holes under car

Randy Webb · 09-01-2004, 08:25 PM

There are two open holes on the underside of my 1973. Both are about 1/4" dia. - and both area several inches from the outer edge. One seems to open up in the rocker area near the driver footwell. The other one is on the passenger side and further to the rear.

I think I can find some rubber plugs under the car that seen=m to be plugging up holes that are symmetric to the open ones.... however, a mechanic told me he thought they were drain holes and supposed to be open.

Anybody know for sure? And.... if they should be plugged any ideas on how to search for them in the maddening Pelican database? Or a p/n?

BTW - these are not near the front drain holes with the rubber 'flattened soda=straw" drain tubes nor near the same tubes for the tailights.

Porschekid962 · Porschekid962's Garage

are they towards the rear of the car from the steering rack cover? could be the drain hole for the fresh air box. all i can think of.

Randy Webb · 09-01-2004, 09:57 PM

one is about even with the fron of the driver's seat & the other is further back - in the rear seat area (or off to the side of it)

so, no, they can't be for that.

jazzbass · 09-01-2004, 09:59 PM

My car (85) has two drain holes in the rocker area that drains the water from the area between the door and the fender. You can see the top of this area when you open a door. On my sunroof car, each side has a drain tube from the sunroof that drains into this area. Does this sound like what you have?

Randy Webb · 09-01-2004, 10:03 PM

I'm not sure - these are probably in the rocker area (stripped the carpet on Driver's side and no holes) also it's pretty close to the edge of the body.

Also, I do have a sunroof. ....

Sounds like I should start making some measurements to locate exactly where they would come up....

What gets me is that they aren't symmetrical across the centerline of the body - side to side. Seems like a "functional" hole would come in pairs...

midlife · 11-01-2004, 08:42 AM

Any conclusion on whether the holes should be plugged?

I am in the middle of stripping the undercoat off the belly pan, and want to know whether to plug the holes. Also there is a row of holes down the center, some of which have rubber plugs. The plugs appear to have a small hole in the center. Does anyone know of a source for these plugs?

Another puzzle is the raised pads with a metal flap on them. Should these be sealed? Are they access points, or drains?

project935 · 11-01-2004, 08:58 AM

If the holes/flaps aren't down low enough to be an effective drain (ie. at the bottom edge of the rocker) they aren't going to be drains.

They could be holes from a previous rustproofing application - drill hole, insert tube, squirt away.

They could also be vents - to allow airflow into closed off sections of the body structure to aid in air drying. A 1/4" hole is too small for that ... typically they are larger slots or flaps.

Randy Webb · 11-01-2004, 10:27 AM

Thanks for the thoughts..... Who has a concours car and can compare?

These holes are 1/4" in dia. At least one has a matching hole on the other side of the car -- AND that one has a rubber plug in it.

We are in the rainy season now -- I don't know whether I should seal the holes to keep water out, or leave them open to let water (or vapor) drain out or to keep open for ventilation.....

Crowbob · 11-01-2004, 10:38 AM

Do you have A/C? If the A/C system was removed, the holes could be where the A/C hoses were bolted to the undercarriage.

midlife · 11-01-2004, 11:26 AM

I don't know if there was any AC on these cars back in '69. There is a large drain pipe up near the front. I wonder if it is an exhaust pipe for the optional gas fired heater.

Randy Webb · 11-01-2004, 11:32 AM

No A/C -- these holes are not in a location where A/C would be. They are both behind the driver -- one is where the left hand side of the driver's seat would end. The other is where a passenger might sit on the RH side of the car in back.