i discovered rust in the drivers side floor pan, due to some waterleak.
Now I'm considering cutting the driver side floor mat under the chair, since i won't have to take out the whole mat, interior etc. the plan then would be to drive like this and keep watch where the water leaks in.
has anyone done this. cut the floor mat like I described? and if so, while it be very visible when putting back the mat? Could I tape it with carpet-tape or stitch it together?

Sorry for my lousy english!

 

I beleive you mean "carpet" not "floor mat".
Your proposal is the absolute worst way to do this.
First, there's going to be more rust than the section of carpet you cut out. If you haven't removed the whole carpet, you haven't found all the rust.
Second, you will Need lots of room to work around the rust spot for welding and painting. You will just ruin whatever carpet you left in place.
If you aren't going to remove the whole front carpet, don't bother, just drive it as is.

 

Ah, ok so what do You mean by front carpet? Do You mean the whole carpet going back to the passenger floor, like in this picture? I was thinking I could cut along the green line.
Looking from under the car there is a rust spot, indicating that water has leaked in and stayed in this spot...
The carpet in one of the images is not mine, since that is still in the car.
Thee other picture is of my car showing the rust-spot.

thanks

 

If you have rust through the bottom that bad then it's much worse inside, best option is going to be remove carpet and replace the floor panel. That's some bad rust.

 

Well I tested the flor pan with a hammer and this seems to be where water has gathered, the rest is solid. Will remove the whole carpet but I doubt that Ill need to replace the whole floorboard.

 

You may not be replacing the whole pan, but there will certainly be rust that needs to be dealt with or you WILL be replacing the whole pan.
You mentioned a water leak, it's probably from the cowl seam and has caused rust throughout the front pan.
I learned long ago that trying to shortcut because you don't want to remove more stuff always ends up in frustration and eventually removing what you should of in the first place.
Just pull the whole carpet. You need to see what's going on there.

 

Yes You are right. I removed both front seats and checked under the carpet. Drivers side the bottom is rusted out, passenger side looks good. In front off rear seats feels very solid both sides. I will however remove the whole carpet to know for certain, and after repairs I think I will paint the floor with something like POR-15.
Thanks all for helping

 

Ok, so tomorrow I will have time to remove the rest of the interior and the carpet. There is some rubbery plastic cover behind the pedals, what is it for and can I just rip it out to check for rust?
I will post pictures to get your opinions. I didnt expect rusted out floor pan/pans since the car otherwise is rust-free. Looks like this:


Yes it is just as nice and rust-free as it looks, but obviously not underneath....
But I still have hopes that ill just need to replace the drivers side floor pan, since there is no visible rust underneath, apart from that spot:

BUt since Im taking out the carpet I will check and rust proof the other floor pan parts too. Any recommendations what primer and or paint to use for inside of floor pans?

I guess previous owners have driven the car in winter (I live in Sweden, and we have harsh winters). Since the outer body is almost mint, no rust on fenders, in fact no visible rust at all from outside, I really need to fix this. The car is worth it and it runs great!

 

Carpet removed, no rust in the floor anywhere but the driver front pan.
The rust extends up on the firewall a bit. The plastic black thing behind the pedals, can I just remove it? What is it for?

 

Hmmm I dont know if firewall was the correct word...Rust extends up a bit behind the pedals. So what is the cowl seam? Can anyone describe it or even better, show some pictures?

thanks

 

Noone?

 

Called toe board.
it probably rusted bacause of leaves and other junk collecting under the brake booster. Does similar thi ng s on the passengerside.

Car in picture was repainted, so its very likely the car was not as clean and rust free and you think.you see it now.

 

Ok Ill check for junk under the brake booster. Yes, true the car has been repainted, but it must have been a good job as Ive owned it for some years now, and it hasnt begun to rust. No rust under the carpet on passenger side. Getting the drivers floor pan replaced next week. Thanks for helping

 

The cowl seam is at the top of that "toe board", at the bottom of the firewall.
It's under that rubber mat that goes all the way across the toe board, under the dash and everything.
It's a common place for leaks as the fresh air vent channel (under the wipers) gets fliled debris and doesn't drain. If there's rust under that rubber mat , you will probably need to pull the whole dash to fix it.

