RazMan
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 08:58 AM |
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Alloy panel weatherproofing.
I use my car in all sorts of weathers (one of the benefits of having a roof) but when it is really wet on the roads I find that I get an alarming
amount of water INSIDE the car. This water is not coming in from anywhere obvious and I assume that it is coming in through the joins of the alloy
body panels despite the fact that I used PU adhesive with rivets.
Thinking about my options I can either:
- Apply underseal to the underside of the floor joins - would look pants though
- Rip all the glued carpets out and apply silicone sealer to all internal joins.
I really can't see how water can get inside in the first place - through rivet heads maybe?
Any ideas?
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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BenB
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 09:05 AM |
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It could well be coming in through the rivets (why I used blind rivets whenever possible). A caulking gun full of transparent silicon would soon find
out. Bit of a pain to have to do it though....
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RazMan
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 09:13 AM |
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Hi Ben,
Surely the rivets would (in theory) only allow water inside the chassis tubes. Although this is obviously not good, how can water get inside the car?
seepage?
I think I will take up your idea of squirting some clear silicone sealer in the rivet heads (hundreds of 'em) to see what happens first.
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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jambojeef
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 09:18 AM |
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Hi Raz,
Im willing to bet its coming in somewhere round the windscreen.
In all my experiences of feet getting wet in tin tops its been either the windscreen put in badly and leaking or seals under the windscreen in the
bulkhead leaking water into the footwells.
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RazMan
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 09:31 AM |
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Nope, its definitely not coming in from the screen. It is bonded in with proper windscreen sealer and then has a fillet of Sikaflex around it to make
doubly sure.
The water seems to just ooze up from the floor - I think the carpets are hiding the actual entry points (they are glued down which doesn't help)
Nothing else gets wet - just the floor.
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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saigonij
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 09:35 AM |
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how about coming in via the windscreen wiper shaft?
i had that loads on an old capri, it would run down the windscreenwiper shaft and then always find its way to my feet!
or how about a door seal?
remember, water finds its lowest point so it coudl be coming in behind your seat and running to the front of the car?
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madrallysport
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 09:47 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by RazMan
Surely the rivets would (in theory) only allow water inside the chassis tubes. Although this is obviously not good,
Silicon over all the rivot, its the only way, also the water will be in chassis rail, best to drill them and inject them with something like waxoil, i
know a lot of work, but it'll be worth it in the long run.
UNDERSTEER is when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
OVERSTEER is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car.
HORSEPOWER is how fast you hit the wall.
TORQUE is how far you take the wall with you.
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RazMan
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 10:35 AM |
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I agree, I think Waxoil seems to be a popular choice with a lot of people - Halfrauds stock it too. I might drill out one rivet, squirt some goo in
and then replace the rivet. Then apply some silicone sealer over the rivet to finish off.
Hopefully that might stop the surfing noises when I brake hard 
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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02GF74
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 12:32 PM |
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difficultfor me to comment withou knowing the exact construuction but I'd be surprised if it was the rivet holes - doesn't the metal end
break off and seal the hole?
Can you use a garden hose or pressure washer and attack the underside of the car?
Does the water appear after driving or if car is standing in the rain?
It would be ideal if you could narrow down the area but I suspect you will have to pull up the carpets and will discover how well glue works when you
don't need it to!
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Hellfire
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 12:41 PM |
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Could it be water spray from your rear tyres onto the rear bulkhead and then running down between the panel and chassis?
Phil
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RazMan
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 12:58 PM |
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I used standard rivets in my build and although they are designed to break off and seal, quite a few are rattling now so I guess they don't work
as well as they should. Next time I will use the more expensive blind rivets.
I doubt that the water is coming from the rear bulkhead as it is double slinned and filled with foam - not much will get past that lot.
The water only seeps in when driving in heavy rain so I think it must be spray from the tyres which is like a jetwasher at motorway speeds.
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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MikeR
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 01:07 PM |
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I seem to recall the original mini leaked water due to Sir Alec making a mistake with one of the seams in production. It was corrected in the mk2. Is
it possible that you missed sealing up a seam? its not a complete seal?
Have you checked for the heater leaking? What about the grommets between bulkheads for wires / tubes? My old escort used to run in 1 to 2" of
water if it rained hard enough due to grommets leaking. Strangely the screen was double sealed as well ..... i guess everyone expects the screen to
leak.
Friends (german) car has 1" of water in it due to rear passenger door seals leaking.
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Confused but excited.
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 01:19 PM |
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I had this problem with SWMBO's Espace.
Driver's side footwell used to get really soggy.
It took me ages to find that it wasn't coming through the floor, pedals or anywhere at that level, but the top of the door seal.
It then ran down the door pillar and out at the bottom.
There was a tiny bit of the seal that wasn't sealed to the body.
Tell them about the bent treacle edges!
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JeffHs
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 01:48 PM |
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Last resort
I did this to a MK1 Mini after weeks of sealing etc - and it worked!
Get yourself a 6 inch nail and a lump hammer. Attack the centre of your floorpan - should form a funnel shape before the nail makes a perfect drain
hole. Water comes in from wherever and goes straight back out again.
Jeff - give me a bigger hammer!
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BenB
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 03:05 PM |
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I had to drill four 8mm holes in the floor pan of my BEC to let out the water... but then in my case it's obvious where all the bloody water is
getting in!!!!
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RazMan
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| posted on 10/12/07 at 03:43 PM |
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LOL I think the drain holes will be a last resort - I would rather find out where the water is coming in first 
I used to run old Minis in my youth and their floors always looked like Swiss cheese - I could see the road if I peeked under the carpet. I resorted
to undersealing the inside with a 5 litre tub of industrial seam sealer - that did the trick but I had double vision from the fumes for weeks!
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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