Denis
New member
I am Denis...
I have read all regarding drilling for the install of the drain tube available....I did not read much about specific details of drilling, or whether anyone considered it a mistake; only a few posted 'having had experience' and those few made it sound very simple...it is not so..unless you appreciate my own experience...Here it is...
I have a 1988 Anniversary Edition with 7800 original miles: is this special or what? I bought it in 'Feb. 2013 with 4100 original miles and I believe the dealer that sold me the car "let this one go" because he now had same one " Never Been Titled"= 0 miles or close to it....Now, how special is that??
So, for those scared to install the drain...I say: the action of drilling does not make your car any less than what it is, even when you consider rare or special...providing you consider these details from my experience:
1- First, someone had mentioned to drill one inch from the corner, and although I had read that, I felt the drain would be more effective right in the corner, in order to not leave any water whatsoever left after a rain...because the very corner is the lowest point...
HOWEVER, IN THE CORNER....I drilled over 1 inch down and I still was drilling half aluminum/steel and fiberglass, but could not punch thru, and the angle was too much towards the interior of the car rather than along the fender...
2- Second...I drilled .....a little more than one inch away, and I hit the mounting bracket of the rear window cylinder....NO GOOD!
3- Third hole, I drilled exactly as per the picture, center of it no more than one inch away from corner, and just a little bit off the 90 degree ( what I would call the canal where the water sit/travels) , exactly as per the picture, with a tiny drill bit first ...to ensure I would punch thru...and BINGO...I did punch thru, and then I slowly increased(twice) the bit size up to 5/16"...and then I used fiberglass epoxy to refill the other two holes, using a little of this epoxy to seal the new tube as well....
Even though I had drilled two wasted holes, I filled them with "better" than what was there before, and I am convinced I have actually increased the functionality of my car, by adding something the original engineers should have had there in the first place...
PS: I agree that sucking the water after a wash is not the complete answer, because it is not only car wash water, but plain rain water that get's drained...as it should...and one would ever know...that this job was not done by GM itself....good as new!
I am glad I did it...my 'baby' is better than before!
denis
I have read all regarding drilling for the install of the drain tube available....I did not read much about specific details of drilling, or whether anyone considered it a mistake; only a few posted 'having had experience' and those few made it sound very simple...it is not so..unless you appreciate my own experience...Here it is...
I have a 1988 Anniversary Edition with 7800 original miles: is this special or what? I bought it in 'Feb. 2013 with 4100 original miles and I believe the dealer that sold me the car "let this one go" because he now had same one " Never Been Titled"= 0 miles or close to it....Now, how special is that??
So, for those scared to install the drain...I say: the action of drilling does not make your car any less than what it is, even when you consider rare or special...providing you consider these details from my experience:
1- First, someone had mentioned to drill one inch from the corner, and although I had read that, I felt the drain would be more effective right in the corner, in order to not leave any water whatsoever left after a rain...because the very corner is the lowest point...
HOWEVER, IN THE CORNER....I drilled over 1 inch down and I still was drilling half aluminum/steel and fiberglass, but could not punch thru, and the angle was too much towards the interior of the car rather than along the fender...
2- Second...I drilled .....a little more than one inch away, and I hit the mounting bracket of the rear window cylinder....NO GOOD!
3- Third hole, I drilled exactly as per the picture, center of it no more than one inch away from corner, and just a little bit off the 90 degree ( what I would call the canal where the water sit/travels) , exactly as per the picture, with a tiny drill bit first ...to ensure I would punch thru...and BINGO...I did punch thru, and then I slowly increased(twice) the bit size up to 5/16"...and then I used fiberglass epoxy to refill the other two holes, using a little of this epoxy to seal the new tube as well....
Even though I had drilled two wasted holes, I filled them with "better" than what was there before, and I am convinced I have actually increased the functionality of my car, by adding something the original engineers should have had there in the first place...
PS: I agree that sucking the water after a wash is not the complete answer, because it is not only car wash water, but plain rain water that get's drained...as it should...and one would ever know...that this job was not done by GM itself....good as new!
I am glad I did it...my 'baby' is better than before!
denis
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