Foam Drain Tray Lessons Learned

[Kerchew]

Maurice suggested I post my 'lessons learned' from the experiences I had with my recently acquired 98 hobby car, specifically an issue I'd had with the foam drain tray in the soft top compartment.

If any of you have read articles here pertaining to checking and maintaining the integrity of the drain tray (making sure it has no rips or tears), believe what you read! The previous owner of my car was not much of a detail guy and when he unhooked the relevant cables and arms that allow the top to function he left them dangling. As a result the integrity of the foam drain tray was compromised resulting in water migrating into the cabin of the car. Fortunately several factors limited the resulting severity of the situation;

1. The water that ended up in the cabin was not very much. (That was just shear luck)

2. The foam under the carpet under the drivers seat soaked up what water did enter and as a result did not contaminate the black box.

3. What water was there was not there very long. (whew)

Lessons learned

1. Feel under the carpet when checking for water. The carpet is plastic backed and you won't feel any water when checking just the carpet surface.

2. Check the foam tray with a flashlight in every nook and cranny. Inspect every suspicious surface anomaly. Make note of them and inspect very closely when found to ensure a complete penetration does not exist.

3. From your findings determine the condition of the drain tray overall. Is a whole new tray warranted or will some minor plugging/patching suffice? (In this case patching and silicone did the trick.)

4. Test for integrity of the tray after repair or replacement has been undertaken.

5. Make sure the drain holes are clear.

6. Drying the cabin out under the seats is a royal pain!

7. Make drain tray inspection a regular part of your regime.

Fortunately for me it was caught very early with no real damage resulting. The beast is once again high and dry and the drain tray functioning as it should.

Now I can get back to the top issues!

Thanks Maurice for all your help.