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Soggy Bottoms (Waterlogged wheel-wells) Scottish Weather and the GOTC

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Tim Moore Avatar
Scotland, UK   GBR
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1947 Rover 16 "Reggie"
1969 MG MGC GT
From my postings it won't be unknown that we live in a very, very, very wet climate. In fact we can say it rains EVERY day here on Skye "The Misty Isle" all year sometimes if we are lucky it will just be drizzle or a shower with breaks and the occasional sunshine, otherwise, apart from 3 weeks in May and one week in August as an example this year when we had glorious weather, hence some previous blue-sky pictures of our Primrose Yellow GT amidst mountains and coastal Hebridean landscapes -which many on this forum have commented upon as to "how lucky you are to live here.." (and we know it too); it has been dismal.

However last weekend was dreadful and I mean dreadful....and once again our cherished 48 year old C was subjected to an abysmal set of circumstances.

We took our C to the GOTC - "Gathering of the Clans" held on September 25 2016 at Doune in the Trossachs near Callander. This annual MG event encourages MG owners from Scotland and beyond to assemble for one day and this year 104 MG's from a PA to the last of the Rover 75 based MG Saloons - a 2004 ZT 160 Tourer - (S -tation Wagon) attended. Besides our C only one other C was there throughout the day, a green 1968 roadster, but a white CGT briefly appeared for about 30 minutes.

Our journey to Callander on 23 September involved us in a 5 hour drive to accomplish the 212 miles and the same on return on 25 September. So from Skye through Glen Shiel, Fort William,Glencoe, Rannoch Moor, Tyndrum, Crianlarich, Killin and then Callander.

We left the CGT parked up at the hotel all day Saturday, when we went walkabout on "shank's pony" and there was a brief spell on the actual Rally day when the rain stopped.

However all told, on this three day trip we were away in total - 57 hours during which it absolutely bucketed down for 49 of those 57 hours and I mean BUCKETED.

Apart from the fact that the 11 hours total driving time meant the windscreen wipers were consistently on for two periods of around 5 hours and 9 miles from home the wiper motor finally seized (we were lucky it got extemely hot "trying to park" which it didn't (I had of course switched things off but the motor having not parked kept taking current - and we risked the final 10 minutes in the still horrendous weather to get home....fortunately our roads here at night are empty and we made it!!

The boot/trunk wheel-well area (below the luggage wooden shelf on GT's where nothing was in any way wet or even damp), was soaked and all the spares I carry in boxes, the jack, spare wheel, carpets, absolutely sodden and "swimming".

After getting everything out almost a half bucket (about a third of a gallon) of water remained to be sponged out once the carpets were removed.

Where and how did this water get it?

The following shows.

The rear valance fuel filler entry hole for the petrol/gas filler pipe isn't circular (or at least ours isn't!) The rubber seal although looking "OK" wasn't therefore capable of sealing and wasn't now pliable anyway at its age!

New seal (#AHH6268) just fitted and silicon applied to ensure no further water ingress, plus and perhaps most importantly the filler pipe pressed hard against the seal as the hose connecting the filler to the fuel tank was re-tightened and positioned.

We've had water in the well before but never a half bucket load.....

Check yours maybe. what looks good on the surface isn't necessarily so.

Water as we all know gets in almost anywhere, this gaping "hidden hole" helped it along nicely!!

I am reliably informed that almost 19 inches of rain fell in those three days and that accompanied by force 8-10 gales aided and abetted our misery.

Herewith endeth the lesson.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-09-29 12:26 PM by Tim Moore.


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2ndC Silver Member Steve N
Lee's Summit, Mo, USA   USA
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Tim, glad you made it home safely. The fix is easy just the mess you had to deal with. I had the same leak on my roadster into the trunk. I noticed after taking car to the car wash.

Steve N.

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mgcgt2912 Richard Bailey
Cully, East Devon England, UK   GBR
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Normal for all MGB/Cs. Whoever made the hole in the rear for the fuel pipe must have been drunk!
R

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flyingjohn Avatar
flyingjohn John L
Kent, Maidstone, UK   GBR
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1969 MG MGC GT "RTE 935G"
You take it out in the rain - whatever next....

John
Only ever driven the C in the Dry !!

I know it should be used really - but cant bring myself to spoil her.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-10-01 01:13 PM by flyingjohn.

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chormy Avatar
chormy Gold Member Shaun Holmes
Norwich, Norfolk, UK   GBR
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1963 MG MGB MkI "3330 PE"
1964 MG MGB MkI
1967 MG MGB GT "BABE"
1967 MG MGC    & more
Check the seal between the inner wheel arch and inner wings.


Member Services:
MGC Racing , Alloy parts and uprated items for the C, Engine rebuilds to full race or EFI. Secondhand parts available. Facebook page "Holmes racing" www.holmesracing.co
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Tim Moore Avatar
Scotland, UK   GBR
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1947 Rover 16 "Reggie"
1969 MG MGC GT
In reply to # 3364924 by chormy Check the seal between the inner wheel arch and inner wings.

Shaun, indeed that is often an issue with B/C's with perforations in the metal etc, but I wasn't concerned about the integrity of the bodywork wheel aches and inner wings on our GT since they are fine -however a rare dry day today so a chance to find out just where all this water ingress in to the spare wheel well has been coming in...using a high pressure spray machine and all carpet trim removed.....

Having sorted out the fuel filler entry "eclyplitcal hole" in the valance with a new pliable filler pipe seal and silicon, that was sorted and OK...but I was then able to see water was coming in through one of the rear reversing lamps despite a new seal, so more silicon sorted that. Then it was still coming in, this time through the two bolts holding the rear number plate onto the rear valance, and finally it was coming in through the rear door lock outer seal - lock removed more silicon here on seal and tightened up, then water was flowing down inside its casing via the key lock and the channelled down via that convenient rectangular channel on a GT. Loaded the lock up with a mixture of vaseline white litheum grease which isn't perfect but will keep 95% of Scotlands rain out......A pressure washer aimed directly at everything works wonders locating water leakage....BUT YOU NEED DRY WEATHER to be able to do this. That is in short supply up here!!

The bodywork is sealed and very sound with waxoil and other penetrating bodywork protection spray and have done this annually for years, especially the sills.

So having after 3 hours today,- systematically testing; spraying; deluge spraying; testing; mopping up..... I think, finally.... after living with some seepage for many years which didn't much worry me (for example I had some ingress during the wet MGB 50 weekend in Blenheim in September 2012); with things coming to a head in the 19 inches of rain in 57 hours deluge the car was subjected to last weekend and a wheel well and contents literally swimming in water... I now have (hopefully) 95% fixed matters.

All you folk, such as "Police John" with your rebuilt GT, who have the luxury of only using your cars if it isn't wet, can live with poor 1960's build quality!! No wonder BMC products rusted so quickly in their day and Californian re-imports are so sought after here!

I fitted a new wiper motor yesterday too after the original one gave up the ghost last weekend, using the existing original 115 degree gearbox after the usual contortions necessary when all of us work on items mounted up under the dashboard... and so hopefully we are able to do battle with more H2O on the next outing with less trauma!

Rant over....



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 2016-10-01 12:39 PM by Tim Moore.


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