Rainwater in passenger floor, with a pic...UPDATED DRIVER SIDE PIC

[AuroraGirl]

My '69 and '70 Impalas have the Astro Ventilation. It was a new feature for '69 as it replaced the wing windows. The cars had dash vents on each side even if no AC. There was a second knob on the kick panel that you would pull out and outside air would flow through the dash vent. You can have air flow through the kick panel, or the dash, or both. The blower on those cars doesn't run all the time.

My '69 and '70 Impalas have the Astro Ventilation. It was a new feature for '69 as it replaced the wing windows. The cars had dash vents on each side even if no AC. There was a second knob on the kick panel that you would pull out and outside air would flow through the dash vent. You can have air flow through the kick panel, or the dash, or both. The blower on those cars doesn't run all the time.

found bucket explaining it

I think the reason for the constantly on fan was to always allow fresh air into the cabin for recirculation and more importantly rid the cabin of exhaust fumes. I doubt that the GM engineers were concerned with keeping dust out. Thats a seriously funny theory though...lol



If by a slim...really slim chance that the GM engineers were in fact concerned with dust in the cab, it would make more sense to engineer better door seals. It is called a "fresh air vent" which by definition draws outside air in the cab. If its dusty outside...why design a system that draws in outside air ?



ANYWHOO...on a serious note to the o.p. YES the fan runs all of the time unless you bypass the system as it was originally designed and cut power to the blower fan. Most people, myself included also install an inline shutoff valve into the heater hose. When the inline valve is closed, it prevents antifreeze from circulating through the heater core. Since the fan is constantly on, without the inline valve, hot air will blow into the cab. In the winter time I open the valve and have heat. This modification is also helpfull if the heater core takes a **** and leaks into the cab.

idk if this guy uses forum anymore but the answer to his questioning about the dust is valid on the "what was the reason" however the idea is that youre always going to have air coming into the cab and then leaving....
thats simply necessary for 1) survival 2) physics 3) earth????

but, the dust thing, if your driving in dust, youre going to get dust inside. you happen to be driving a vehicle and ramming it into the atmosphere and your cabin is very still, that air is gonna get pushed the **** out by air making itself known to you. this is going to get dust in there. if you have a fan blowing its going to always be pushing out and leaving in a controlled manor, which in a dusty road maybe wont change much but a constant flow through is just probably going to do less than still.

Go get an air purifier and put it in a house with a woodstove.

youll find that dust accumulation is cut down a lot and its not exchanging air inside to out, its just pushing whats in side around, but through a filter. if you found a way to put a cabin air filter(youve heard of those, yeah!) you would do something probably.

Also, an ac truck gets a recirc function, if you had that and a filter on the inside mix from outside, you would get no dust(relative) so yeah.


i understand the air doors on manual heat trucks exist.
I also want to say that you can just get a 4 speed switch from a later truck like the 80s and not connect the low speed wire to it(apparently) and fix the annoyance if you desire because you will have an off switch in the speed controls I think.

I will be doing that.

Also, the biggest concern with regards to fuel, exhaust, can be mitigated by proper hood to cowl and cowl and firewall insulation/seals.

 

[shinkle]

I thought I would post more pics in case it helps someone find a kickpanel rainwater leak.

I removed the kick panel

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I don't think replacing the gasket on the back of the kickpanel will stop the water from entering the open oval at the base of the damper (see first pic). The new gasket will seal where my middle finger is pointing but water is coming in where my pointer finger is.

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Here is a pic looking up inside the oval kickpanel opening

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Here is a pic looking down inside the kickpanel opening

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Pics of hood hinge seals that could be letting water in

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[AuroraGirl]

I thought I would post more pics in case it helps someone find a kickpanel rainwater leak.

I removed the kick panel

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I don't think replacing the gasket on the back of the kickpanel will stop the water from entering the open oval at the base of the damper (see first pic). The new gasket will seal where my middle finger is pointing but water is coming in where my pointer finger is.

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Here is a pic looking up inside the oval kickpanel opening

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Here is a pic looking down inside the kickpanel opening

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Pics of hood hinge seals that could be letting water in

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bucket explained why it would seal it. also,factory sealed it there.. must have worked..

 

[shinkle]

bucket explained why it would seal it. also,factory sealed it there.. must have worked..

Yeah, he is probably right but sure doesn't look like it will seal the damper opening when you see it and see how the water enters the damper opening. I'm replacing the gasket and the damper door. If that doesn't work I'm going to replace the hood hinge seals.

 

[Dave M]

Yeah, he is probably right but sure doesn't look like it will seal the damper opening when you see it. and see how the water enters the damper opening. I'm replacing the gasket and the damper door. If that doesn't work I'm going to replace the hood hinge seals.

From where I sit I kind of agree with you. Perhaps the vent side is ok, it could be that there is an excess of water flowing into the vent/plenum area, more than what was intended. Can you lift the hinge seals and see if. water is getting under them

 

[bucket]

Those hood hinge seals are mostly there to keep leaves and large debris out. All the rain water that runs down the windshield goes into the plenum/cowl area.

 

[shinkle]

I decided to dig into the leak on the driver side. Water is oozing in through the floor pan and kickpanel seal. Can I clean out the factory seam seal and reseal with new seam seal?

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[AuroraGirl]

I decided to dig into the leak on the driver side. Water is oozing in through the floor pan and kickpanel seal. Can I clean out the factory seam seal and reseal with new seam seal?

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yes but you should remove the paint and sealer and under neath too and verify its intact, its strange it broke up and the fact water is coming from it means you have a poorly mated panel or a Hell of a conincidence in water path

Seam sealer should be used. You can get it in color, clear, paintable, or just a flat color like brown.

 

[shinkle]

Follow up:

Hats off to bucket and WFO for part. Sealing the backside did stop 99% of passenger side rainwater. I think replacing the damper door will stop the rest.

On the driver side I scraped out all the cracked seam seal, sanded down clean. No rust, just a hairline crack. Primed, resealed with seam seal, painted.
No more leaks.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Follow up:

Hats off to bucket and WFO for part. Sealing the backside did stop 99% of passenger side rainwater. I think replacing the damper door will stop the rest.

On the driver side I scraped out all the cracked seam seal, sanded down clean. No rust, just a hairline crack. Primed, resealed with seam seal, painted.
No more leaks.

like take that kind of seam sealing, and just double that LOL

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[Craig 85]

Follow up:

Hats off to bucket and WFO for part. Sealing the backside did stop 99% of passenger side rainwater. I think replacing the damper door will stop the rest.

Before you buy a new door, confirm it is for an A/C truck. The door is different for a non-A/C. I think I purchased one through LMC a few years ago and it's the non-A/C they're selling. Look at the picture below (my truck). The tabs on the inside of the A/C door do not sit in the same plane. The non-A/C vesion does. I tried to mickey mouse that non A/C door to work, but I couldn't get things to line up correctly, so I reused my original.

On the driver side, look at your seal where the courtesy light door wiring comes through the pillar (yellow arrow). The grommet there my be bad or not fully seated.

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[shinkle]

Thanks, I didn't notice the tabs. I'll make sure the door is for a truck with AC.