Leaking water inside.

-
3

340Dust-her

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
238
Reaction score
1
Location
Fresh meadows ny
When it used to sit outside even while raining, I noticed that the carpet would get a bit wet. It looks like it's coming behind the dash and from the AC/heater vent(out front by windshield). Is this common on some cars? I'm hoping it's a stuck upon vent door rather than a rusted hole. Obviously I plan on checking it out soon, it's in storage. It's a 1971 duster :)
 
check the fresh air vents arn't plugged, where water drains out by the back fender, by firewall....make sure they are all cleaned out very commen place to rot as well....There are a few guys/gals on here that have drilled 2 inch holes and installed some pretty cleaver plugs in there so they clean them out better....may be windshield seal aswell....
 
It is common for the windshield and air box to start leaking on these old cars. Besides the mentioned air box problems, the seams and welds along the bottom of the windshield are pretty rough and the sealer used to seal the windshield gasket dries up after a while so they end up leaking through the open seams and between the spot welds and ends up on the front floor. It also gets between the spot welds and freezes during the winter which causes it to eventually leak more.

What I do with the cars I keep out side is take an old sign magnet used on the door of work trucks and cut it to fit over the cowl vent and cover the cowl vent every time you park it outside, this keeps the rain out as well as leaves and other derbies which clogs up the drain holes.

If it still leaks when the vent is covered, then you will need to have the windshield taken out and resealed. if you can't do it yourself, then do your home work before you have a glass company do it, most glass companies out there, have no clue what to look for or what to do so they end up trying to just fill everything with sealer or worse, urethane and end up making a mess around the windshield.
 
Blownfish said:
It is common for the windshield and air box to start leaking on these old cars. Besides the mentioned air box problems, the seams and welds along the bottom of the windshield are pretty rough and the sealer used to seal the windshield gasket dries up after a while so they end up leaking through the open seams and between the spot welds and ends up on the front floor. It also gets between the spot welds and freezes during the winter which causes it to eventually leak more.

What I do with the cars I keep out side is take an old sign magnet used on the door of work trucks and cut it to fit over the cowl vent and cover the cowl vent every time you park it outside, this keeps the rain out as well as leaves and other derbies which clogs up the drain holes.

If it still leaks when the vent is covered, then you will need to have the windshield taken out and resealed. if you can't do it yourself, then do your home work before you have a glass company do it, most glass companies out there, have no clue what to look for or what to do so they end up trying to just fill everything with sealer or worse, urethane and end up making a mess around the windshield.
Click to expand...

thats a good suggestion
 
A=Bodies are also known for the windshield wiper transmissions to leak. That is where my 71' leaked, both sides.
 
I'll give you a quick test for checking for various leaks, especially around the windshield and wiper pivots. With the car running, crank the defrost as a high as it will go. Doesn't matter if it's warm air, you're just wanting to pressurize the cockpit with air. Now, take a spray bottle with soapy water and start spraying the windshield gasket and wiper pivots. Is air blowing bubbles in the soap like when the kids are playing with a bubble wand? Then you have a leak. No bubbles, then you can confidently move on to other areas, like the cowl.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top