Leaking Roof

[Ken Heaton]

Hello all,
The roof of my Series III is leaking rain, the drips fall on my dashboard directly in line with the ribs on the roof. So I guess the ribs are letting water get in underneath the edges and it runs down the ribs and then somehow gets under the roof and falls on the upper dash.

Does anyone have any suggestions to stop this?:confused:

[galen211]

Ken,

Is it leaking or is condensation forming on the inside? I don't know if you have a headliner in there, but on my old red truck the roof was bare and condensation would form in there then drip down. I don't think there is a way for water to leak in. The ribs are separate of the roof sheet and welded on.

[crazyfish]

Mine leaked from the edge that had separated and ran inside the channel to the front where it dripped through the holes where the bolts went through to the windscreen. I thought it was the front leaking but that was not the case. Found out it was about 5 places where the top and the top channel had separated.

[Ken Heaton]

I just looked at it again, the channels on top run the length of the flat portion of the roof, but they stop and the flat roof stops at the beginning of the curved section that bends down to the top of the windshield. The flat roof over laps the curved section and the two pieces are spot welded together. However this joint does not appear to be waterproof as there are cracks along the joint, so I think this is where the rain gets in. It leaks a lot of water. I just don't know what the fix is. I could try to seal the ribs with caulking or even welding them shut, but that is a lot of work.

[Ken Heaton]

Ken,

Is it leaking or is condensation forming on the inside? I don't know if you have a headliner in there, but on my old red truck the roof was bare and condensation would form in there then drip down. I don't think there is a way for water to leak in. The ribs are separate of the roof sheet and welded on.

It is not condensation, there is a headliner on the roof and it only happens when it is raining. It is too much water for condensation.

[Tom109]

Ken,

Those external ribs are exactly that - external ribs. Even though they do not appear to have sealed junctures, they don't intrude through the roof skin so there should be NO leak path. The center rib is simply spot welded to the roof panel. The left/right outer ribs cover the joint for the center and side roof skin. The hidden panel joint is folded and sealed so it's not likely they would leak unless you have visible roof damage.

The joint for leading edge panel (the curved one from the front gutter to flat roof panel) does have a seam that could benefit from both external and internal sealant. But as Sean pointed out - the most likely cause is the roof to gutter joint. I was preparing to rebuild my roof when I found another roof that appeared to be in much "better" shape. Turns out that one was just as bad at the roof/gutter joint so I separated, cleaned, prepped, sealed and re-riveted it back together. I used 3M 5200 marine adhesive and something like 171 semi-tubular rivets.

Tom P.

[rvrsrvc]

If I recall, KC blasted the roof as well as the body- walnut shells on the aluminum I think- but I doubt he seperated the front and rear panels. Wonder if the blasting removed enough sealant to cause an issue? Is this a new development?

[Tom109]

Ken,

Did you fix the leak? You're welcome to come inspect the construction/re-sealing of my roof before final paint and headlining go on...

Tom P.
Frenchtown, NJ

[Ken Heaton]

I think it is fixed, those ribs are not just external. They cover a seam in the roof panel between the flat top piece and the curved side. I took down the headliner and parked the vehicle in the rain. After awhile I was able to see the spot that was leaking, so I filled it with caulking.:p

Ken