 

Aha ok, now I follow
Yes there is rust there even though I only checked maybe 10cm under the rubber mat.
I will get it fixed, even if its costly, since Im somehow in love with this car...
Thanks for good info.

 

So how do I clean the fresh air vent channel?

 

Remove the cowl screen that covers the wiper mechanism.
The channel is where the wiper mechanism is.
It slopes towards the pass side where the fresh air intake duct is. The channel goes past the duct to a drain behind the fender. Very common for debris to clog up this drain and vent . This leads to rust along that channel bottom which is also the cowl seam. You can't see all the way down to the drain, but you can stick a shop vac hose in there. You can test the seam and drain by pouring water down it and see if it leaks to the interior. It should all come out behind the fender.

 

i see, so this could lead to water leaking in on the passenger side and/or and drivers side? In my car the rust is in the floor pan and toe-board on drivers side

thanks
Hasse

 

The cowl seam could leak anywhere along the firewall, either side. If the fresh air vent is broken or leaking or stuck open with rodent nest, water can get in the heater core /ducting box and leak out into heater vents as well.
On cars without a/c , there are fresh air vents at both sides.

 

Ok I get it. Thanks for all the help!

 

This was an excellent conversation/thread. I'm replacing the carpet as soon as the car comes out of winter storage and I have my fingers crossed that I'm not going to experience the same problems. Car hasn't been driven in the winter or rain in a very long time, I keep the fresh vents clear as I have big trees along the driveway, I don't see any rust from the underside but you never know till you pull the carpet and do a 'stress' test on the floor

HasseO: All your troubles where spec'ed out for you well by the other, my only suggestion is cosmetic. Your car looks awesome don't put the cut carpet back in, it will work but you will not be happy in the long run. Since you are pulling the seats go the whole way and replace the carpet. I just ordered some from Hawks Third Gen, they are having a sale, for less than $300 you get both the cabin area and cargo area. it is good quality stuff with the vinyl padded pieces under the panel and by the kick panels. If you go that route get it with the jute padding (underpadding) separated just easier to handle. the piece has the cutouts for the center console. Shipping was only $40 from SC to NY (Niagara Falls)

Good luck

Provide pic's of your work when done

 

Prob costs a little more to ship to Sweden.....

 

Yes I bet that would be costly. I live in Canada and I saved $60 on this order by shipping it to a UPS store on the US side of the border and just driving across to get it. Sweden is more international than an shipment to Canada
But the guys at Hawks are good and will do an shipping estimate for you. The carpet was less than 30lbs

 

One final question
Could the symtoms of a leaking windshield be the same, ie rust in toe-board and drivers floor pan?
Yes its costly to have parts shipped to Sweden. But buying here is often even more so.
I bought a Cardone break caliper from US. It cost me 125usd shipped, while in Sweden I would pay the equalent of 225usd

 

brake caliper, that is....

 

Possible, but the windshield has a lot if overlap on the cowl. The sealant would have to be pretty badly deteriorated to allow water far enough down to get behind the dash.
Easy to check, break out the water hose!

 

Yes, it will be like the Zoolander gas fight

 

Water hose is a good idea, water on the carpet doesn't mean it is coming in from directly above. I had a leaking T-top and water was dripping on the drivers side rear seats. Use the garden hose and found the water was coming in from the front center under the center channel. garden hose focused on specific points will help pinpoint the leak. go gentle you are not forcing the water in, you want it to go in naturally

best solution a good car cover

 

Is the drain on both sides or passenger side only?
The door seals are not in best condition, could this be the source of leak or would the seats or doors be wet too? They are not...

 

I got the floor board replaced and the part of the toeboard that was rusted. Will get the car back from a workshop that did some engine work, and am of course eager to stop the leak. That cowl area drain will be checked first. The carpet is out of the car and also the plasic panels on drivers side, including the part beneath the dash. So will test with a hose. Any other useful tips?

 

Drain is only on passenger side.
Sounds like you are on the right track.