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Sealing my legroom

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BN6_2197

BN6_2197

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Gents,

whe driving in the rain there is water coming in the legroom. It ssems that iit is comming through the three holes in the main loor where the seats are mounted on. Does anybody of you erver face this problem and has an idea how to solve it, e.g. by using sealing mass?

Volker
 
Hi Volker,

I am a little confused. You mentioned 3 seat mount holes in the floor and most Healeys I have known have 4 seat runner mounting bolts for the lower portion that first extends through wood spacers before extending through the metal floor and a washer and nut. in man the lower portion of the runners passing through wooden spacers prior to extending through the metal floor. In many cases the Healey owner has placed a little gasket material between the washer and floor to further seal the bolt opening. Since the seat bolts are both below the cushion it seem odd that your legs are getting wet from this source.

I noticed you have a BN6. Could you provide a picture of the area you believe the water is coming through?

All the best,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
RAC68 said:
Hi Volker,

I am a little confused. You mentioned 3 seat mount holes in the floor and most Healeys I have known have 4 seat runner mounting bolts for the lower portion that first extends through wood spacers before extending through the metal floor and a washer and nut. in man the lower portion of the runners passing through wooden spacers prior to extending through the metal floor. In many cases the Healey owner has placed a little gasket material between the washer and floor to further seal the bolt opening. Since the seat bolts are both below the cushion it seem odd that your legs are getting wet from this source.

I noticed you have a BN6. Could you provide a picture of the area you believe the water is coming through?

All the best,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm not understanding - each seat runner has 3 studs going through the floor, for a total of 12.

Be sure to check how well the tunnel seals against the floor and the extension panel (intermediate tunnel). Foam tape is your friend here.
 
Water in the footwell is usually due to it dripping down from the scuttle and around the windscreen pillars. Its one of the joys of Healey motoring so don't bother trying to stop it - just carry more towels!
 
My trip into wales last year in my BJ7 revealed that water entered the car from :- under the windscreen, through the wiper holes, and around the front of the doors.

I have since used a non setting mastic under the windscreen and the wiper holes and the front of the doors was my fault because I have not fitted the new windscreen seal yet and the original on the car was cut back by a previous owner and I did nothing to seal the two ends where there are small oblong holes where the wings and the windscreen post meet. All has now been temporarily sealed with some black gasket goo and has yet to be tested in the rain.
It was interesting to find out that the soft top was watertight especially over the windscreen.

Also I have not yet fitted the seals around the gear box tunnel, or indeed fixed it down and on one occasion passing around Chichester, I hit a big patch of standing water and was immediately enveloped in steam and water.

:cheers:

Bob
 
Hi All,

I stand corrected and there are 3 bolts extending from each seat runner and not the 4 I originally mentioned. I would also agree with most in that water in the footwell is more likely comming from openings in the firewall and cowl (like the winscreen wipers) and, in my opinion, is less likely to wet your legs when comming from between the transmission cover and floor union (that is unless your experience is as Bob Hughes and the cover is not secured). Also, I have seen some winscreen installations where the bottom rubber seal has enough gap to allow the River thames to flow freely into the car. It always amazed me that, with one of the wettest Eoropean climates, British cars (like our Healey BJ7/8s) have the least weather sealing and most difficult tops and Alpha Romeo, of the same and earlier vintages, some of the best.

Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
Gents,

Thank you for all the hints. Of course I expect some water coming into the footwell when driving a British roadster from '59. In my car it is "manageable" for the driver's footwell. The footwell of the co-driver gets really wet. I have to remove the seat and the carpets to get it dry again, and that's lots of work :-(

Volker
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Volker,

Assuming your car is left hand drive, the passenger side will have a blank covering the right hand mounts for the clutch and brake master cylinders. I would check to see if this blank has a sealing gasket under it to stop any water from entering.

Just another thought,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
steveg said:
Volker - one method for finding leaks is: in your garage after dark, position a drop light in the engine compartment or under the car. This will show where the leaks are.
Click to expand...

Steve, I tried this and closed the gaps I saw but there is still water coming in :-(
 
Volker

Just a thought, have you tried checking with a hose pipe with a sprinkler on the end just to see if the water is entering from the top or sides of the car - major areas for concern have been out lined above.

Another test would be to remove the seats and carpet and plug the fixing holes with a sealant and drive in the rain to see if water is coming up through the floor somewhere, I assume that the gear box tunnel is properly sealed down, get an observer in the rear seat if possible.

:cheers:

Bob
 
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