It would appear the PO of my 'new' 245 used to park under a big pine tree (for years by the looks of it). Last night, I finally got the last of the big gobs of dried sap off the car (heat gun + turpentine + plastic putty knife + 2.5 hours). Next, I'd like to get out all of the pine needles that have accumulated in the drain at the back of the hood (there's a lot in there---looks like a pad at least an inch thick and 6 or 8 inches long on each side. I've tried washing them out with a hose and vacuuming them out with a narrow shop-vac attachment, and blowing them out with compressed air, but no luck any count. I'm worried if I don't clean them out they'll plug up drains somewhere and cause leaks, or worse rust. I'm also hesitant to force them further into the car as I don't have clear picture of where the things flowing into those vents travel. Anybody have good tricks for getting these vents cleaned out?

Thanks,
Jay