Cleaning/removing fuel and fumes...

[Oakville]

Hi all. I am looking to do some cleaning to a car that has had its share of fuel mishaps.

upon being prepped for sale, a fuel cell that was being removed from the trunk spilled quite a bit of fuel into the spare tire crater, soaking the bare metal as well as a bit of the remaining sound deadening/glue (95% was removed, just a little bit remains). anyways, we had plugged the open fuel lines in the engine bay (no engine) but the strong smell of fuel was still fermenting from the trunk/cabin that it ended up seeping into my garage and my house. After removing the car and it sitting at my friends for a year (outdoors under a car cover), it is now back in a garage so I can start helping him assemble it.

With all of this being said, when you open the door, the strong smell of gas hits you like a punch in the face, and something needs to be done. It appears that the rubber hoses connecting to the fuel pump in the trunk were half-assed reattached after the removal of the fuel cell, but the fuel left sitting in the trunk before was just paper-towel dried and we need to find a way to properly clean it.


So,

if anyone has any good products they'd use for scrubbing, or for trying to remove the smell from the seats/carpeting, I'd really appreciate it!

thanks.

[BRN32]

Remove all carpets and upholstery then let it air out for a day or so. Find coupons for a crap load of Arm and Hammer baking soda. Give carpets and upholstery a good heavy dusting, let sit for a few hours then vacuum up. Throw a few more open boxes in the car and let them sit for a few days, then remove. Try looking around for pummis(?) stone shoe or car de-odourizers too, as they can be washed and used over.

Arm and Hammer also helps when your pet our drunk*** friend wizzes or pukes on the carpet, hit it while wet and let dry, then vacuum. Any stains after, sprinkle again, hit with soda water, then vacuum again when dry.

Good luck!

[Oakville]

Thank you very much!!

Anyone on chemicals for cleaning spills on metals?

DSC_0110.jpg

its the shiny stuff. at first glance you'd think it would be sticky, but its rock solid, about .5mm-1mm thick

[markc32]

take time and grind it off....sander..etc and repaint

[Voodoo_ChildR32]

Plain coffee grinds(unused of course) will also remove smells. Or if you know somebody with an ozone machine, usually small household air purifiers, will work as well. I used an old Oreck air cleaner to remove cigarette smoke from a car. Just plug it in, toss it in the car, close it up tight and let it run for a few hours, worked for me, maybe worth a try.


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[Oakville]

thanks for everything guys.

i bought some arm and hammer baking soda, and I'll toss that in in the morning while i finagle with my cat bypass

[dark_sky]

use charcoal, new charcoal will absorb the smell. what do you think a charcoal canister is used for under the hood. to allow the gas tank to breathe but you don't get that gas smell all around your car. put it in a can or bucket and let do its job. also good if you hit or run over a skunk

[Oakville]

Thanks John. I'll look into that, because the baking soda worked for a little bit (maybe it was just my mind playing tricks) but after a few days the smell was back and stronger than ever.

Other than the obvious spill which I intend to scrub clean this week, it looks like a fuel line is lose. I don't have any clamps so I'll take a pic of what I have and hopefully someone can chime in as to where the smell may be coming from.

As for grinding down the paint in the trunk and respraying, I don't have any air tools at my disposal. Anyone know any hand methods? With the amount of time I have spent between school and wanting this car on the road, I seem to have built up considerable forearm strength.

[cschepp]

^ lol are you sure the forearm strength doesnt come from other things... Lol just joking. I would sand it down and spray in a rust guard. That part of my last skyline was starting to rust a bit and that's all they did to mine and it held up great.

[Oakville]

Haha that was the joke

And what would you use to sand it down? I'm a noob with this stuff.

[MattiasJacobs]

This is what I used on my Chevy rocker panels when they were tryin to rust out. You've gotta be careful though don't push to hard. All you need is a drill. Gl buddy glad to finally see you've got the car! http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

[DarkCaporaL]

Set it on fire and watch the fuel burn itself away.

[Oakville]

Im wondering about the grinder Mattias, I think itd be good but with the amount of fumes and gas everywhere, idk if making sparks or heat would be good.

Im gonna buy some charcoal tonight and hope for the best!! If anyone wants to help me figure out my fuel system theyre more than welcome to come by for a beer lol I am lost with this...so much is missing/messed with

[cschepp]

SOS pad it and then rust proof it. Shoot be fine.