Nature gives hot rod hives

The simple digital camera has made it a lot easier to work on cars. I have a 1964 Ford Falcon Ranchero that has been sitting for years, and as part of my ongoing pre-move cleanout, I've been attempting to get it running. One of the problems is that it was once a 1970s hot rod, and has many non-conforming parts. The vintage "Mallory Voltmaster" coil does not seem to be working efficiently, and the distributor does not supply spark to the plugs, so I thought I'd R&R everything. (Easier said than done.) I took the rotor to a parts store, and I also thought to take a picture of the distributor, because it didn't look quote right. Sure enough, the cap and rotor were completely different from mine, and the guy said there was no way to simply match them up by appearance. I bought a new set or wires, but at least I didn't waste my money on a cap and rotor. The problem was that I had no idea what sort of distributor might have been put in there back in the 70s, and although the Mallory coil supplied a clue, Googling images of Mallory distributors did not supply me with a match for the rotor. I looked at the distributor closely for a tag, and while I couldn't see anything, I reached around and explore with my fingers. Sure enough, I felt a metal tag, but it was waaay in the back, on the bottom, where there is absolutely no way to see it.

So I took my camera, turned it around to position it in there as close as I could (where my head could not go), and took a picture:

Malloryview.jpg

While that's not good enough, you can see the tag. A close up, though, clearly revealed the tag's Mallory part number "2555101":

malloryTag.jpg

In the old days, I'd have had to pull the distributor for that information. Amazingly, parts can still be gotten for it, although they have to be ordered online.

Working on that car has been severely complicated by the worst infestation of yellow jackets I have seen to date. They act as if they "own" the car, and I'm an evil alien invader. It took me some time to find and spray down all of the nests, but they were on and inside the doors, like this:

doorhive.jpg

There were four of those around the two doors. Needless to say, it made opening them a challenge.

The next one I call "HIVES IN THE HOOD," as they were literally inside the hood's hollow spaces:

hivesinthehood.jpg

But the worst of all -- the Mother Of All Wasp Nests -- was the one under a spare which was sitting in the back.

I was afraid to touch the tire even two days after spraying the hell out of it, but this morning I finally got the courage to tilt it back and take a peek.

YJHiveWheel2.jpg

Here's a closeup:

hiveclose.jpg

I'm glad I looked, because the spray did not fully destroy the nest. Numerous pupae had survived, and they were crawling all around with new wings, grooming themselves like newly minted Luftwaffe pilots as if in preparation for what I do not doubt would have been terrible retribution. (Trust me, these wasps were incredibly mean, even before my incomplete destruction of their hive.)

I used to be a mechanic, but I was never scared of a car. Until now.

Hmm...

Maybe I should say I'm scared of nature getting in the way of progress.

(Of course, whether fighting nature constitutes progress is always a hot topic. Especially among WASPS....)

posted by Eric on 07.19.08 at 10:17 AM





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Comments

That's not a wasp nest on the wheel, it's a hornets' nest!

Debbie   ·  July 19, 2008 10:32 AM

They are yellow jackets, which seem to be called alternately wasps or hornets. The term is used interchangeably:

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/wasp.htm

Paper wasps, hornets and yellow jackets construct nests of a paper-like material which is a mixture of finely chewed wood fragments and salivary secretions of the wasps.
Paper wasps typically build their umbrella-shaped nests under eaves and ledges. These wasps are not as aggressive as yellow jackets or hornets, and can be eliminated rather easily with a wasp and hornet spray such as PT Wasp and Hornet Killer.
Hornets-
These have large grayish-brown carton like structure, many times hanging from a tree or bush. They are considered wasps.

Of course, the above might be wrong, as it's an exterminator site, and not a scientific one.

Here's a more scientific explanation:

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/wasps/hivewasps/hivewasps.htm

WHAT ARE HIVE WASPS? Paper Wasps, Hornets, and Yellowjackets are a group of closely related wasps in the family Vespidae. Like all wasps, these have four transparent or translucent wings and chewing mouthparts. All of the wasps mentioned on this page live in social colonies in above- or below-ground hives. It can be difficult to distinguish hive wasps from some of the larger solitary wasps. The best way is to observe behavior: hive wasps will remain close to their hive and return to it often during their daily routine. Also, many hive wasps have distinct patterns of red-and-black, white-and-black, or yellow-and-black (although some solitary wasps have similar color patterns).
Eric Scheie   ·  July 19, 2008 10:44 AM

You are absolutely right about digital cameras helping with repairs and not only on cars.

We've used ours to photograph the way wires and parts are supposed to go back when taking apart the A/C, lawnmowers, cars, motorhomes, and motorcycles.

It has really helped with the problem of leftover parts after everything is "back" together.

Donna B.   ·  July 19, 2008 04:59 PM

How far are you moving?

dre   ·  July 19, 2008 07:53 PM

I remember the WMD that was your garage. At least the wasps aren't radioactive mutant wasps. Probably not. 'Course, getting stung by one might result in handy wall climbing abilities.

Ya never know.

Beck   ·  July 19, 2008 08:28 PM


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