I left with the Bronco one evening last week, and when I returned a couple hours later, there was a big dead rat laying in my driveway. Right about the spot where I momentarily stopped on the way out to adjust mirrors.

The rat didn't look run over, no obvious signs of damage, other than bleeding around an ear (no other medical info available, as we don't have a rodent medical examiner in the area ).

I finally got around to lifting the hood today to see if anything was chewed, wondering if the Bronco really had anything to do with it at all.

The foil-faced insulation pad over, down and under the A/C evaporator, the pad I so painstakingly pried off and peeled down without damaging it last year when I did a total A/C replacement, was shredded and missing across the top and near the back. A piece about 12" x 5" was missing, the edges all shredded. That insulation is important here, with our high temps.

While leaning over the pass. side front, by the battery, I was getting overcome by stink, real bad. Got a bright LED light, and looking down in front of the battery, behind the pass. side headlight, down below the horns, I saw oak leaves and foil confetti central. A nest!

I fished a long blow gun down there and blasted it with compressed air every way I could, without damaging anything. A hard to get to area. I had planned on pouring some water with detergent down there, blow it out, then do again with clear water, but in all the heat and sweat I forgot that I was going to do that and put everything away.

That insulation is special, it has fiberglass insulation on one side, a solid shiny foil reflective layer to reflect IR from exhaust manifold and engine, and fiberglass strands through it in a xy pattern to strengthen it.

I have some residential-type duct insulation, which has fiberglass insulation with a shiny foil layer, but it has kraft paper as the base, and I don't think paper would be a good idea there!

If anyone has a source for the real stuff, please let me know. I plan to fix it next winter, its too hot now.

This is the second animal attack on the Bronco this year.

 

I'm still wondering what killed the rat... She probably poisoned herself with something in the truck.

 

That really sucks. That is kind of like having kids though. No matter how hard you try to take care of something they are to sure to tear it up somehow. Last year one of my daughters somehow managed to run her scooter into the side of our van and leave a dent in it and then grabbed the mirror on the bronco to keep from falling and ripped the entire mirror off. After also having ripped the mirror off of my 97 f250 in another mishap the year before......

My dad has a fully restored 69 ltd convertible and he only drives it a few times a year and a rat built a nest in it a few years ago. A neighborhood dog decided to go after it and clawed the back window out and chewed all front and back seats out, padding included, trying to catch it.