hello community

[romeo_30906]

hi alll intro myself i am a proud owner of a 1976 280z that i inherited from my grandfather when he did it was a one owner car i had been after it a while but need less to say yes i love z's but i now own 2 of them same year and model the one i drive is alll origanl only had 5000 miles on it and the one i fixed up in the avatar is one i took out a junk yard as soon as the other comes from paint i will post new pics and thanks for acceptance to your community this was a complete restoration on this one alot alot alot of raust but she look like new now all left is the floor pans when they get in but i got a leak and cant find it when it rains water drips on my leg on the driver side any one can figure what it is

[agemeansnothing]

Hello and welcome to the club I also am a proud 1976 280Z, nice looking car and please post pics.

[whew41]

hey remeo where are u in sc I am in Fayettevile, NC

[Maddos]

Might have rusted out under grill in front of windscreen. It's pretty easy to remove and check, had mine off last week and only found surface rust luckily.

I've also heard of the plate which bolts to your firewall (can't remember what runs through it)which is sealed with a kind of silicon leaking.

[EScanlon]

You need to be more specific on "water drips on my leg on the driver side".

Is it only in the lower calf area? Is it in the knee area? Ankles?

That would help bring the area down to a generalized area.

Possible problems:

Whale Tail weatherstrip rubber is too hard and not making proper seal with the door frame. Could also be that the door isn't adjusted in the opening properly and the water gets past it.

Door Weatherstrip could be mounted incorrectly and not making pressure.

Windshield Weatherstrip gasket mounted incorrectly and / or torn / cracked allowing leak past windshield frame.

Cowl Drain Tube could be cracked and / or missing. Cowl Bucket could be rusted through.

Fresh Air Vent plenum could be holed.

FWIW

Enrique

[EScanlon]

You mentioned Lower Calf in a PM (I'm putting it here so that others may benefit also).

With that being the area I would first look at the Cowl Drain Tube, and then the Windshield Gasket.

The Cowl Drain Tube enters the passenger cabin at a point closest to the kick panel, and just aft of the Fresh Air Vent Valve. That's the funny looking 90° rubber cone at the very front and top of the kick panel. The Drain Tube on the other hand, has the metal sleeve projecting from the Cowl Bucket, to which it connects and then effects it's 90° curve before exiting the cabin out through the kick panel. If that rubber tube is cracked or mis-placed, the cowl will drain onto your feet. (Same thing on the passenger side.)

If it's the Windshield Gasket, that may be a bit more involved. First off, it's going to be hard to determine exactly WHERE it's leaking. It could be leaking at one corner and traveling several inches before it drips. So look and examine carefully to determine if it is indeed the windshield gasket.

I'm not a fan of just lifting the edge and squishing silicone into the space between body and gasket as I think it causes more problems later than it's worth. I would remove the dash, in order to remove the windshield AND gasket without tearing/breaking either one. If you happen to have a new gasket, simply cut out the old and remove the windshield. Then look for rust and other signs of the water having broached the seal. Address whatever rust damage is there and also look at whether it was a bad gasket fit or a bad gasket or.... and fix that.

These are the main ones for a leak in that area. Let us know what you find.

Enrique

[romeo_30906]

one othe rthing this only happens when i wash the car or when it rains i am sorry i for got to mention