Build advice (SV) and rain water leak

[Tony C]

For those of you about to build an SV, I have just spent 4 hours removing the underseat carpets.

 

I got caught in a VERY heavy thunderstorm yesterday and just managed to get the hood on and threw myself back inside before it really let go. Driving along slowly with the wipers on full with standing (running) water on the road I couldn't see too much, but water was finding its way into both footwells from, I asume, the rear engine compartment horizontal tray. Floor was soon also running water, which quickly found its way onto the underseat carpets. Despite leaving the car out in the sun all day with the seat bases lifted the carpets were still wet tonight. Decided to remove them completely and wish I'd never fitted them.

 

Any advice on where the water can be getting in?

 

I've silicone'd all the rivets and seams, the ECU mounting posts, removed the battery tray and silicone sealed the tray and rivets before re-fitting it. I could see the water dripping down the rear face of the front passenger footwell. I'm suspicious of the side seam where the body panel wraps over the side top chasis rail, in the rear corner, by the ECU - More silicone required.

 

I undersealed the outside of the footwells when I built it, so I don't thing the water is getting in from beneath - though not impossible.

 

Any advice gratefully received 😬

 

BRG SV 😬 aka Bug Killer

[Michael_E]

Do you have a heater, if so then your leak is likely to be coming from there, the foam seal around its edge is a bit naff and lets in water when it rains for any length of time. As to the carpet under the seats, I wouldn't recomend fitting them at all, the carpet on the sides of the tunnel and seat backs I'd fit, but only at the top so that they can be lifted at the bottom to dry out when wet.

 

Other suggestions to keep the car nice and not smelling of damp carpet, lift the floor mats every now and then (I do it a couple of times a week) so that they don't sweat and get too damp when leaving the car over night. Also if your seats bottoms lift out then flip them up for the same reason.

 

I've also made blanking plates that slide under the heater to block up the two holes that blast hot air into the footwell (regarless of heater status) so they're in place for Summer and I'll pull them out for winter.

 

C7 MLE

The big red one with yellow bits on.