Door weatherstrip

[mr57]

If you are driving this thing daily, and it's not a show queen, you might want to drill a small drain hole right in the front inside corner....

[57chevyman]

Originally Posted by mr57

If you are driving this thing daily, and it's not a show queen, you might want to drill a small drain hole right in the front inside corner....

I was thinking about doing that. Or getting a good cover .I don't drive it much.
What if I dry out the step area real good and seal the edge of thAt rubber mat with silicone ?
I'm getting far less water in the cab with the new weatherstrip, but that step area does collect water.

[Russell Ashley]

If that were mine I'd remove that rubber completely as I think it will hold moisture under it no matter how you try to seal it. I used bed liner on my step to protect it.

[57chevyman]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

If that were mine I'd remove that rubber completely as I think it will hold moisture under it no matter how you try to seal it. I used bed liner on my step to protect it.

Yes you're right I think that mat is trapping moisture under it. Did you use the spray on bedliner for the step?

[Highsider]

Spray on bedliner. Works great!

[57chevyman]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

If that were mine I'd remove that rubber completely as I think it will hold moisture under it no matter how you try to seal it. I used bed liner on my step to protect it.

Originally Posted by Highsider

Spray on bedliner. Works great!

Cool thank you. My steps don't have lines like that bc they were rebuilt with flat metal. Does the spray on bedliner go on smooth or rough?

[Highsider]

Slightly "pebble"- surface.
Easy to clean.

[57chevyman]

I've started this project . Got the rubber mats off. What a mess, wet underneath , and the PO used rubber cement to glue it down. I have it pretty well cleaned up ..the metal is all nice and solid.. I have a can of spray on bedliner..... The directions do not say to use primer.... So I just finish cleaning it up, mask it, and just spray the bedliner ? Do any of you recommend primer even tho the directions don't call for it ?

[57chevyman]

can someone advise me on rattle can bed liner? duplicolor truck bed coating vs duplicolor bed armor?

ive seen pics of applications of truck bed coating and it looks good. i think the bed coating goes on a bit smoother than the bed armor.. anyone want to recommend one or the other, and which will look better on my steps? the bed coating has a course sand paper look, while the bed armor is a little more lumpy looking......

[57chevyman]

lookin much better!

[57chevyman]

think i may put a plate in the middle of the step to dress it up. not sure......

[57chevyman]

revisiting this subject... what have you done to keep rain water out of the cab. ( coming in thru the front of drivers door on mine ). i park the truck in the street, so the drivers side of the truck slightly higher than the passenger side because of the street is not helping. i already have new weatherstrips, installed the right way, and glued down with the 3m black stuff.

we had a real dry summer here, so this hasnt been on my mind.. but im considering putting nice carpet in the truck over the winter....so i need to get the cab floor to stay dry .
i thought of using clear silicone to beef up the weather strip? or add a second generic stick on weather strip?

i am sure that water that does get in the truck is coming in thru the drivers door and no where else.

[nvrdone]

could it be that the water is coming in around the bottom of the window, running down the inside of the door & draining out the weep holes into the step ?

[Northern lights]

I had a Western Star that was getting water on the floor whenever it rained and the only way I was able to track down the source was with a garden hose and spray gun sprayed one area at a time until I found where it was getting in. Turned out to be nowhere near where I thought it was coming in. Dry the floor and spray the windshield to check where nvrdone suggested then move to the door. Make sure it's not coming in the air vent on the kick panel somehow (that is where it was coming in my western star).

[_Ogre]

is your floor getting wet or just the step?
if you carpet the truck keep the carpet out of the step wells

when i carpeted my truk i had an upholstery shop sew edging on the carpet and ran the carpet an inch over the floor edge

[57chevyman]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

is your floor getting wet or just the step?
if you carpet the truck keep the carpet out of the step wells

when i carpeted my truk i had an upholstery shop sew edging on the carpet and ran the carpet an inch over the floor edge

on the drivers side, both the floor and the step get wet. im not that concerned with the step area, i wont be putting carpet there..
the situation with the floor is much better since i did the new weather strips...
but still need to get it better

