Leaky rear glass and an idea to help dry out trunks

[rwthomas1]

Okay, I have the dreaded rear glass leak that drips into the trunk. It is noticeably worse when the temps are in the 30's which I believe is due to the rubber seal contracting in the cold. I washed the car today, to clean it and to check and see where the leaks are coming from. The water is definitely dripping off each inside corner of the rear glass channel, the section on each side directly up and behind the trunk hinges. When I pulled up the plastic trunk liner on each side I could see the water was dripping both on the outside and the inside of the liner so even if you can't see a leak from the trunk it may in fact be leaking behind the liner. I have ordered a replacement seal and will attempt the install myself. I am also considering removing the plastic trunk liner on each side and cutting away the bottom of each one to expose the steel floor in each rear wheelwell. What I am refering to is the "well" or "hole" on each side of the trunk in 123 chassis. I am thinking that by cutting away the plastic liner it will be much easier to see when leaks are occuring and also to let the moisture escape. I you were concerned about storing items in these wells on the bare steel it would be simple to line the floor of each well with Dri-deck or some other perforated plastic. It seems to me that eliminating the trapped moisture, keeping the drain holes open and replacing the seals will go a long way to keeping the trunk rust-free. Any thoughts on cutting the plastic liners? RT

mine was leaking water into the trunk. it had caused some rust along the bottom channel and had bubbled up some of the paint. the rust had to be cut out and new metal welded in. the problem was probably caused by the window removal and replacement about 10 years ago that wasn't done properly. evidently there is an art to installing these windows; the body shop that did this work had a specialist come in just to remove and install the window. you may not see rust in the bottom channel until you remove the window itself...good luck.

How in fact do you remove those pesky side liners in the trunk? Had the dardest time trying to do the left side this weekend...

[rwthomas1]

Randall,
There is a screw/clip at the rear of each panel by the tail light and another in the front behind the fuel tank cover. Once the fasteners are removed the panels can be pryed/pulled out. RT

Thanks bud, sounds like you're chipping undercoating/trunk paint regardless... I feel better now....