The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop rust issues, more air flow?

My question is about vents. In an old boat I have I spend considerable time installing grills/vents in all areas trying to keep lots of air circulating. Admittedly this is not metal, normally fiberglass hatches and areas inside the structure. So now I am looking at rust issues inside the cowls and doors and wondering why we don't cut grills and vents into door posts and door frames to allow air circulation. Some of my problems are wet areas and sound deadening that just can't dry out. I live in Vancouver BC where rain is prevalent. Hoping to hear some comments about allowing air instead of sealing everything up. Thanks. Doug

Hi Doug.....good to have another Lower Mainland guy here !
You don't say what type of truck you have, but there aren't a lot of areas that allow water / moisture into the cab area. If you have leaks ( aside from actual rust penetration ), it has to be thru window or door gaskets, maybe a cowl vent or ?? Doors have small drain holes in the bottom to let out any water that gets by the gaskets on the glass. They may be rusted / plugged ?
You can purchase new rubber seals ( Steeles Rubber ) for most areas that may cure your issues. As for wet sound deadening material, you may need to start fresh once the cab is sealed up.

you're talking apples and oranges Doug, boats don't rust, they grow mold the rust you have won't be prevented by ventilating the spaces, but by keeping them dry and sealing the metal surfaces, and on the 'wet coast' that means keep it in a garage and don't drive it in the rain, especially in the winter when there's any chance de-icer has been used on the roads

the reason the cowls rust on the TF series is the air inlet grill that feeds water into the never-painted plenum feeding the interior vents, and the drain at the bottom being too small and getting plugged - the reason the door bottoms rot is the window felts wear out pretty fast, and the small drains at the bottom plug up .... it's the seams that collect the junk that starts the rust in our rain forest, sealing them well with a good rust preventing finish [epoxy primer] is your only hope

Bill

rust needs steel/iron plus moisture and air, I don't think there will be a lot of difference how the rust starts.

That Canadian Guy Holmes on Homes has you confused. They want air flow in a home to "flush" out humidity. Humidity will cause the WOOD to rot and mildew to form. In a truck or car, as has been said, needs to be sealed, as in: seam sealer, rubber, gaskets and surface coatings. Areas that can't be sealed must be drained. Airflow holes/cutouts in a metal vehicle will not prevent condensation and may just increase rust out. If holes worked, the high paid automotive engineers would have figured that out by now.

Thanks for the replies. Makes sense to me now. I need a bit more info on the air inlet (1955 Second series). I think this might be my problem as I have "top soil" in the space directly under the vent drivers side. Horrible mess. I have cut access holes to get it dried out. Should that cavity have a drain hole? This piece does not look patch panel capable. I have been warned not to do any fiberglass reconstruct so not sure how to tackle. Previous owner made a mess of it. Thanks any ideas. By the way, what exactly is the "cowl" specifically.(stupid question) as I don't know what the door post (hinge side) and the inner fender "skirt" is called exactly. I should take a picture.

yes, a pic of the damage would help, won't be 'topsoil', but very fine rust particles from the unpainted side of the metal, wetted by condensation or leakage - drying it out will only work til the next time you wash the truck or are out in the rain

the cowl is the firewall back to the "A pillar" [front door jambs] - the vent right in front of the windshield is the 'top of the cowl' - that air inlet feeds a chamber that goes both ways inside the cowl to the plenum boxes on each side under the backs of the fenders [the rear top of the fender bolts to the box], which in turn feed the kick panel outlet vents .... the bottoms of that cowl air chamber [below the side boxes] have a small drain so that water that gets in the air intake should run right out [flush from the top with a garden hose and see where it comes out] - that drain gets plugged with rust particles, road dirt, evergreen needles and leaves - you'll probably find it rotten down there

further, the lower hinge pockets are close to that air space, and in turn collect water from poor door seals [the 'dogleg' is a bad design] ... if you remove the small kick panel covers and the inner louvered vent panels you can check it all out, more so with the fenders off - any holes you cut will have to be patched, "capable" or not the assembly manual is a good reference, that whole area is a common problem for the series, the only patch panels available from the vendors are for the hinge pocket areas, the face and the pocket itself

Bill