B20 - Original interior and original smells!

[Charles T]

There are many joys of being fortunate to own a car from a 1950’s but, in this case at least, the smell of the interior is not one of them.  I have been receiving complaints, from certain family members, about the persistent musty odour inside the B20. In fairness, it is quite strong and not altogether pleasant.  

I am assuming that the original cloth and lining has become impregnated with dust over the years.  This is further combined with thirty or so years of storage in a barn and a distinct lack of attention with a vacuum cleaner until now! I have noticed the same characteristic smell in other B20's but not to the same intensity.

Using various modern odour removing products is hardly appropriate and unlikely to help.  Am I correct in thinking that the only way to solve this will be to have the interior and cloth re-lined and the seats re-upholstered?

Charles

[simonandjuliet]

Before replacing the interior with leather, I was very happy with the results of steam cleaning - just an inexpensive hoover-type machine.

[Parisien]

Older cars do leak, water gathers and then in a cold garage never really escapes/evaporates.

Stick a mini de-humidifier inside for a few days, keep windows/doors closed til its bone dry, thereafter use dessicant sacks to absorb any latent moisture, should help a lot and less than  0.25% of the cost of re-doing the interior!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5468.m570.l1311.R1.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xmini+de&_nkw=mini+dehumidifier&_sacat=0&_from=R40

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-BOAT-SILICA-DEHUMIDIFYING-BAG-REUSABLE-MOISTURE-DAMP-ABSORBING-DEHUMIDIFIER-/171343439801?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27e4dd67b9


P

[DavidLaver]

Those mini mains electric ones look good - and new to me.  I had some bags but slow to dry out and eventually ripped.  This is on my wish list (ahead of the winter):

https://www.autopyjama.com/permapack-uk/

They use them in their car sized "bags":

https://www.autopyjama.com/permabag-uk/cars/

A more exotic idea:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Generator-Cleaner-Deodorizer-Purifier-Sterilizer/dp/B00DGLY97K/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1405280767&sr=8-10&keywords=ozone+generator

http://www.wikihow.com/Do-an-Ozone-Shock-Treatment-on-a-Vehicle

[chriswgawne]

Assuming you haven't got any boarders (rodents and suchlike) living in your B20, then it is perfectly possible to remove the headlining and shampoo and refit. As to the seats and door cards then with care these can be shampooed and refitted. Originally B20 seats used horsehair covered with a cotton lining with the West of England cloth on top. If the car has been stored in damp conditions then the squab springs can break and are a little difficult to replace.
No reason though why the car should smell unpleasant although there is definitely 'a B20 smell'. I love it!
Chris

[Kevin MacBride]

Mine smelt of cigars !!   A Barrie Crowe trait I believe..

[Charles T]

Many thanks for all the suggestions.

I had considered a gentle steam clean but was concerned that the cloth might shrink.  I will give this a go.
The storage conditions are dry and draughty but moisture will accumulate on cold surfaces.  I did find an area of white coloured mould under one of the floor mats, now dry, and so there has obviously been water ingress from somewhere in the past.  I will follow up on the de-humidifier options to help with this in the longer term.

I have seen ozone generators used in the context of removing the smell of smoke following fire damage in a building. This was remarkably effective but I had not thought of using it in a vehicle.  I will see if I can hire one.  I especially enjoyed the illustrations and safety advice to remove all animals from the vehicle!  I see hat they are commonly used in the car valeting business.

I am not aware of are any unwanted extra passengers and so removal of the headlining and door cards is a possibility.  The seats appear to be sound but I am considering replacing the original driver's seat and bench seat for single seats anyway.


Charles

[DavidLaver]

Other than "don't kill the pet" the warnings are:

•Ozone, if overused, can be damaging to the interior components of the vehicle, particularly rubber seals. Exact figures are not well-established, but machines rated from 3500-6000 mg/h should be safe to use up to 2 hours. More powerful ozone generators can do a fine job in considerably less time. Repeated treatments separated by airing out periods may be safer than a single long, continuous treatment.
•The spare tire and all personal belongings should be removed from the vehicle. Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent than could potentially damage or discolor objects left in the vehicle.

[chriswgawne]

Regarding shampooing original cloth trim, I think that as long as the water used is not too hot, shrinkage should not be too much of a problem.
Chris

[fay66]

Other than "don't kill the pet" the warnings are:

•Ozone, if overused, can be damaging to the interior components of the vehicle, particularly rubber seals. Exact figures are not well-established, but machines rated from 3500-6000 mg/h should be safe to use up to 2 hours. More powerful ozone generators can do a fine job in considerably less time. Repeated treatments separated by airing out periods may be safer than a single long, continuous treatment.
•The spare tire and all personal belongings should be removed from the vehicle. Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent than could potentially damage or discolor objects left in the vehicle.

Sounds a bit too nasty for my liking I'd go for the dehumidifier, my first Dedra an ex company car smelt evil, when the car phone cables had been removed they hadn't filled in the hole left in the bulkhead with a blanking plug, which was right where the water ran off the windscreen and ran through the plenum chamber, this was a nice easy route for the water & the carpets were nearely floating before I realised I had a problem, as it would have been a nightmare to remove everything to take out the one piece carpet, I removed the front seats and the sill trims then propped the carpets up and left a dehumidifier inside for a week, although I checked and emptied it every day.
Worked a treat and no after smells.

Brian
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