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Mysterious water leak in 66 Valiant & parts help!
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Posted by: RCowan99SSConv

When the Valiant sits out in the rain all day, about a half gallon of water collects in the front and rear floor pans on the passenger side only. It appears that it is leaking in from the lower corners of the door. I checked the drain holes on the bottom of the door and they are clear. I get the impression that the water is somehow running down the sides of the door and getting around the gasket??

Have any of you seen this prob before or have any ideas?

Also... where do I get new door gaskets??? I have tried yearone, the paddock, steele rubber products, and Legendary and none of them have it. These door gaskets are one-piece.. goes all the way around the door opening..attached to car, not door.

Posted by: MadScientistMatt

I was thinking you had the dreaded A-body Under Dash Water Leak, but no, that almost never gets water on the rear floor pan. Might want to do what I did in diagnosing the Dart's under dash water leak - sit in the car while a friend hoses it down around areas you think are leaking. It's possible that the strips that seal the lower edge of the windows are totally gone - they were on my Dart. I replaced them with stick-on neoprene strips.

J.C. Whipme has some generic weatherstripping that might work for the doors.

Posted by: FORMULA DEATH

Yeah I'm thinking it might have a leak at the windsheild wiper pivots also . Hard to think the door would cause such a leak but maybe . You can buy weatherstriping gaskets that will match yours just match up the profile of the gasket . Try a local autoparts store or JC Whitney was a good choice for mail order .

Posted by: RCowan99SSConv

Thanks guys. I tried the water hose trick and the water is coming in at the lower corners of the door, front and rear.. mostly front. It looks like part of the problem is that the weather stripping (two -piece... black rubber outside & web-covered rubber inside) has come off the body. This is supposed to be sealed down with some adhesive? and you can reach down and just pull it up with your hand, away from the car.

I found out why I couldn't find a specific door seal for the car. You just buy this particular stuff by the foot. The webbing is colored to match the car. Mine is ice blue on the inner 'windcord' part of the seal. I have to get some silicone or something and put it back down again... i hope that fixes it. :/

The strips that seal the lower edge of the windows.... you mean the cat-whiskers? They're pretty much gone but i have new ones on the way. The swing-out window gaskets are good.

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