A few trips through the soup showed me the trunk isn't exactly sealed for freshness. The spare oil filter got the worst of it, and my manuals didn't fare very well either. What are your solutions for waterproofing the trunk? I have a few ideas but would like input on what actually works

While I'm at it, is there any prep work I need to do to the gascan before putting fuel in it or is it even advisable? When I took the cap off there was a thin curled band of metal at the bottom of the threads that needed trimmin', probably the last can turned on Ivan's shift...

or the first...second...third...fourth

The mount for the spare (four bolt holes) silicone. The lid leaks (boat weatherstripping) $8 Lowes.
Make sure all your plugs are in. And I had to finish a couple of bad welds.

Other than that, it's tighter than a nuns hoo hoo.

oh and for good measure put everything you carry in ammo cans. You know those are h20 proof.

Slosh some gas around in the can and call it done.....make sure the lid seals right with the rubber washer.

The trunk leakage is a PITA. I've tried an open cell weatherstripping that has the adhesive on one side (1/4" I think). It will break down over time from abrasion though. It works OK but is not the perfect solution. A closed cell product will not compress as easily and therefore makes closing the lid catch more difficult.

This is an area the factory could work on for improvement. My problem is dust infiltration from the dirt roads I live on.

Ed

Gallon sized plastic ziploc plastic bags are your friend!

There is at least one spot on the bottom of the trunk that is glaringly open to atmosphere. IIRC it's on the left side (when looking in from the right) where the contour goes over the driveshaft - I could shove a tootsie-roll through the gap if I didn't like tootsie-rolls as much as I do. I'd wager there is a similar gap on the left side . I was considering cutting a rubber mat to fit the trunk, then slathering it in monkey-snot and laying it in there. Thanks for the other tips

I have stacks of ammo cans sitting around in the gun room looking for a home... Looks like I found one.

Don't plug it, that's the drain hole!!!!

You may have a point there

Ammo cans it is!

I've resigned myself to the fact that it will leak, so as others have suggested, everything in there is in a water tight package. At some point I'll sand down the inside of the hack and put on some kind of bedliner to hopefully keep the rust at bay. If I get energetic I'll do under all the fenders and under the hack as well.

When you're done with that come on down this-a-way... I'll hand you beers and watch you work

Nice big drill bit through the bottom works wonders.....oh, you want to know how to keep it out.....

Ran out of gas the other night coming back from the hardware store which reminded me of this question. Got to a station on reserve, but noticed a sticker on the top of my gas can that says something to the effect of "not for fuel or water"

Just a CYA for Ural or...?

They're not red, vented, or certified to hold gas, so they can't tell you to use it as a gas can. I drilled a small hole in the cap, and used it for gas since 97 and haven't blown up yet. But I'm not telling you you can use it for gas.

There are larger size ziplock bags now that are made for clothing storage and other usages. Use them inside your luggage on trips and to keep manuals dry. Double the bags so that if the outer one chaffs the inner one will still keep the goodies dry and if you really need it you'll have an extra. I'm going to be painting the inside of the tube and trunk with bedliner and running a line of silicon seal around the trunk seams on the inside. My pickup bed leaks too. Silicone is handy stuff!

I guess that's why they don't have a trunk lid on a Dnepr. That space is accesed by tipping the back of the sidecar seat forward on a Dnepr. Can you do that on a Ural or is there a bulkhead in the way?

Regarding the 'Not for fuel or water' sticker, do Urals still come with the 'Dangerous to turn left or right' sticker?

Dave

My MC shared a PGR Benefit/auction with another MC and I scored a sweet old military map case for $20. Inside it had about 8 large thick plastic folded "bags" for maps which are now used for the manuals, Ural brochures, registration, etc. The rest of the crap I carry in the boot is either in the tool bag or ammo cans. I got a little 12V compressor using safety points at work, fits nicely in a .50 ammo can with a towel wrapped around it like a pig-in-blanket to keep it from rattling around in there. The other can has two bottles of water, some rags, sunscreen and some other misc. crap. The ammo can on the hack nose has a good first aid kit, my issue flashlight from the Corps, a few rags and a tire pressure gauge.

My hack backrest cannot be tipped forward because there are dogs bolted to the back which secure it in place from the inside, dunno about earlier models.

Thanks for the tip, Paul

There is a hole in the bottom of my trunk that is not plugged, and a gap in the steel on the left side as mentioned a few posts up that is now "sealed" with duct tape - seems to be holding up pretty good so far. I taped off the hole the other day to see how much of my water ingression is coming from the trunk lid and found out the answer on Tuesday - "most (if not all) of it". After the rainstorm washing it seems the trunk filled up pretty good and with the hole taped up it had nowhere to go. I'm wondering if a little fitting with a short length of flexible tubing would be a solution for drainage w/out getting a lot of water back in through there? Gotta tinker around with a solution for the hack nose as well - Spyderwife took us through a puddle last week and it was like being on the bow of a crewboat in the friggin' North Sea

Seems finding a solution for the trunk lid is gonna be my next priority.

On my 06 Patrol, the truck leaks. I reviewed 7 other Urals and they have the same problem. The truck lid does not fit. I have a friend that runs a body shop. I will have him review and repair it.

Several of the dealers USED TO install adhesive foam rubber seal material on the trunk lid and also the trunk lip on all four sides. This squishes together when the lid is closed and makes a water-tight assembly that can easily be repaired if needed for very little cost.

I have to say that my trunk stays quite dry and my old rubber seals are pretty old at this point. If I wasn't so cheap and lazy I suppose I could pull em off and replace em..... Naaahhhh.....


kermitski

You can probably find a petcock fitting as is used on compressors and other tanks easily and install it in a more or less reasonably easy place to reach. Fully seal the rest of the trunk area and close the petcock. If there is an obvious low spot in the trunk where water pools normally place the petcock there. Body shop suppliers have all sorts of weatherstripping as used on autos. I comes in many different profiles and is soft rubber with a sealed outer layer. There's bound to be something suitable available.

Wipe the map case down with a mix of beeswax and neatsfoot oil to protect the leather. Mink oil is the same thing. Rub it in well. When possible open the trunk and let it dry throughly to forestall the formation of mildew.

in answer to a question asked in this thread, The Ural Trunk has a forward bulkhead.

It's not leather - it looks very similar to this:

A Ural trunk is supposed to be water proof??!! I found that if I do not put the tonnueu cover on rain will come in to the trunk from behind the seat. The hack has drain holes. Mine did not come with drain holes at the lowest point, under the seat nearest the hump for the rear bushings. So I made some drain holes. 5 minutes with a drill.