Odd Place for a Leak

I washed my new VS for the first time today, using a low pressure hose and trying my best to keep the water away from the top and where it meets the window and body.

Later in the day I noticed that the carpet under the passenger side floor mat was wet.

I can understand a leak around the windows, but how would it get wet on the floor?

Thanks for any ideas.

DOOR JAMS

Gerd is probably correct, but another possibility is that water is dripping in around the windshield wiper shafts.

Cole---congrats on your new Speedster--you are gonna love it!

My Vintage is a dry car after some work. In the front areas, you are getting leaking under the rubber that is at the bottom of the windshield. Just use silicone or similar between the bottom of the rubber and the paint. Use some masking tape to keep it off the paint
and do two VERY thin beads rather than a big one.

The next place to fix is the rivets that are along the underside of the dash---at the top from the inside. Just put a dab of silicone on each rivet--there are 8-10of them.

Also what GERD said--door jambs. Add a good thick strip of rubber weatherstrip on top of what's there already for a tighter fit between the front and bottom of the door where it meets the car body.

The real leak you will have to fix will be revealed the first time you drive on a wet road. This has caused some owners to hang a tub stopper on the rear view mirror as a joke---but it can be fixed.
On a Vintage there are pockets that you can's see without a mirror
that receive water thrown up by the rear wheels--the water hits the front of the wheel well and runs down into this pocket. Then the water runs into the back of the floor and can end up as amazing amounts of water. For a VS, the fix is about 3 tubes of black silicone from Lowes---use a gun-type dispenser and fill those pockets up. Then spray on a layer of rubberized undercoat over the silicone.

The aluminum shields you will see if you search "water leaks" here won't fit a Vintage because of how the heavy steel frame is positioned.

VS uses the rubber body to pan seal that all Bugs used and leaks don't occur there. But get under the car and spray the undercoat over the bolts that hold the seats and seat belts plus under the battery box at the front where there are holes , I guess for drainage--but I have found that water comes IN these holes--not out. I patched those drain holes from underneath then sprayed the patch w/ undercoat.

Good luck---half the fun is the satisfaction from improving your car!

Thanks Gerd, Lane and Jack. I'll get to work on it!

I've had the car only a few days and I'm loving life, how can it any better than this? As someone noted, one of the only drawbacks of the car is that you cannot go anywhere without being stopped by admirers.

A dream come true.

Cole

Cole, I've put over 105,000 kilometers (67,000 miles) on our Speedy as my daily driver and STILL look for excuses to get in it and drive somewhere...ANYWHERE!

Your car looks great..."Welcome to the Madness"!

Welcome to the Madness, Cole!
There are endless suggestions to help keep the inside dry; almost everyone here has done one thing or another that works.
There's a lot of reading in your future!

I do not suggest my personal solution:

Cole,

That is an awsome shade of pink, my man ;-) Real eye-popper.

As to leaks, you have some good advice for the car washing scenario. another is to use water sparingly -- duh! Things will get more interesting when you get caught out in a storm. Look for any wires that may have been run from the front into the cabin and not sealed. My builder ran wire for the driving lights up in the wheel well, and drilled a 1/2 in. hole at the top for a 22 Ga wire, and just left it that way. Wet wheels are like a pump, and the hole was right at the pump exit. Mucho agua until I stuffed and tarred/undercoated that entry point. also, the hinge brackets for the bonnet can leak lots of air at speed, so on cold days you may notice that. Examine the seal between pan and body, esp'y at the front; use lots of undercoating. But here is the real deal, despite anything anyone else will say: these cars leak if driven in the rain. The question is how much, do you have a towel with you, and remember to lift the mats after any imersion, and let them dry.

Welcome to the madness.

You think that's an odd place for a leak

One of my "saved favorites" threads:
https://www.speedsterowners.com/forum/readmsg.asp?t=16525

Ahhh, memories.

Only posted to show suggested sealants; hope it's not painful to have to see this again. My apologies!

I filled the two voids in front of the rear wheels, but it didn't help. There is still a lot of water getting in on the floor behind the seats when the streets are wet. I'm pretty certain it's not leaking from above, but below.

Any ideas on how to track down my specific leak?

Should I be attacking this from the inside or on the outside?

Thanks for any ideas.