Rainstorm

[calSRQ]

Well I've been lucky avoiding afternoon showers the past month...until today. Got slammed in a Florida squall...the 2-3 inches in 20 minutes horizontal-blowing my-god-lets-build-an-ark type of rain. So I learned a couple things, and have a generally positive report on my new Rod Tops soft top.

1. Prior owner said car had never been in the rain. Well, that was good..except found a few undiscovered leaks, including one major problem- windshield posts (where they go through body) are not sealed. Water poured in through there, down the frame and ran right into the fuse box mounted in drivers left side foot box also found a couple places water came through the seal at bottom of windshield glass.

2. Instructions for soft top (and video) said 10 minutes to install top. On side of road with black wall and lightning approaching I'm happy to report under 10 minutes is possible - but just barely.

3. Top was great- would have been outstanding if I would have put the windows in the trunk this morning They are still safe and dry in the garage where the cobra should have been...even though the top kept out a lot of water, I still managed to get about a gallon out of the carpet with the wet vac at home. Fans running all night on the car so should be dry tomorrow.

4. And there is some Murphy's-law corollary about not finding any overpass or gas station when you really need it.

Even though I hated to get the interior wet- it was still fun and looks like no real harm done. Was a little tense driving on wet roads for the first time, but was able to pull over for the worst if it. sitting at a light in the rain a guy rolled his window down and gave me a thumbs up. Even wet and cold I'd rather be driving the cobra than my other car !

[fordracing65]

Great story, sorry about the rain, but you handled it well. I would have cried...

[mdross1]

When building our car addressed as many ways water could find it's way in as possible with top and side curtains on including windshield and posts. When car was finished gave it a good wash realized it would be next to impossible to stop it all. So took the carpets out did floors in spray truck bed liner drilled a couple drain holes under each seat.Also added wipers with heat and defrost, problem solved.Bring it on Mother Nature.

[Clois Harlan]

I have told this story before but wife and I had the Cobra out to dinner on spring day and it started sprinkling so we headed for the house. Got caught second car back at a stop light when the heavens opened up. No top and to make things worse wife was wearing a dress made of gauze type material. The irony once the light changed we drove across the 8 lanes of east west traffice an 200' beyond that intersection there wasn't a drop of rain anywhere. We got a big laugh out of it as did those folks settiing in their cars all nice and dry.

Since that wasn't the first time I had been caught in a rain event I had drilled a couple holes in my floor to allow the water to drain out. I also had sprayed Rhino liner in the floor panels as well. Stuff happens and you just need to laugh about it and go on.