Dolomite footwell drains

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johnnyv1

Dolomite footwell drains

#1 Post by johnnyv1 »

Hi everyone, Just a quick question, I have noticed with heavy rain i have been getting some water at the drivers side floor.

I've taken up the front carpets as im fitting a new clutch slave cylinder and want to do a gearbox oil change, so I have access to sort out the drainage issues I may have. I'm not really an expert on the dolomite design plan and am wondering would these drain channels under both front feet regularly see water, or is it just emergency in case it gets blocked someplace else? At the end of each they have a rubber bung, which would stop any water draining anyway, unless removed.

So, any advice on what these are meant to do/where the water comes from in the original design would be much appreciated.
I will be tinkering around with this tomorrow, and with rain forecast toward the end of the week, I should have some ideas hopefully soon either way...
Cheers! :)
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Howard81
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Re: Dolomite footwell drains

#2 Post by Howard81 »

They shouldn't leak - check your windscreen seal, rusty bulkhead, door/quarterlight seals or an ill-fitting tunnel seal!
1978 Triumph Dolomite Sprint (project thread)
1966 Volkswagen 1300 (project thread)
1962 Austin Mini (project)
1962 MGA 1600 Mark II
1965 Mobylette SP50 (project)
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JPB

Re: Dolomite footwell drains

#3 Post by JPB »

Howard81 wrote:They shouldn't leak - check your windscreen seal, rusty bulkhead, door/quarterlight seals or an ill-fitting tunnel seal!
If it leaks in rain, them you can eliminate the tunnel caulking br the source, is there a pool on the parcel shelf too? Water overflowing br a result me blocked vents in the bulkhead would do that and then from the shelf to the floor. There's a thread on this very topic somewhere but T9 makes it more bother than it's worth to search it on this device. :(
johnnyv1

Re: Dolomite footwell drains

#4 Post by johnnyv1 »

Thanks guys, i will investigate further tomorrow, I think it might have been on the shelf though before i removed it...cheers! :)
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Oli_88
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Re: Dolomite footwell drains

#5 Post by Oli_88 »

tinweevil wrote:Well my memory fails me again, I'd forgotten just how much of a bugger these drain points are to find. This, hopefully, will help. The photos below are all from a 1980 car, I checked Mrs Weevils 1973 1500TC and all the holes are present. Starting from the passenger side on a right hand drive car;

No 1 is obscured both in the engine bay and in the scuttle by sound proofing. The pad in the scuttle should be glued at the top only so you can pull the bottom away from the metal and root about. This is peering down into the scuttle right into the corner, the engine bay is below the picture and the passenger compartment above. The two captive nuts in the picture are for the washer bottle bracket. It's not a round hole, it's a slot which is why a flat cable tie like this one is ideal for clearing them. I've turned up the corner of the engine bay bulkhead pad so that the drain is less obscured. I can't get a good picture of that but see no 6.
Image

No 2 is easier to spot. The dirty great hole in this pic is the inlet to the heater blower, just below is the little drain hole with a cable tie pointing at it, bigger than I remembered. Engine bay is above the picture. There's some bits of leaves in there so it's vacuum time again for me. There's no chance of a shot from inside the engine bay for this one, it's behind the blower motor.
Image

No 3 can't be seen form either side, how useful. Here's a general pic with a cable tie pointing the way:
Image
Looking towards the front of the car (engine bay above in the next picture) you will see this obvious hole a bit more than an inch in diameter. That is not the drain but on later shells the drain is directly below it, again pointed out by a handy cable tie. The hole is useful though, you can stick a finger through it to push the engine bay soundproofing away from the bulkhead. On late cars the drain is almost an inch wide and centred directly below the hole whereas on early shells it's only 1/3 inch wide and below the right edge of the hole, roughly where the lump of dirt is.
Image
The next bit is easy in an OHV and an utter pig in a slant as the engine is in the way. X roughly marks spot for where the drain is. From that point down you need to make sure the soundproofing is loose from the bulkhead. This is the plastic ruler job I was on about earlier. If ever I get to restore this car then while the soundproofing is off I'll remove an inch wide strip of the foam layer from the drain down which will leave a nice invisible void behind the solid layer.
Image

