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Stopping rain etc getting in through rear deck lid aperture

tch911tch911Member
Now…whilst my car might now look like a show car, I fully intend to use it. A lot.

Alas in the UK we don’t quite have the endless summer of California and the chances of being caught out in the rain or mud are high.

Cleaning a car thoroughly is no problem it is stopping water pouring through the rear aperture and all over the engine that’s the problem. Does anyone have any solutions?

I thought about a piece of custom made Perspex with downward facing vents (like the Ferrari F40) but my workshop tells me that it would be ill advised to block this opening due to the high temperatures involved trying to escape from the engine bay...I currently have louvres cut into my decklid but I do run 180 degree headers.

So my latest thought is a removable rain shield that would cover the opening. The idea being that it would stretch from one side of the decklid to the other. Waterproof but with a bit of stretch to it and inbuilt neoprene covered hooks that would hook into the top and side panel gaps between the decklid and the main car body. I guess it would need to be about 8-10 inches wide to give enough cover to the window aperture but also allow for plenty of heat escape.

I am thinking of this less from a driving through the rain at speed perspective (where the above might fly off) and more of a parking in town/track/field on a potentially rainy day.

Any other clever ideas or knowledge of a product already on the market?

Many thanks, Tom
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italforditalfordMember
Tom, I read your post and I cringed a little. While I do not have a solution for you at this time I will share some of my thoughts about water and our cars. As you can see I own a handful of old cars. I never wash any of my old cars with a hose (running water) much less drive them in the rain. Water gets in all the nooks and crannies (Pantera has many of these) and it begins its damaging work. The 73 Bora has never been washed with a hose since 1977. No matter how hard you try to keep it clean water will eventually begin bubbles in the paint.
tch911tch911Member
Many thanks for your posts chaps.

Each to their own Italford, I haven't spent a truly vast amount of money on my car only to see it drift away in a cloud of rust and pitted engine components. This car will be used as Alejandro intended but I equally intend to have it in immaculate condition when it is put back in the garage with the rest of my cars. It's probably worth mentioning that as a RHD these cars are quite a lot more valuable in the UK than in the US.

Belgiumbarry, agreed, dust is fine though, it's the rain and muck on all of my ali engine components that causes my frustrations. Thanks though.
bosswrenchbosswrenchMember
TCH911, a few CA members have aluminum louvers over their decklid. One type covers the entire depressed area of the decklid and resembles a Lambo Miura while the smaller one sits only in the opening. Both work well for shielding rain from hitting the engine and both are removeable for cleaning. They occasionally show up for sale. Next, if you only want to ensure the engine will start while parked in the rain, there are rubber distributor covers available (Ford once sold such things for boats and off-road vehicles). The carb is OK as-is with most solid top air cleaners, unless you have one of those problematic porous filter-tops that will channel water directly into your intake. In a Porsche engine conversion, a friend hydraulic-ed a piston during a rainstorm this way.
panteradougpanteradougMember
The distributor boot was included on the Mustang GT 302 starting around the 81 or 82 model year.

while it is designed to keep water off of and out of the distributor, the cap and the cap wire connections, it is also notorious for retaining moisture within it from condensation.

The simplest solution is to use the '74 production engine cover that had the solid center added to it to cover the air cleaner to prevent water entering the air cleaner/carburetor assembly.

The early all wire mesh cover looks much better but there were waranty claims where the engine needed to be replaced because water was leaking into the carburetor and then the engine and the engine can't compress liquid water, so some engines were damaged with bent connecting rods as a result.

The fix was the 74 production engine cover with the solid center.

If you drive your car, it is not possible to eliminate the dust or rain being sucked into the engine compartment from under the car. That's part of the design of a mid engine car to help cool it. You can only reduce the infiltration to a degree with the 74 engine cover.
joulesjoules"Racing is Life, anything before or after is just waiting" - Steve McQueen
I have to say I think you are tackling the problem from the wrong angle. The opening is recessed under the decklid and the only way to get real water ingress is if you are parked with the rear facing into the wind driven rain. If you are moving then it's not an issue, at least from rain entering the decklid opening perspective.

Virtually all the water, grime, dirt etc. is sucked up from under the car as road spray (my car is white and the decklid gets grimy from road spray exiting the decklid opening) the only cure to that is a belly pan, even then it's almost impossible to truly seal. IMO the best you can do is use some water repellent products in the engine bay that make it easier to wash (with water!)and keep clean. Get out and make the best of the British weather then still smiling wash her down when you get home Smiler

I note you have a delta wing already, is it a later or wide body car? Do you have a sugar scoop spoiler that sits close to the top of the decklid?
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