Found items

[Atrus]

What kind of items, if any, did you find in your cars when restoring them? Nothing much yet here, but I am curious to see what might be between the inner and outer front fenders on my ’68. I'll be taking the fenders off next summer ('08) I’d think by design a lot of interesting things could fall down there from the engine bay.

 

[Tullamore]

I think it was on my midget I found a feeler guage set that had been in the engine compartment so long it no longer opened. Also on my Tiger when I removed one of the gas tanks (they are saddlebag style and fill up the rear fenders.) I found the spare tire bolt had fallen down there in the fender. Mice had also made nests in both fenders underneath the tanks. On my triumph I found a british bicycle wrench under the carpeting. Under the dash and in the heater vents of my Alpine I found was full of mouse nests too.

 

[Morris]

A bit off topic, but my dad one day decided it was time to restore the old Bonanza he had been flying for years. When he pulled the wings, he found they where FULL of rat's nests.

On topic, I found my washer fluid bag and a hand full of nuts when I pulled my fenders. I found some VERY tacky earings in the cockpit.

 

[Atrus]

on the Grand Prix forum I used to frequent, someone wrote in that they purchased a used caprice, old police vehicle. They pulled the back seat and found a few items. The one that stuck out was a lock-blade pocket knife! Looks like someone didn't frisk the arrestee very well!

 

[racingenglishcars]

My driveshaft tunnel was full of about two liters of acorn shells. The rear bulkhead had a couple mouse nests inside.

From being a mechanic for 17 years, I have found innumerable items. Pink Floyd CD in a Mercedes fender, canister of mary jane in a morris minor fender, many many wrenches and screwdrivers in the absolutely most hidden places, like inside the frame of a Land Rover and behind a Mini gas tank!

 

[zimmy]

i found exactly 74 cents in my 74 midget......
coincidence? ...i think not! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif ....
i saved it .........zimmmy

 

[terriphill]

Lots of change under the seats. One car we bought had people living in it.. clothes, boxes of fast food chicken dinners, mushrooms, peanut butter and a crack pipe in the ashtray. Man, that was a scary clean. My son bought three sets of heavy duty leather gloves and refused to even bring it back to the house until we stopped at a carwash to empty the years of scum out of it. (1986.5 Toyota Supra for $185 on e-bay -cleaned and fixed..we sold it for $3000)

 

[fmichaels]

rear fender well i found a sprite medallion ... got excited until i turned it over ... "japan" ... still kept it though

 

[spritenut]

I found a few wrenches, a ball pien hammer, and some pliers in the fenders of Spridgets over the years.
Once a Midget yielded over $6 in change under the seats, and the best was a 10 year old bag of pot in a triumph Spitfire.
No I didn't smoke it /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[JPSmit]

Dealer's Window sticker in the bottom inside of the door - tragically in pretty rough shape. A friend bought a VW van for $100 at a yard sale. Got it home & found $800 worth of fishing gear/ $2500 worht of jewellery and women's underwear (black)

 

[fmichaels]

nice!

 

[Baz]

I found the original set of dealer keys.
A BMC 'passport to service' for a big healey.
French fries between the seats.
'Brun Rose' lipstick under the spare.

The wierdest thing I found, was the original owners handbook under the seat webbing, who would think about leaving one of them in the car?

I know a lot of the Brits in the factory would put coins in the cars at build, usually stamped for the build year. Where are these generally found? Do they move them about or are they usually in one place?

 

[DrEntropy]

Mostly coins and tools. First MGB I bought in '69 (from a very attractive, young,single woman) had several packets of "Trojan" condoms under the seat. THAT was a shock... but it was th' sixties... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/blush.gif

A Lotus Europa wot came thru the shop had a piece of something appearing to be electrical tape dangling inside the front fender, behind the headlamp bucket... a tech pulled on it and yelped when it pulled back: black snake. Poor guy nearly stroked out. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/shocked.gif

Lots of rodent "evidence" and sometimes the beasties themselves. Soiled baby diaper in an Audi boot... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/mad.gif

I never got any really choice stuff. Durnit. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

 

[Gearhead]

My best was spare keys, lots of change,a key to a hotel in Las Vegas the Dunes (I think its gone now) don't know if the car was ever out there or not but the past owner must have been. The best I ever seen was a note in a coke bottle that said "how long did it take u to find this rattle" in a door of a Lincoln a shop I used to hang out at still has it on his mantle