water in doors 63 cdv

[Kim K Kaiser]

i wrote the other day about my rubbers on the windows and today, after a couple days of heavy rain, i went out to check the carpets for any seepage, etc and noticed the lower panel of the doors was wet,, the part below the armrest,

i looked under the door and saw what i think are weep hole plugs, about 2 inches long and pushed into the bottom of the door,, 

my question is if water gets into the door, as i suspect in  good situation, it does, it has to drain out, i know i my eldo 73 covert, i found them and they were plugged with dirt, dust and debris, and never dried out,, 

should these plugs be there, or are do they have a or supposed to have a hole in them to allow out door water,,  ?

[Dana G Cooper]

If they are the correct rubber "plugs" from the factory (OEM), they should have a slit in then to allow water to drain out on the outside of the door weatherstrip. On my 63 CDV I pulled both door panels due to dirt dobbers having built nests inside the door which fell to the bottom and plugged the rubbers. I cleaned inside the doors and the slits in the plugs,(luckily I had no rust inside the doors), and painted the inside of the doors. replaced panels and replaced worn weatherstrips that allowed the wasps to get inside the doors. All is well ! Hope this helps

[Kim K Kaiser]

yes,, thats,, will look into it,, get the panels off,, 

[Tony and Ginny 429]

Remove the plugs at the bottom of the doors --so the water can drain out the holes and air can circulate inside the lower door to dry it when it gets wet
You can cover the car with water proof tarps ( blue- with metal lined holes ) and bunji cords to prevent water from getting inside the doors if a lot of weather is the issue ---and your car is outside
That will protect the car from getting wet during times or seasons of a lot of rain
I did that when i transported my car to Florida -- until i got the new house with the new garage ready to go
Most car covers are -not water proof -as they are designed to breath
That will keep the car dry and protected

You can use a rust proof paint ( rustoleum ) to protect the lower part of the doors if you desire more rust protection there

Enjoy

[Russ Austin]

One important thing to remember is that the door needs the barrier paper to shed water down to the bottom of the door. (see the orange circle in the picture) Without the barrier paper, water will get onto the back of the door card and get it wet.

 All the holes and screws in the door allow water to get to the door card. The barrier paper sheds the water down to a slit in the door. Water then runs into the bottom of the door and pout the drains.

The original barrier paper is shown on my car. I have not gotten around to making a new barrier shield with heavy plastic, as I did on the front door. I sealed all the way around the top and side with adhesive. The tape is keeping it in place, as I am having my door cards redone through SMS fabrics. The bottom is tucked into the slot at the bottom of the door.

[Clovis]

Good info and pictures Russ. If your inside door panel is getting wet then there is the problem.

[Kim K Kaiser]

well, i was able to reach under the panel, and the tar paper is definitely wet, and the cardboard backing was damp.   if we can get some dry weather for a few days,, i will get into it and ck all those papers and backing and put back some heavy plastic covering,,thanks for the detail and the pictures...