Door water management

[paul_fio]

So I was leak testing my car and I found that water is leaking through the door window seal where it drips down and lands on the heater channel sill. I don't have any door panels in at this point. What do people do to keep this water inside the door so it can run out the drain holes? Seal it with plastic? That seems reasonable to me, but I wanted to get more suggestions as to what's tried and true.

Thanks.

[sharkskinman]

i think there Should be a drain hole... maybe
But yes seal between the door card with some plastic
and I(bad window seals) driled and primered drain holes in the Front and Rear of the door
as well as the back of the pans
(just have bad seals.. but this is Vegas..who cares
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74 Mexi Swamp Thing. 70 square volksrod (Swamp Rat)..65 C10

[NzFasty]

I'm having the same problem... Was going to replace the seals eventually but am going to need a temporary fix. When you drilled the drainage holes, did you put anything else in them (rubber, etc) or just frill and prime them?

[Woreign]

There are drain holes in the bottom corners of the doors. They are actually more like slits than holes, very easy to get clogged up. You should be able to take the end of a coat hanger and clean them out.

[Bobnotch]

Yup, I use 3mil thick trash bags to replace the torn or missing plastic sheeting VW originally used. I use spray glue to attch it with.
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Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
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[paul_fio]

That sounds good. Thanks.

[KTPhil]

For driest interiors and maximum door card life, some use two sheets, partially overlapping.

The first sheet goes from the window sill down to the bottom, and tucks INSIDE the bottom door frame. This directs water INTO the door, not the interior of the car or to the bottom edge of the door card, which will be ruined by water. Make sure your door drains are open.

The second sheet starts about a third of the way up, and goes down and OUTSIDE the bottom door frame, just under the door card. This is a second layer of protection for your door card.

Keep in mind the bottom window seal is NOT watertight, and water WILL enter your door. The plastic sheets and drains ensure it does no harm.

[paul_fio]

Yes, I was envisioning tucking the first layer inside the door at the bottom to funnel the water out, but I really like the extra sheet giving added protection for the panels in case there's splashing and whatnot. It's amazing how driven rain can work its way up hill. Thanks so much for the suggestions!

[jaransonT3]

Here is a link to my tech page on the door drains.

http://home.comcast.net/~jaransonT3/jaransonT3/DoorDrainPage.html

Hope it helps.
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John Jaranson
'66 Square (Sophy)
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https://www.carartbyjohn.com
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[drummerboycr]

[OGSquare]

I know this thread is ancient but, my door cards were ruined because the drain holes were plugged. In my case the water level raised to the level of the bottom door clips. The water actually ruined the door card by entering through the door card clips. The clip seals had deteriorated to the point that the clips were exposed to the inner door. To be completely anal, I would run a separate piece of plastic along the length of the bottom of the inner door covering all the bottom door card clip seals.
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