[_Ogre]

if the floor is getting wet, that is not the door seal
water is coming in through the cowl vent or around the windshield

windshield:
run a hose on the lower corners of the windshield glass to check for rust holes in the frame
try not to get water in the cowl vent for this test

cowl vent:
remove the kick panel vent; unscrew cover and remove the vent door
feel around for rust holes or piles of organic material (leaves or pine needles)
also make sure the drain for the cowl is clean of debris (below the vent door)
pine needles are the worst, they accumulate on top of the kick vent and rust out the vent baffle
they also plug up the drain, whereas leaves sort of decay and eventually wash thru

look up under the dash while someone shines a bright light into the cowl vent
look for any light coming thru rust holes

on a dry day run the hose into the cowl vent and check for water dripping or running out of seams
try not to wet the windshield for this test

use masking tape to cover the whole cowl vent for a week and see if the floor dries out

[57chevyman]

thank you for the tips. the water is definitely coming from the kick panel area and goes across the floor because of the way the truck is parked

[_Ogre]

this is why i recommend shaving the cowl vent for every build
no good way to seal or keep the cowl vent area from rusting

[57chevyman]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

this is why i recommend shaving the cowl vent for every build
no good way to seal or keep the cowl vent area from rusting

the cowl vent is the thing in front of the windshield between the windshield and the hood? just trying the understand , the water that goes in that area is supposed to drain to the sides and out the bottom, but the area behind the kick panel can get clogged up and prevent drainage?

[roger55]

I prefer retaining the usage of the fresh air vents.

The cowl area can be sealed but has to be opened up for access..

Here's what I did:

I removed my cowl covers and repaired the metal, blasted, fabricated new and improved gutters and coated the entire inner plenum area with epoxy primer. Rust will never be a problem again.

Before:





Patching:











Blasted:



New gutter and brushed on 3 coats of SPI epoxy primer:



Covers coated with epoxy on the inside and then welded back on:



After the welding, I sprayed the inside area of the covers with Eastwood's internal frame paint. Outside got blasted again before primer.





After interior paint:





Since I have fuel injection I don't need a choke control. Nor do I need a throttle control on the dash.
So I used those spaces for the fresh air vent controls. You can't use them in the stock location anyway with the Vintage Air. They tell you to do away with your fresh air vents in the instructions. HA! I wouldn't have a vehicle without them.

[/QUOTE]

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by 57chevyman

the cowl vent is the thing in front of the windshield between the windshield and the hood? just trying the understand , the water that goes in that area is supposed to drain to the sides and out the bottom, but the area behind the kick panel can get clogged up and prevent drainage?

yes, the cowl vent is in between the wiper bezels.
roger55's pics show good detail of the places leaves and crud gather and cause rust
(nice repair work also roger55)

you can see the gutter that collects crud and rusts out
then crud falls on top of the vent housing rusting out the top of the vent
and finally it falls down and plugs the drain rusting out the firewall, floor and seam
what his repair didn't show was pin holes that happen in the top of the standing seam on the firewall

my truk was parked under pine trees for a year before i was able to pick it up after moving to michigan
the whole area was full of needles that started on fire when i plasma cut the vent doors out

this pic shows many of the spots that rust thru from cowl vent rain getting in there
his truck is actually not bad i had a lot more rust at the bottom and on top of the vent door duct



thus is why i shaved the cowl vent, i also added ac and didn't need the kick vents
i also shaved the standing seam on the firewall, it had no rust thru but many thin spots

[_Ogre]

one thing that may help in the short term is take a coat hanger wire with a small hook
and clean out all the crud in the drain at the bottom of the cowl
also unscrew the vent cover and remove the door to clean out any crud in the cowl
then blow out anything you can't reach with the wire
and finally use a hose to wash any remaining crud out

it won't stop the water, but it may minimize what comes into the cab

[roger55]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

...what his repair didn't show was pin holes that happen in the top of the standing seam on the firewall...

Mine didn't have any pin holes at the seams. Just some small holes at the gutter and down low under the vent hole where the leaves collect.

With the covers off, I was able to get my blaster nozzle inside and up and get the seamed areas. I also got the nozzle inside from above through the openings at the base of the windshield.
I then used seam sealer and my finger to get in there along the seams from the top and from the under side. It's tricky but it all can be reached. Some of it just by feel though.
I got in there with a small brush to get epoxy primer to it all too.

I have A/C but I don't like to use it unless it's unbearably hot out. So most of the time I like to ride around with the windows and fresh air vents open.

[57chevyman]

so... i added a new piece of weather strip to the truck along the top door opening and down the front edge a couple days ago. today is a rainy day, been raining for the past 5 hours.... my floor is 100% dry
i have a little water in the bottom of the step. i think ill drill a drain hole for that.
heres a pic of my fix.