Railroadman

This quote from Frankie on another thread got me thinking, and I figure it would make a good discussion in itself.

I owned a '67 from May '68 till fall 1970 (I think) and don't recall any issues with rainwater from either the hard or soft top, nor the windshield. And that was a daily driver, not a garage queen. If we now can take any other part of these cars - motor, body, electrical system, cooling, etc - and restore them to brand new or better than new condition, why are we still unable to prevent leaks? Surely there are vendors out there who make a good quality replacement for any piece you can name. The hard parts - window frame, doors, etc - either don't change or can be made to line up within original specs, guys do it all the time.

For you guys who still are original owners, at what age or mileage did you start seeing water coming in? Or does your car still not leak?

For those who have been through an extensive restoration and still have problems, what do you see as the problem?

Maybe we have been through this before, I usually do "search" but it's Father's Day and I'm too lazy to do so before coffee this morning so cut me some slack!

dmaxx3500

I trailered a 65 back from florida [running/driving car],and it rained most of the way,floors were filled,carpets soaked

the problem turned out to be water coming thru the fender vents and coming thru the body vents at the door firewall area

maybe this helps ,to start

Powershift

Sealing body putty and rubber seals wear out after 40-50 years. You can replace them all (big job) or live with smaller leaks.

Larry

Frankie the Fink

The cowl vents - when they clog up, dump oceans of water into the cockpit but that's easier to fix than windshield leaks....never had my 63 windshield replaced but I, and a forum member and my bodyshop guy all took a stab at sealing the windshield at varying stages of disassembly. The leaks are very small now but still present. The lower corners being the main culprit..





Another area is the upper front door jamb shelf where the rubber weatherstrip sits..those are easy to check though...with the door closed a dollar bill should be held in place between the weatherstrip and door with some friction required to withdraw it.





The midyear AIMs will show the factory "leak test" parameters if you look. It makes me believe that at least some effort was made to seal the car up before delivery -- after that it was the owner's problem.

dcamick

As some here may know...The previous Original Owner of my 61 was so frustrated with Cowl Vent leaks, he removed the vent and glassed over it in 1970........He definitely did not like leaks....I can honestly state: "I do not have a Cowl Vent Leak....but other minor leaks. Mainly upper front side window leaks......It's part of the Journey!!!

Frankie the Fink

I found C1 cowl vent leaks quite easy to resolve. Proper installation of the gasket and some judicious positioning of the vent and closing handle and pivots and I had no problems at all... The setup is very adjustable for a tight fit to the gasket.

alan drake

And for C2 here is an important area to seal - see gap below the 231 - between bird cage and fibergalss body. You can get at it from inside with sealer. Did my 64 in late 60's - no more bath tub.

Railroadman

Thanks Alan! Just to be sure, I'm looking at the lower corner of the windshield, passenger side? My car is not at my home so I can't run out and look to verify.

CorvetteMikeB

Any "Pics" of the "C2 cowl vents" and what to look for when searching for a water leak?

Frankie the Fink

There are weep holes underneath the car that should remain clear so water entering the cowl grilles flows out and not into the cockpit...you can run a garden hose on the cowl grills and look for the water draining under the car and NOT in the cockpit and that'll tell you if you need to clean them out with shop air, coat hanger or whatever....

This is the passenger side cowl vent area (a view no owner should ever have to see ugh!)....water will run into the grills and get sluiced off to the outboard area and run down to the weep hole mentioned above, if there is a clog then that outboard space also contains the cockpit fresh air vent and you will have a river running onto your floor mats...

91DRM

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-t-pretty.html

LouieM

My 67 convertible never leaks when I wash it. In a past trip to Yellowstone, during a rain storm, the floorboards were awash until I overnighted at the Yellowstone Lodge. The footwell coi ponds froze overnight and stayed frozen for a couple hours during the morning drive. Since then the cowl areas and windshield gasket have been sealed and I don't think anything leaks except the soft top header area, a little.

SledgeHammer 2.0

So my coupe leaks slightly from the top of the windshield if I douse it with the hose and blow dry it. I was never worried about the few drops that come out but more worried is my bird cage rusting. Should I be worried?

vettebuyer6369

I’ve had 17 Corvettes since 1977. Not counting the handful of newer ones, every single one of them leaked someplace... the windshield, the rear window, the side windows not sealing to coupe or convertible tops, the dash... someplace.

If your vintage Corvette doesn’t leak or leave a drop or 2 of oil on your garage floor, you need to sell it quickly. It’s a fake.

GCD1962

Another area is the top fender mouldings on'61 and '62 The rear pin on each side goes through the inside of the car. If the spin nut is not tight, or if there is no sealant on it it's amazing how much water can get in and soak the carpets

CorvetteMikeB

If what you are saying is true about water leaks, this does not say much about the quality of a Corvette. I have owned Chevy, Pontiac , Buick, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac Cars & SUV's the last 40 years and none of them have ever leaked water before that I can recall.
I have a Corvette Coupe under full restoration and it did not leak the four years I drove it before going to the shop for a full body off frame restoration.

Now you have me wondering if it will leak when i get it back to drive???

Frankie the Fink

Actually the two rearmost windsplit studs on top of the fender should have dum-dum put on them along with the side separs on the 58-61 cars...

MikeM

See post #3 to ease your pain.

I have a difficult time believing Corvettes left the factory, after going through a high pressure water test had a big problem with leaks once they hit the streets when new. Water test facilities cost $$$$$$$ to build/operate/man. If the manuf. wasn't serious about water leaks, why spend the $$$$$$ in the plant and for warranty.

dplotkin

If any left the plant as leakers they ended up at the dealer for warrantee work. Corvettes were expensive cars and owners used them in the rain. They didn't sit in lawn chairs beside them without the knowledge of whether or not the wipers actually worked. If a guy or gal or his gal got wet in a new Vette it got fixed. From what I know about the quality and engineering of mid century automobiles - I own eight of them- I would assume the cars all leaked to varying degrees after the warranty dried up.

Dan

MOXIE62

If you look at a C1 assembly manual it shows how they did a water test. The spray nozzle was going down, side, up and all around the car. I think the test was for show. No car, even new, could pass that.