Morris Minor Owners Club

I have a problem with a wet carpet/floorpan after rainfall - through standing, not necessarily driving (rear drivers side footwell) in our (new to us) '67 traveller. The car is nice and sound, no chassis holes, good wood. Any ideas on curing this waterleak anyone ? All advice much appreciated

I believe that the traveller can give trouble from a leaking
roof joint. The water gets down the 'B' pillar and collects
on the floor. Worth investigating with some sealer? The
usual rear leakage is via holes in the floor! I seem to recall
too that the side window channels can need cleaning out.

mmmm ... ive got the same leaks here and there in my traveller, ive had the floor welded recently so i want to sort it out asap. i think the only way of doing it is to take out the interior trim timbers and sit inside with someone throwing buckets of water at the car. great fun on a sunny day like today. then hopefully we can see where its getting in and plug the holes with sealant.

my timbers are due for a sand down and ill probly do all the sealant at the same time. i dont like using the plastic car cover i got to keep it dry, im sure it will only rOt all the quicker, but ive got to keep it dry as much as i can inside so the floor doesnt go rusty again !!

another place that is important to check is the guttering make sure its fully watertight, otherwise water will go down the nails that hold it to the roof timber and rot it from the inside.

hope you find all your leaks.
grainger

Thanks to you both for your ideas and suggestions. I shall give them my attention ASAP. Any futher ideas anyone?
Sounds like we're at the same stage Grainger! I've got woodwork to clean up too. Similar thoughts to you re:car cover- the last thing we really want is to trap moisture.
Incidentally, when you tidy the wood up, what do you use to lighten the grain where it has gone darker (not rot, just the normal flecks). And another burning question; what to protect the wood with? oil (if so what type) or yacht varnish?? So many questions!!

well the timber is sposed to be a yearly job, and at the cost of replacement when its gone i want to make it last as long as possible ... so i was going to sand it all off first, the last owner has used some dark brown stuff called sadolin which looks like its concealing some staining. when its all rubbed off i can see a bit about 1/2" deep thats soft along one side at the top (thats why i said about the gutter !!) so i reckon that will be ok to rub out a bit, then get a load of clear cuprinol in there and when its dry fill it with some exterior wood filler. then soak at least two coats of clear cuprinol into it all over before varnishing with yacht varnish.

ive heard you can also get linseed oil onto the timber before varnishing to give it extra extra protection, but i think id have to try it out first, it might make it difficult to get the varnish to stick ...

and i suppose its a matter of replacing all the rough sealant BEFORE i varnish it.

im not sure about bleaching the timber to get rid of dark patches, its bound to damage the fibres of the wood a bit isnt it ?

... and after all that id expect it to last more than a year the rabbit hutch i made only gets cuprinolled every three years and it hasnt rotted anywhere .

cheers
grainger

I wish you well with that lot Grainger. A bit of TLC spent now will no doubt go a long way. I've spent a couple of hours this evening with a tin of dum-dum re-sealing the mid-roof seal, gutter and calking the timbers in the vicinity of the b-pillar. Hope this may have a beneficial effect; we shall see I suppose!
The very best of luck with your trav
Ben, Jo and our traveller, Horrace

hi
being a joiner and cabinet maker.
2 part industrial bleach ( thats what we use) will not damage the fibres on ash framing.
we use it a lot on oak.

Thats useful info with your background Dennis. I take it that is 2 parts bleach : 1 water (?)
Regards
Ben

That sounds useful Dennis could you give more info & how it should be used and what make etc.
Also as recommended by our branch Grand Master Traveller, do not use Polyurethane or Marine varnish as they blister easily use either something like Burgess Varnish or a 2 part Dulux Varnish that consists of a primer coat before the top coats.
But after cleaning up the woodwork brush in a few coats of clear Cuprinol as this will soak into the wood and preserve it longer and it does not leave any form of staining.
As for the water leaks if you have one in the front the often overlooked one is the grommet under the Wiper spindle cover and unless the wipers have been apart this will probably still be the original one and causes a drip under the dash that will invariably run along another part before going on the floor and will not appear to be coming from the spindle, to check its a head under the dash and someone else with the watering can on the outside.

Thanks Kevin
Cuprinol idea sounds sensible. A visit to Homebase is called for, I feel.
I hope I have found my water leak!! Sat in the of the car during a heavy shower on Friday, water came in and dripped at the waist rail, down to footwell; appears to be caused by distortion of the vertical felt on that side (B-post end). I have temporarily plugged with dum-dum and await the results!
all the best
Ben