Hi all. I'm new on here. I apologize if there is a better place forum I should have posted this in. I've answered a lot of my own questions by reading a lot of threads here. Now, I'm in a bit of a quandry. The '66 'Lark I'm buying leaks at the body seam under the fender, high on the firewall. (I know this from reading about it here on how to fix it.) My friend, the guy I'm buying it from, says it's too much work. The car isn't on the road yet, although it runs. I'd like to fix this problem before spring. (I've BAD nightmares of driving in the rain and the fuse block exploding in a fireball of sparks. How difficult, and whats involved in pulling each fender? Or should it be the front clip as one piece? I've already pulled the interior, converted the rust, and sealed it all. I really hate:rant:redoing work that I've already done.
Ok, first off, you need a name, this is a friendly place where we use names, if you don't have one, let me suggest Bob as a good all around choice.:grin: Now to your leak. How sure are you about the location? Those drip tanks are known for rusting out and leaking water into the floor by the vents. I can tell you everything you need to know about taking the quarter panels and fenders off, getting them back on is the tricky part but not so big of a deal. Take some good pictures and post them here we'll all try to help. Here's what it looks like under there when you get to it, lose your mind and start stripping and painting things...it's a sickness I tell ya! lol
Now to your leak. How sure are you about the location? Those drip tanks are known for rusting out and leaking water into the floor by the vents. It might be. IDK. From what I've read here, it points to that seam. All of the original seam sealer inside just flaked off. So I kinda figured that would be the spot. The car is rusted out in the heels and the bottom of the 1/4 panels. How do I check the drip tanks? I am not a body man at all. As far as a shade tree, I do pretty well. Although I'm certain a lot of the guys here would blow me away.:grin:
ok. I just tried to post a link to where a thread is that lead me to believe where it's leaking from. But I have to have 10 posts first.
I'm not usually one to "go around the back" so to speak, but, I want to narrow this all down. Sooo...
Seam sealer is only for keeping moisture out of welded seams. It is not for weather proofing. You can have seam sealer flaking just from age alone and not have a leak. What I meant to ask you is where exactly are you seeing water? Dripping under the dash? When it's dry out, take a hose and pour water into the cowl without getting any on or near the windshield. See if there are leaks under the dash or on the floor. This can isolate your leak. Then try pouring water on the windshield. Under that molding is a common leak spot too, usually at the bottom in the corners. You can pop the reveal molding off real easy if you know how to do it, if you don't then ask. The molding will get screwed if you do it wrong. You can get to the drip tanks very easily. To the left of your feet is the vent port, inside there is the tank on both sides, go underneath the car between the wheel well and the door and feel around for rust or holes. Mine had a big ol hole where mice had moved in. The body is designed so that water or air goes into the cowl on top and then runs inside and down on each side, into the tanks and then out through the rocker panels on bottom. The screen under the cowl is supposed to keep leaves and dirt from going down there but after 40 years, there will be crap in those tanks and thats how they rust out, the water doesn't drain clean because leaves and dirt make a swamp and then rust. From the inside of the car, you can pull the vents and the kick panels and get your hands in there with a stiff brush and a vacuum. As you can see in my picture, there are many holes in the firewall for potential leaks but chances are it's the drip tanks and or the glass channel underneath the molding. Whatever you do, do not squeeze silicone or sealer of any kind around the windshield in that channel under the molding! The channel needs to be clear and clean so water can flow through and out. This is a common thing that people use to do and thats why we've all had to deal with rusty rotting leaks around our glass.:Smarty:
Cool. Thanks for the info. I'll check those out tomorrow. It leaks along the kick panels. What made me decide to do this is the carpet kept getting wet after it rained(duh) and I went to check the fuses to see what needed replaced, if any, and all the contacts were rusty! Including a few wrapped in aluminum foil. (Nothing like a bandaid in place of surgery!) I'll let you know what I find tomorrow.
hey Louis I have the same problem but mine is at the top driverside of the windshield. it gets my floor wet when it rains. As a matter of fact if it rains hard it drips on my leg. Check your windshield seal too. The glass people say my glass is to close to bubbling so they can't pull it until i get another glass. Solved that, I don't wash it or drive it in the rain :laugh:
Haha. Thats a good inexpensive fix. It is pretty rusty all the way around the windshield. That's probably another part of the problem. Well, you know what they say, it never rains, it pours. Yeah, I had to do it. Worked yesterday so I wasn't able to check out the drip thingies. Today has been spent painting my landlady's kitchen and cabinets. One holdup after another, and all I want to do is just go for a drive.
Ok. Got out there this morning and checked where the drip tanks are. While it is a little rusty there, there's no crud blocking the drainage holes. In fact there's no crud in there at all. I also pulled the vent off the drivers side and reached in there. Nothing came away on my fingertips so that's clean too. The firewall is fairly surface rusted all the way across the car. So I guess it's all from the windshield and possibly from the body seams under the fenders.ou: I guess until I get the replacement panel I'll grind the rust back a bit, hit it with the converter and seal it with some polyurathane. Fun, fun, fun.
