kolling@magic.ARPA (12/20/84)
and besides fixing leaks in trunk hoods, does anyone know how to fix leaks around the edges of back windows? (The fixed window over the trunk, not the side windows). It leaks onto the deck about the back seat.....
blt@cbsck.UUCP (Brian Tymchak) (12/20/84)
From personal past experience with a '71 Nova and a '71 Impala,
your leak sounds like what I bumped up against, and it's not
pretty... The early model Chevrolet mid and full size cars
seem to trap water around the rear window frame, especially
those with the vinyl roof option. Freeze comes to thaw, and
pretty soon water will leak through the window frame and into
the trunk. Presently, if I desire to stand on my head in the
trunk of my '71 Impala, see through the window frame to the
glorious outdoors.
I can suggest three options, of which only two will
solve the leak with any reliability. First, push as much
silicon rubber compound as possible into the crack between the
chrome strip and the body. Smooth this as well as possible to
aid in water drainage. This worked for a while on my Nova but
the problem propagated across the window. Second, find a body
shop that will pull the rear window and literally rebuild the
window frame by heliarching metal into the body. Two notes of
wisdom here stemming from personal experience: this can be
expensive unless you have connections, and, if the car has
the vinyl roof, consider removing the vinyl and making the
vehicle a hardtop. This could alleviate future occurences of
the same problem. I fixed my Impala in this manner but I
replaced the vinyl. Less than 2 years later I had water back
in the trunk. The final option is to let the problem go or
get rid of the car, which solved my Nova's problems.
Now that I think of it, Chevys had another irritating little
problem that led to water in the trunk. The seam where the rear
wheel wells and the trunk pan are welded (brazed?) together
seems to prone to cracking. I ground these seams down as well
as I could and then applied some flexible adhesive aluminum
(available at most discount department stores) to the area.
I put a couple of layers on and really made sure it was
sealed and then I sprayed rubberized undercoating on the area.
This has been several years ago, and to date I've had no problems.
I know I sound like Chevrolet is the scourge of the
world, but I wouldn't trade to another maker for the world.
For all the hot rodders out there, I currently do the
mechanical work on a '67 Chevy C-10. It's powered by a 355
small block, 12.7-1 comp., and generating 540 hp. It'll
turn 11.9s on the strip and pull the front tires 8 inches
out of the hole. Not bad for a truck that weighs 3780 lbs.
Hope my experiences with rear windows shed some light on
your trunk.
Brian Tymchak
AT&T NS
Columbus