# Some resto Q's



## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

So today I decided to decode my car and try to unlock some factory details about it. Like the original colors, options and etc.

I tried to look up interior color and I got a 241. I looked it up on ultimategto.com and there is no 241 code listed for '70 but WAS listed for 72's and noted it was also a bench seat. This is confusing cause the codes indicate it IS indeed a '70 Lemans though. Maybe it wasnt listed on their site?

Cause I know my car was a blue interior car with a bench seat(supposedly cloth seat also) along with a column shift. Thoughts on that?

Car was atoll blue with blue interior and bench seat fyi. May be restoring it back to factory. My interior is black though as the guy I got it from had started a black interior swap. I love the atoll blue and blue look. 

Ok my next question: Sadly I have no garage atm to keep my car in. When it rains or pours the floorboards get soaked in standing water.  It leaks a lil by the weatherstripping on the a-post but I'm not sure it leaks that bad. It seems to me like it could be a leak under the dash area..What are the common places for water leaks in those areas? (i'm afraid it could be the r word) A friend who restores 442's told me these cars are bad about rust under the cowl/winshield area. (lord I hope not)

Thoughts?


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## Roger that (Feb 6, 2010)

My book shows the code 241 as a medium blue morrokide bench seat in the Lemans coupe (code 3527) and hardtop coupe (code 3537) for the year 1970. No 241 code was listed in my book for the GTO.


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

Cool thanks.


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

You need to get out there while it is raining and trace that leak! Sooner than later, could be a number of areas.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Hot_Rod said:


> A friend who restores 442's told me these cars are bad about rust under the cowl/winshield area.


Yep, probably. There's sort of a shelf all along the bottom edge of the windshield that's shaped such that it's pretty bad about catching and retaining water. It's a common spot for rust. Have a buddy play the stream from a garden hose back and forth across the top of the windsheild while you look up from underneath the dash. You'll probably see it coming in.

Bear


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

I know it leaks some around the a posts by the winshield. But other than that I wasn't able to see where it leaked.


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

BearGFR said:


> Yep, probably. There's sort of a shelf all along the bottom edge of the windshield that's shaped such that it's pretty bad about catching and retaining water. It's a common spot for rust. Have a buddy play the stream from a garden hose back and forth across the top of the windsheild while you look up from underneath the dash. You'll probably see it coming in.
> 
> Bear


Yeah I'm afraid of that. Cause that would mean this thing will need serious attention as far as restoring it. If it is coming from there is it bad? What will I have to do to fix that?


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

My 70 leaked in through the kick panel vents for the heater/vent. The rockers were full of leaves and dirt. I took my cowl screens out and flooded the car with a hose and watched where the the water came in from.
I used my shop vac and ran it down into the lower fenders to vacuum out the leaves and crap, then flushed it out, but then the crap runs to the back of the rocker. There are holes in the rocker that you can fish crud out of in front of the wheels, make sure it's draining back there. You can remove the vent/return from under the kick panel to get access, but on AC cars this is the air return and is hard to hook the hose back up. For that, you can remove the blower motor through the passenger side wheel well, chiltons gives instructions on hacking a hole in the inner fender to get blower access. Remove the blower and clean out the rocker.
Good luck, my car didn't have any rust, but did leak into the car.


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

Geez. Sounds like a pain, lol. Btw, not sure how much if any this may play a rol but none of my ac components are in the car. At least not the box for the vents that hooks into the firewall.

Other than that, idk what all is still in the car for the hvac.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Hot_Rod said:


> Yeah I'm afraid of that. Cause that would mean this thing will need serious attention as far as restoring it. If it is coming from there is it bad? What will I have to do to fix that?


I had that problem on the Beast and it actually wasn't all that bad to fix. The unpleasant part was getting it down to where I could. Everything along the base of the windshield area has to come out, and also the windshiield itself, to expose all the metal in the area so you can see it. It's not all that hard to make and weld patches in there, but of course you've got to make sure there's nothing close by that can catch fire when you do, including on the inside of the car under the dash.

