. Hopefully, now that the wheel is gone, the smell will start dissipating...

 

Dryer sheets in the interior work great for getting rid of lingering smells

 

^^^^^
My "screwdriver drawer" in my box has that funk......Strap on shit......... =Snap On before you weirdo's comment.... I have sprayed them with atf...... cure's it for a while...... The dealer wont take them back, as no damage....... Time to call corporate.......

 

The black and every other color is a coating (paint/dye). Billiard balls were made of Ivory mostly from the Asian elephant up until the early 20s. They then were made of different types of celluloids and bakelite (a form of plastic) and now plastic resins. The first ones however were made of wood and clay.(they painted those too.)

 

Already had dryer sheets in the car to keep rodents out. Should I be using "scented" sheets? Make the car smell "April fresh"?

 

^^^^^
Yep, a few of my older inherited tools with transparent plastic handles have “the stank” too.

In high school I had one of these stencils for drafting class that was particularly ripe. I tricked this girl into taking a big whiff and she did not see the humor in it. I ended up marrying her and she still brings it up 20 some years later.


Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.

 

Most film, and that even includes X-Ray film, are made with cows hooves; an organic material, that like anything else, smells when it breaks down and decays. Same thing with your favorite flavor of JELLO; cows hooves! As if cows did't already stink enough! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.