Door drainage hole problems!

[Bigcatfrankie]

I have just finished refurbishing the passenger door on my 2+2 as the bottom of the door needed re-plating due to terrible rust. (Driver's door to be shortly removed and similarly dealt with!)
The rust problem appears to have been caused by rainwater entering the drainage hole at the front of the door and running down an internal pipe to the base of the door, where there is no outlet.........it just puddles inside the base of the door, hence the rust!
Has anyone managed to combat this problem? Making an outlet at the bottom of the door is not a solution as the water would run straight into the car, filling the footwells!

Tim
1970 S2 2+2 (plus 1965 Austin Healey 3000, since 2007)

[mgcjag]

Hi...the bottom of your doors should have drain holes...these then have a shrouds fitted that press up against the lower seal on the body...so water drains to the outside of the seal and not into the car....many cars have had these removed or lost over the years.....shroud shape depends on car model......can you please try to put your name and model in the signature area if possible.....Steve viewtopic.php?t=4412

[JerryL770]

The drain shrouds are shown here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4412&p=90723&hilit= ... ain#p90723

but the part number listed for them is wrong. They are now not available from SNGB here:

https://www.sngbarratt.com/uk/#!/Englis ... d1182aed49

part number being BD 20878

I got one as a pattern to make enough for both doors as I get wet sills when out in the rain.

[mgcjag]

In the link i posted above there is a photo of the shroud from my S2 2+2.. different shape to others shown on different models.....Steve

[Bigcatfrankie]

Very helpful......thanks Jerome and Steve.
As that whole bottom corner of the door was missing on my car I had no way of telling where the water went!
All strikes me as being a bit Heath Robinson though..........if that drainage slot gets blocked then the bottom of the door will suffer, which is more than likely what happened in my case! I doubt very much whether German car manufacturer's at the time would have come up with the same solution! It seems a very complex over-engineered answer to a very simple problem. It might work fine while the car is relatively new but after a few years it could well cause major problems.
My answer, (particularly now that I have finished plating the bottom of the door!) would be to thread a smaller diameter flexible plastic tube inside the existing rubber drain tube, (glued in place at the top) and leave it protruding 10mm through a hole drilled through the bottom of the door, as close as possible to the outer door skin. It would then compress slightly when the door is closed but not enough to stop the flow of water. Ok it might not be able to cope with a heavy downpour and it might offend the "Originality Officianado's" but I feel sure it would work far more effectively and also save long-term corrosion of the bottom of the door.

[mgcjag]

The rubber tube drains water from the forward edge of the door channel....what about water that gets down the side of the windows....as for German manufacturers. My 300sl had drain tubed that just drained into the cills....guess what...they rotted out very well.. .Steve

[265bhp]

Drain holes are still the way to deal with water ingress on modern cars...the problem really with the early E type doors is that the rubber weather seal is more or less on the outside surface of the door leaf, and not the inside...my 1974 911 has the same system as the EType...but the seal is inboard...allowing a less obstructed exit route....although the drain hole is in pretty much the same position

Before you assemble you doors carefully spray wax oil or similar product within the door cavity...that will make a positive difference in preventing corrosion

As for the holes blocking up you could use an air hose and compressor or an aerosol can or air up into the holes yearly...

Best
Jonathan

[Bigcatfrankie]

Thanks folks...........all very helpful.
I was going to Waxoyl the bottoms of the doors as a matter of course though I doubt they would rot through in my lifetime!

[mgcjag]

So long as you realise that with no drain holes the doors will just hold water....Steve

[Bigcatfrankie]

Thanks Steve...............no, I was going to put a couple of drain holes in

[PeterCrespin]

So long as you realise that with no drain holes the doors will just hold water....Steve

And small tubes block much faster than big ones. One little spider nest or plant seed will do it. Jaguar had been building car bodies for thirty years by the time they chose the door tubes...

[Series1 Stu]

Surface tension will prevent a water droplet passing through a tube of less than about 6mm diameter. That is, until there is sufficient head pressure to force it through.

Ensure any holes are at least 7mm diameter or, better still, rectangular with no side smaller than 6mm. Doing so will stop water standing where you don't want it.

Regards