Fix For My Leaky 1009 Fiberglass Cap Antenna Holes

[ssdvc]

Don't know if anyone else was having this issue or needed a fix, but I'll post mine just in case.

OK, I kept getting more and more water in my 09 every time it rained. This last deluge left me with quite the puddle on the floor in front of the rear seats. With the cold weather here it was fogging up mine interior and making a mess of things. I finally had the time to sit in my truck during a down pour a few weeks ago and found a lot of the water was coming in through the two antenna holes on the sides of the fiberglass top. There were some type of plug in each side, but each was different and each of them leaked.

I tried for a week to locate a suitable plug/cover to fit the hole securely, but was not successful. Yesterday, I went to a TruValue here in CT, as I read they were selling an 18v cordless drill for $9.95 (they were, they still are, and yes, I got two). Anyway, while I was there I decided to check out their nuts and bolts section. I noticed they carried rubber stoppers. I asked if I could take a few different sizes out to my truck to see if any fit the hole.

The part is as follows:
52036-C
Rubber Stopper #6
1-1/4" top diameter

Oh yeah, the cost is $1.20 per plug. CHEAP !

I purchased a few of them and installed 2, using a little black weather stripping adhesive around each plug and tapping them in so that the top if the plug is now flush with the exterior surface. A nice, cheap and watertight fix for that antenna hole. A good scuff and you could paint right over it.

I also drilled one out for an experiment to see if I could run an antenna cable through the center, while retaining watertight integrity ....no problems !!

Plug on !!

 

[ssdvc]

That works too! However, if you want to remove and reuse these plugs all you do is tap them out and start again. Totally reusable.

 

[Anubis8472]

That't the same stopper I just picked up yesterday at the hardware store.
With the exception of course that I picked up one size too large.

Tried all the auto parts places and no one has proper grommets anymore.

They all have the same 3 open 1/8" through grommet sizes.

Used to be a murry's down the street that was huge. They pretty much had everything, on hand no less. Now that oriely's has taken them all over they are nothing more than a tiny autozone clone. It's comical to walk in there now. Theres a tiny parts selection in one corner, then the rest of the vast building is filled with 'displays'. For ex. there's a 12X12' diplay with devider walls filled with posters and a center display with the one edelbrock intake that all parts stores have. But this is all off-topic.

What I thought would be the best option was a rubber expansion plug.
It's a rubber plug with a bolt through it and a 'wing-nut' on one end that expands to seal the hole. Similar to what you would find in a boat drain plug, or the old temporary fix for a stripped oil pan plug. Temporary, easy, removable, re-usable. But nobody carries those anymore either. Might have luck at a marina.

 

[ryan77]

I filled mine with bondo sanded smooth and painted!!!

 

[ssdvc]

I filled mine with bondo sanded smooth and painted!!!

I was thinking of doing that, but I am looking at using the antenna so the hole will come in handy.

 

[combatmech]

I pluged mine with the following.....
P/N's
Cap plug
CEC-18
MS90376-18RB
NAS831-18C
The cap plug website doesnt sell one or two sadly, perfect fit with some RTV applied keeps the rain out A-Ok
They are plastic ESD caps, it would be easy to drill a hole for an antenna wire.