Hello Fellow BB'ers

Inga is a 86 Texas Gulf Coast Volvo 245DL, has been snowed on twice in her life here in Texas. Well more like dusted with snow twice. She does not have any bad rust spots with the exception of the floor pan. Some of those rusty parts you guys post in pictures amaze me. Nothing like that on Inga, and I consider my self lucky.

Now that I have pulled all that carpet the rust was from water leaks inside of the car. You can see a water mark on the drivers side plastic plugs and it is about half way up the tabs. There is place where is appears water leaked past the front seal. It then did not soak the drivers side carpet, but went under the pan that covers the channel the wiring harness is in. Then settled under the seat pan and over time started eating up the metal from the inside. The passengers side did not have the same type of leak I do not believe. Instead the leak I found and fixed last year where the hole around the wiper motor would allow water backed up in the channel seems to be its source. You do not find a water level mark or any evidence where the water got past the seals. That side did get a carpet soaking until the hole was packed off with plumbers putty. Been dry ever since, but too late to stop the rust.

My observation is that the best way to figure our a leak of this type is to pull the seats, pull off the e brake console, take the seat belts loose and start looking. You can have water leak issues and not be aware of it unless it gets bad enough to soak the carpet. I have never found the drivers side carpet wet, but there sure was big rusted hole under the seat pan, well was a big hole.

When the carpets were reinstalled added the Dave Shannon soundproofing as far back as the rear seat (so far). Could not find the thicker floor pads he mentions, so I found some foam padding and used it under the factory pad. Used Harbor Freight anti fatigue padding 1/2 thick, meant for a garage floor. Still have 2 sheets of the McMaster Carr stuff left and a pack of the matting also, so the rear compartment will get the same treatment. I will let you know the results when the drivers seat padding is repaired and the new passenger seat cover to driver seat cover conversion is complete. Yes, something like $350 over budget now. Still need two tires and well there are these 4 Hydra's....... I may be in the Enquirer pretty soon if this keeps up.

But I wondered off the trail, to avoid more leaks reaching my sound proofed and repaired floor pan, cleaned out all both channels with a vacuum and air hose. Then added a good ribbon of RTV sealer left over from another job to the lips of all six seals before reinstalling thinking that will enhance the water resistance a bit more. I will also now be a fanatic about cleaning out those drains.

Now..... If I could find some "Snow Caps" that fit an 86 to keep all that snow from building up. Been snowed on twice you know.

Any idea's about finding those caps would lead me to take the project even further over the limit. Heads or get my tail beat on the Hydra's.

So any ideas are welcome (with the snow caps).

Thanks and Regards,

Paul