COWL DRAIN TUBE FLANGE

[RICH MUISE]

This is a cheap nice touch. It's a plumbing pipe floor flange...about 2.50...chrome but probably won't last long..a coat of clearcoating should help that though. the flange is made to go over 1 1/4 od pipe..the size of the drain tube. Also used a 1 1/4 id 1/4"thick rubber washer under the flange to take up the space and apply a little pressure on the drain tube I drilled 2 holes for a #6 screw, and dimpled them with a large center punch for the flat heads.

[57tudor]

Rich.

Here is some food for thought. When I was restoring my car 15 years ago, I wanted to do something to drain the water directly to the ground because as most 57 owners have experienced the common rust through problem at the lower fender area caused by trapped moist mud in there. I replaced both rubber tubes and sealed with undercoat. Then I soldered some copper fittings together, smeared some silicone inside the rubber drains and inserted the copper fittings in place. I used plastic zip ties to secure them in place and to eliminate the possible chance of any hose clamps rusting. Then I used some scrap hose we had left over from a job at work and ran the hose down and through the body mounts on each side. I?m not using the inner fender wells in my car, but if you are, you can just run a short hose to the inner fender well to exit the water to the ground in that manner. I plan to do this to Bob?s 57 when we get it back from paint and start the assembly.
Just food for thought.

Rick.
57 Tudor.

[RICH MUISE]

I like the copper tube idea..I had already been looking at small dia radiator hoses that had a tight 90 degree bend already in it. I agree the cars would be better with a drain tube..I'm surprised ford didn't design it that way. Particularly if plans include running some engine management wiring thru the side cowl.
Rick..speaking of water dispersing stuff,you don't happen to have a pattern of the aluminum shield you had made, and posted pics of a few months ago,for inside the fenders by any chance?
Also, you had mentioned the trapped mud problem...what do you think of the expandable foam stuff you use around the house in between the fender and inner brace? Do you think the foam would be strong enough when it expands to distort the sheetmetal? The inside surface of my fenders are por-15'd and undercoated, but keeping the mud out of that area to begin with couldn't hurt.

[Zapato]

Rich, use the minimum expanding foam made to use around windows and doors. The regular stuff probably would cause warpage. I used it around a door frame on a home improvement project and thought nothing of it. Then the next couldn't hardly open the door. Lots of strength in those cans.

Zap-

[57tudor]

Rich.

Speaking of water dispersing stuff,you don't happen to have a pattern of the aluminum shield you had made, and posted pics of a few months ago,for inside the fenders by any chance?

The aluminum shield was in Bob Lee's 57 to cover his air filter for his turbo. We made a pattern of the shield and the last time I was it, it was in the trunk of his Shelby. He was just here at the house so I'll drop a dime on him and have him respond to this post.

I'm not to hep on spray foams. I was in the RV biz for 20 years before going to work for Cummins Power generation and have seen foam hold water because it is poris. I have also seen spray foams do very well when it was painted over after curing. A good point was made, if you choose to use a spray foam, don't over do it, it can be very damaging.

Rick
57 Tudor

[57AGIN]

Rich & Anyone Interested in the Inside the Fender Splash Shield:

Wonder of wonders, I was actually able to find the pattern, had to clean the trunk of my Shelby for a car show and had stored it with my miscellaneous 57 parts.  Back when the original photos were posted one of the readers contacted me off line and asked for a pattern and sure enough I lost his name and address.  But I still have the pattern.  Rick and I are fortunate to live out on the Left Coast where we don't have to contend with salted roads, but the splash shields might be a good idea anyway.  I'm thinking about doing another one for my passenger side just to keep water, mud & rocks out of that side, too.  Here are a couple of shots of the shield again so you don't have to hunt around in the archives.

Bob
57 AGIN

[Zapato]

wonder what expanding foam they use for flotation aid in canoes and boats, they're obviously done in place. many moons ago in high school shop class we got to play with styrofoam. a two part process and an amazing amount of expansion. if my memory is right it got rather warm as the chemical reaction took place. not hot enough to ignite anything but hot enough you didn't want to hold the cup. but it may have been another expanding filler that had the heat I remember.

going to do some online research on styrofoam.

Zap-

[RICH MUISE]

I guess the foam is probably not a good idea...upon thinking about it, something that keeps water out will also keep water in anyways..even not considering the fact that the foam may absorb water.  Rich

[Zapato]

there are 2 basic types of foam. open or closed cell. closed cell is what's used in home insulation. its skins over and doesn't absorb water or moisture. open cell not sure what its used for will trap and hold moisture.

Zap-