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Convertible Repair

So the top of your convertible is good but somehow the floor keeps getting wet?

Not many people realize that on the modern convertibles, rain that comes off the back of the top is actually diverted into the frame of the car. In the older convertibles like a MGB the Soft Top sat on top of the body and the water ran down the outside of the car.

So what does this mean to you?

The water that goes into the frame of the car is supposed to come out drain holes in the rockers (Rockers are the sections of metal that run under the doors and which you normally jack the car up against to change a tire). If for some reason it does not (which is quite common as not only rain ends up in the frame but bits of leaves, pollen etc as well) or it comes out slower than anticipated by the car designers, then the water will start to collect. On the Outside of your car, the rockers look like solid pieces of metal but on the inside where the carpet is, they are full of holes. As that water backs up it will then start to come out the inside holes in the rockers and this is what leads to soaking wet carpets.

Some people, before the problem had been fixed, have reported hearing sloshing sounds (like a half empty jug of milk being shaken) as they drive around. This is the sound of water collected in the rockers.

How do you fix it?

Good news is that the fix is very simple. You need to look along the rockers of the car and find the drain holes. Then get a blunt nail, Hard Tubing, End of Metal Coat Hanger or something similar that will fit in the holes and stick it part way into the holes. Your objective here is to clear the holes so that the water will come out. In one case I watched a Miata drain for 5 minutes, using a nail to keep the hole open for as the water drained, more junk came down and tried to block it. Once you feel confident that you have cleared the holes and the current water has been drained, try running a hose over the top and see if a good flow of water comes out of the now emptied rockers.








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