[reinhardtsearay]

Has anyone bought the drains to put in the corners of the rear hatch to rid of the water setting there and streaking the paint?

[Bad Karma]

It's on the list of things I want to eventually do to the car. It's just annoying how much water collects when you wash it.

[VetteAholic]

I put clear silicone at the moment. I've thought about the drain kits though. Maybe I will in the future.

[FNFast]

Bought a kit. Waiting to do the weatherstripping before installing, though.

[zapped49]

Originally Posted by reinhardtsearay

Has anyone bought the drains to put in the corners of the rear hatch to rid of the water setting there and streaking the paint?

Rather than mess with the body's integrity, I take an old chamois, roll it up like a pencil, and tuck it in that area while I tend to the rest of the car. In 5 minutes all the water is gone. Be careful not to rip the seals.

[DRMZO7]

Originally Posted by zapped49

Rather than mess with the body's integrity, I take an old chamois, roll it up like a pencil, and tuck it in that area while I tend to the rest of the car. In 5 minutes all the water is gone. Be careful not to rip the seals.

Turkey baster works well.

[todd_vette]

If you pull your inner fenders and look back up at the area from underneath you will see that there is a seam from 2 panels joining almost directly under that coner. If you go rear-ward about 3/8"-1/2" from the upright of the c-pillar and drill a hole through just behind this seam it will have zero impact on strength. Since that flat area where the water builds up is also 2 layers thick and is another seam the bonding agent in there will keep the area stronger. Even with the hole that spot will be stronger than the surrounding single thickness panel peices.
Now if you looked up where i said you will realize that a hole behind that seam will just drain water into the wheel-well area and you don't need any hose or kit. A bottle of Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails in clear ( a nail polish from the dollar store i also use as head cement for tying flies) will seal the opened fibers from ever getting water in them and hurting the panel after drilling through. It will also give you a flush to the painted surface finish, unlike any brass insert from a kit, giving better water drainage.
The sum total cost for this process, If you own a drill and bits, will be $1...Free if you swipe the ole' lady's clear nail polish. And in the end it will drain better, and as long as you keep the hole smaller than a regular pencil diameter, it will do nothing to the integrity or strength of the seams.
I hope this saves some-one from buying a kit they don't need.

[Seabee 86]

I have a stupid idea off the top of my head. Could you drill a small hole back behind the weatherstripping, but down far enough for all the water to run through?

[Tom400CFI]

Isn't that what Todd_vette just graciously shared with us??

T_V, I like your post; saves money, works.

I posted on a similar thread on another forum, w/a similar intent; rather than spending $$$ on a branded, marketed item, you could do "this" instead, for free and get the same results. I was lambasted and called a "Negative Nancy". It was sweet.

[Seabee 86]

whoops, sorry, didn't see that.