Bear


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

I'm hoping it's something like jetstang said. I'll try that and see what happens.

Thoughts on the atoll blue and blue interior look? Ive looked thru pics and I'm digging it. I know a lot of you guys like the purple and stripes but something about the original colors I really like a lot.


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## russosborne (Dec 6, 2010)

It's your car, you are the one who needs to be happy with it. 

Cowls are very bad for leaks on these. The area that the lower windshield sits in on my 70 looks like swiss cheese. The main part is perfect. Go figure.
Hopefully yours isn't so bad. 

Oh, just another cheerful thought. If it has been leaking like that for a long time, you may (or maybe not) want to look under the carpet at the floor pans and behind the kick panels for rust. 

Russ


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

I've looked under the car pretty good and there's no holes in the floorboard anyways.

So that's a good thing, lol.


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## OrbitOrange (Jul 5, 2010)

behind the fender where all that crap is suppose to drain out. I had nearly 3-4 lbs of dirt, leaves, and what everelse could find its way down there. Had to cut the outter cowl panel off weld in some patches and por 15 the inside area, ordered a new drivers side cowl panel and put it back on. Left a little larger hole at the bottom so hopefully stuff will now be able to escape.


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

Hopefully I can clean it out w/out doing any cutting. I'm waiting for warmer weather to go check it out. It's supposed to be in the 70's this week so I'll be checkin out the ole girl.


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

Well It rained again today and I see where it leaks now (or at least see where it goes) And it leaks on both sides, from under the dash almost right where the kick panels are.

On the driver side it leaks where the e-brake pedal is and on the pass side about the same spot from under the dash. Thoughts?


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Hot_Rod said:


> Well It rained again today and I see where it leaks now (or at least see where it goes) And it leaks on both sides, from under the dash almost right where the kick panels are.
> 
> On the driver side it leaks where the e-brake pedal is and on the pass side about the same spot from under the dash. Thoughts?


That sure sounds like a cowl/windshield leak to me. Water's going to tend to run "downhill" to a low spot and then drip down.

Bear


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## ppurfield001 (Jan 21, 2008)

russosborne said:


> It's your car, you are the one who needs to be happy with it.
> 
> Cowls are very bad for leaks on these. The area that the lower windshield sits in on my 70 looks like swiss cheese. The main part is perfect. Go figure.
> Hopefully yours isn't so bad.
> ...



If you have to repair or replace the cowl, don't forget to replace the "shock absorber" pieces on which the cowl sits. Mine got old, lost flexibility and caused a very annoying "creaking" noise that sounded like it was coming from the right side of the dashboard. The "creaking" was eliminated when the "shock absorbers" were replaced. Good luck.


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## 69Goatee (Aug 14, 2009)

I had the same leak on the drivers side of my 69. The lower cowl area was full of years of dirt, leaves and crap. It was higher than vent blockoff plate (A/C car), and when it rained the water would pour in through the plate. The rocker drains were also plugged, so water would set in there too. I had to replace the drivers side floor where the seam is, and the front inside of the rocker next to the frame.


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

Damn.. Can someone somehow demonstrate how they fixed this or where I need to look to fix it? I looked at the cowl and I dont see anyway of access to flush out the stuff if there is indeed something in there clogging it up.


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## 69Goatee (Aug 14, 2009)

The best way to get to the bottom of the cowls without taking the fenders off is to remove the plasic kick panel covers. Behind them on the drivers side is a plate behind the e-brake assembly, and on the passenger side, the plate had a vacuum diaphram attached to it (A/C car). Take these plates out and you can get the crap out, paint and drill larger drain holes in the bottom. Just be careful not to drill through the fender. If you unbolt the e-brake and move it out of the way it makes the drivers side much easier.


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## Hot_Rod (Feb 10, 2011)

Thanks I'll def try that. See what I can find.


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