got a leak?

[warpig]

well i took the bottom half of the dash on the passenger side off and it is coming from the wall i know that. But this is just getting annoying. I can deal with mechanic sh*t all day but this leak is for the birds. I just recently moved out here to Washington state and I hate it. Im stationed out for the next two years.
This is my first gbody and im 25 and have been dreaming about this moment since i was like 16. I dunno if this car is worth the effort cosmetically or not. The motor in it runs like a champ. And has some power behind it for a 327 smallblock. Im just worried the car is gonna rust away before I get all the time to fix it. Ill have to post some pictures of this car and guys tell me what you think. I am a diesel mechanic for army so I don have all the time to work on my vehicle that i want too.

warpig

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, I can give you a tip to minimize the problems (but not eliminate them totally). First off, to preserve the car the carpet has to go NOW. The next thing I would do is remove the drain plug in the floor in the back seat footwells. Then, I would park it on jackstands to drain it better. The only problem is it will probably still rot out the floor under the seat mounts and the floor crossmember. Now if you really want to reseal the suitcase to the firewall, I would consider using butyl acetate strip caulk. You need to smush it in to the seam where it mounts to the firewall. I love this stuff for sealing firewalls as it is pretty easy to work with and does it's job well. Unfortunately, the only way to get good access to some of it is to pull the right fender and it's substructure.

As for old cars in general, the mechanicals are the easy part. It's the body, interior, electrical, etc. that will give you fits. I probably have about as much in the body of mine as I do in the entire drivetrain.

 

[warpig]

i thought about cutting the carpet back. I looked at the floor pans from the bottom they wernt rusted threw but now with this rain everyday and i mean every day its soaking the carpet up. It only goes back as far the floor pan the rest of it is dry. Now when you say sealing up the spots your meaning from the inside or the car where i was seeing the leaks coming coming in? or from the outside?
also thinking of just getting car cover for it. It rains alot here.
thanks for all the info

warpig

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I mean from the outside. Sealing it from the inside will not do a very good job and will cause rust as water will get into the seam and sit there.