When I drove my 52 to NC a few weeks ago I ran into a very very heavy rain and my cowl vent leaked like crazy. It has a new seal so when I got back from the trip I looked at it and it was not pushed back far enough to seal properly so I took it loose (PITA!) and used weatherstrip sealer and pushed it back right where it needs to be and adjusted the vent lever so It closes tight. It still leaks, but not as bad. Do you think the vent is bent? It comes in on the rear corners. What should I do with this dumb thing?

 

MIne used to leak and I found that the new seals are a little tall, so the front doesn't quite close as tight as the back.

when I glued my seal in I left the vent cover off for a couple days to let the seal dry in place. I also used a couple of washers in the mounting screws -like shims - to change the angle of the vent lid (lift it in the back 1/16 inch). It seals fine now.