No 4 is easy. Fairly wide on a late shell and centred smack between the pipes. On an early shell the drain is half as wide and just like no 3 slightly closer to the centre of the car, almost behind the right hand pipe.
Image
Although you'd not know it looking in the scuttle without......
Image
... a you-know-what to show you the way. Engine bay above, heater pipe on the left and choke cable on the right.
Image

No 5 is just impossible. Looking down into the scuttle it's underneath the tube behind the brake servo roughly where the arrow is pointing.
Image
See that gusset on the left in the above photo? Poke and peer through the gap below it and you'll catch a glimpse maybe. This is the one that you'll doubt is even there but I assure you it is. The drain is lost in the gloom in this photo but it shows you the gap to look through. Engine bay on the right, wiper motor at the bottom. Absolutely no chance of seeing it from the engine bay, the servo is in the way.
Image

No 6 cannot be seen from above, its totally hidden by the wiper motor. But if you peel back the sound proofing in this area:
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You'll see this. You can poke and prod upwards through the slot to clear it.
Image
I don't push the corner of the sound proofing back down as I said with no 1, it sits like this which keeps things clear.
Image

So there you have it, no excuses for scuttle rot now. Stash a cable tie or two in your toolbox (with your ubiquitous lucozade bottle ;)). And Gentlemen, start your vacuums.

Tinweevil
Taken from here posting.php?mode=quote&f=5&p=131318

It's something I also need to look at. Iirc water can also leak in from underneath the windscreen wiper arms too?
Though I was convinced it was coming in around the heater matrix, so I had the dash out cleaned and sealed all that up... It's not as bad now, but still damp.
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Re: Dolomite footwell drains

#6 Post by trackerjack »

When I used my car year round I removed the carpet under lay and the bungs so that the floor did not stay damp all winter.
I have owned mine since 95 and the floors are original 1976 items so not too bad when compared with other saloon cars of the 70's..........oh hang about not too many of them are left :lol:
track action maniac.

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Re: Dolomite footwell drains

#7 Post by Jon Tilson »

My experience on some cars I own matches TJ's. I tend to leave the bungs out and dispense with carpets atthe first sign of dampness. I always blame the windscreen seal but cant be certain as on one car that still leaks the "seal" is supposed to be new!
So much for Baines and co....

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Note from Admin: sadly Jon passed away in February 2018 but his humour and wealth of knowledge will be fondly remembered by all. RIP Jonners.
johnnyv1

Re: Dolomite footwell drains

#8 Post by johnnyv1 »

Wow ,thanks everyone esp Tinweevil for the guide. I have not had the chance yet to have a look. I'l update as soon as I do...Thanks again! Jv
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Re: Dolomite footwell drains

#9 Post by zombeh »

johnnyv1 wrote:I'm not really an expert on the dolomite design plan and am wondering would these drain channels under both front feet regularly see water, or is it just emergency in case it gets blocked someplace else? At the end of each they have a rubber bung, which would stop any water draining anyway, unless removed.
The drain channels and holes in the floor are to let the paint out during production.

There are a lot of places that can let the water in but it shouldn't usually get to many of them if the drain holes detailed above are all clear. If it gets in anywhere around the screen or even through the roof seam it'll end up in the footwells. I'm completely certain mine leaks where the roof is welded on.
johnnyv1

Re: Dolomite footwell drains

#10 Post by johnnyv1 »

Whoa Zombeh that must have been alot of paint.lol. I had a quick look the other day, chucked a saucepan or 2 of water over the front of car and in the drains, but no water that i could see came in. :? . I can see at least two properly functioning drains in the engine bay, I noticed some water around each bottom corner of the windscreen, so I will have to spend a bit more time when I get the chance to have a look again. Thanks for the help! :)
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