Car Broke Down First Drive

[YellowRose]

Car Broke Down First Drive

As Frank just said, my trunk weatherstripping IS in place on that trunk flange NOT on the trunk lid. Because, I had that big Tbird sign installed on the trunk lid that covers that area up... I have no idea if that was a good idea or not, or if the seal would allow water to leak into the trunk, because when I take her out, since I did the customization of her, I do not do it on days that look like rain....

[ssj335]

Can you explain the flange versus lid. Not sure what you mean by that. But that's where all the water is coming in probably, near the back (closest to the outside). Near the latch. That's where I theorize the water comes in bc the most water sits there.

Btw, tested battery at local Goodyear and results were that battery bad. Had it replaced, $200 with tax. Cheaper to do myself but I wanted it done right.

[jopizz]

Can you explain the flange versus lid. Not sure what you mean by that. But that's where all the water is coming in probably, near the back (closest to the outside). Near the latch. That's where I theorize the water comes in bc the most water sits there.

The lid is the trunk lid itself where the weatherstripping is attached. The flange is the part of the body around the trunk that sticks up and contacts the weatherstrip when it's closed. Most modern cars have the weatherstripping attached to the trunk flange rather than the lid like most older cars.

Btw, tested battery at local Goodyear and results were that battery bad. Had it replaced, $200 with tax. Cheaper to do myself but I wanted it done right.

Ouch. How much was the battery? Usually installation is free.

John

[ssj335]

Thank you for explaining. I thought I've seen other tbirds with the stripping in the same spot as mine but I am not positive. Could use advice on what to change specifically if anyone can tell.

The battery was actually a 27C, not 27F. The 27F didn't fit because the terminals were set opposite of the way the car is designed to take a battery. I saw the 27C Exide on Amazon for $241. So i think the guy gave me a deal even though it wasn't cheap. He said he gave me less than list price.

https://www.amazon.com/Exide-27C-Battery/dp/B00C5STQWI

[jopizz]

The battery was actually a 27C, not 27F. The 27F didn't fit because the terminals were set opposite of the way the car is designed to take a battery. I saw the 27C Exide on Amazon for $241. So i think the guy gave me a deal even though it wasn't cheap. He said he gave me less than list price.

That doesn't make sense. I've used 27F batteries on Squarebirds for decades and the terminal has always been on the top left side which is closest to the solenoid if you're looking straight down. I prefer Interstate batteries. To me they're the best batteries for the money.

https://www.interstatebatteries.com/products/mtp-27f

John

[ssj335]

Thanks John.

The 27F they had in stock must've been another brand. I saw them trying to install and how it wouldn't fit. I don't think it was interstate though some other brand. I'm just happy I got a new one put in and hopefully won't be seeing that GEN light on again for some time.

They said 27C is the same battery. Should work the same I would hope.

[jopizz]

Can you post a picture. I'd like to see where the terminals are located.

John

[jopizz]

I see what the problem is going by the picture of your engine compartment. Your positive cable is too short. It should be long enough to reach the top left of the battery. It's not a big deal.

John

[DKheld]

Kristen - on the trunk weather strip - take a look at Ray's car in the pic below.



Your black rubbery weatherstrip is on the lid and Ray's is attached to the body of the car all around the trunk area.

You can buy the type that Ray has by the roll on ebay or even NAPA. Probably cheaper on ebay. Not sure which would be less expensive - new original style glued on or the replacement push on style. I'll check on it and see what I can find. Probably should work keeping the water out either way.

Glad you got the battery thing taken care of (knock on wood).

I can't believe your determination - you are one real car nut (and that's a really good thing).

[YellowRose]

Car Broke Down First Drive

Kirsten is away from the puter at the moment, and asked me to post her battery pix for her. Here they are, and yes, you can really see how short that + cable is! According to the Goodyear website, the battery has a 2yr, 24,000mile warranty on it. It looks to me that whoever installed her battery, should have indicated on the graphics when that warranty runs out and failed to do so... Later, if she cares to, she can tell you what the battery costs were. It has a 700 cca at 0 degrees. 850 ca at 32 degrees rating. She did say that she went to Goodyear because it was only a few minutes away, and she drove the Tbird to it. The other auto parts store we told her about were much, much further away and she did not want to chance another tow charge if she had troubles again..

[Frango100]

Regarding the weather strip on the trunk flange, i imagine that if the strip is glued on well, that you have a better change of keeping the water out. If its glued to the lid, then you completely depend on the good fit to the flange side when the lid is closed.

[YellowRose]

Car Broke Down First Drive

Kirsten sent me a pic of some brown weatherstripping that seems to be in place in the front area of the trunk, on either side of the trunk lock. It doesn't appear to go all around and it is NOT installed ON the flange, just next to it.. I have responded to her email explain the flange area to her. My weather stripping is installed on that flange, only because my customizer covered up the area where it would have gone with my Tbird sign. He told me, as I recall, that putting it on the flange would do just as good a job as where it normally goes. He has many, many years of experience working on and customizing old classic cars... Here are Kirsten's comments and a pic...

Hi Ray. Is the flange the outline of the trunk where I have this brown "weatherstripping"? At the bottom of the photo you can see that I have some kind of stripping running around the outline of the trunk. It isn't a very sturdy looking stripping. Kind of thin. Not attached tightly in all spots. Maybe replacing that with the black rubber stripping is what people are saying I should do?"

[jopizz]

That's not weatherstripping. That's the top of the cardboard panels.

John

[ssj335]

Gotcha. Okay so I think maybe adding some stripping to the flange may help prevent water from getting in.

[Tbird1044]

Kirsten:
I think it has already been suggested, but the only way to fix a water leak in the trunk is first to identify where the leak is. You need to lock yourself, or a really good friend, in the trunk with a flashlight and then spray the car down with water. There are numerous rust areas where the water could be leaking into the trunk, and from some previous pictures this would be highly suspect. You can keep throwing money at this car, but until you first identify where or what the problem is, you will go broke before you get everything fixed. We are here to help and give guidance of where to look to solve a problem. You seem to be focused on the only place the trunk could be leaking is the weatherstrip. Any previous owner can attest to the fact that is far from the truth. Just my 2 cents for what it is worth and trying to save you some money.
Nyles