’69 Barracuda Exhaust Water Leak

tleed, you have a common problem. I removed the trim rings, cleaned the rings and the fiberglass and sealed with 3M 5200. Do not use this stuff. I discovered after I completed the task that 5200 is way too permanent. I will most likely never get my trim rings off again (in one piece). I think 3M makes a slighlty less permanent sealant called 4800. Maybe some others will chime in and give some opinions. There are some good body guys around here somewhere.

Right. You are on the right track. That is if your problem is the cavaties around the exhaust pipes fill up with water whenever you put your boat in the water. This was the problem I was having.

Guys,.....I'm not sure that those "trim" rings aren't there for just that purpose. You should have the thru-hull penetration sealed completely to waterproof the hull. Depending on the boat age, many of the older thru-hull stainless or copper pipes were also scored and glassed to the hull on the inside of the transom. If you've ever had a real problem getting them out, this can be the reason. The original caulking gets/got somewhat brittle over time and I'm sure can let water in and especially if not sealed on the inside as well. So make sure you're sealed well there. But another source of water will typically be the rubber exhaust hoses near the transom by the hose clamps. If the cavities around the hoses still have foam in them you won't see the water exiting the hoses as it just permeates thru the foam. The combination of 30+ years of water infiltration in the foam surrounding the hoses and hardware on the hose clamps (which does rust) tends to rot and crack the hose over time. So in a 60's boat, that would be my guess if sealing the thru-hull doesn't fix it. This was exactly the problem with Marshall Morgan's 70 Mustang. We replaced his long runs of rotted hose with copper pipe, similar to many original CC installs, coupled with several short pieces of rubber hose, and for less cost than the reinforced hose. Hard to believe.

And Thomas, I believe I owe you a phone call as Marshall forwarded me an email from you some time ago, and asked me to call you. Sorry about that lapse. We did most of his engine work at our place and we may be able to hook you up with an intake manifold if you're still interested.

Marshall, where in nc do you live? i live in asheville i go to lake james and keowee in sc.

So if 3M 5200 is out, does that mean 3M 4800 is the goop of choice? Or is there something else?

Thomas

I have a similar problem but it's of my own making. When I pulled the trans I had to raise the back of the engine to get the trans out. This put a tug on the exhaust hoses and one pulled off the through hull. Now I have to move the tank to get back there to get the hose in place. New clamps go without saying and maybe even new hose.

J_I_H; Glad to see your post. Where've you been? We've missed your special brand of humor!....john