1965 Underdash Leak

Ah! The infamous cowl leak. Sometimes it's just the collars that are rusted out so you can just replace those (probably what the previous owner did). Worse case scenerio, the whole cowl is rusted away and you'll have to replace it which involves tearing apart the whole front end of the car, drilling out tons of spot welds, and welding in a new cowl panel.

Try sticking your head under the dash. You should be able to see the under side of the cowl and check for big rust holes (poking at it with a screwdriver to check for thin spots wouldn't be a bad idea either). I may have a pic of the underside of my cowl (67 but basically the same) so you can get an idea of what to look for. Give me a minute and I'll check.

-Chelle

sounds like you have a cowl leak but is it water thats coming down only when it rains or what not?

Okay, this is the best I can do.

This is the driver's side cowl as seen from underneath. There should be a black vent attached to this but I had removed it before taking the pic.



You can see how my cowl collar is all rusted and the sealant is dry & falling apart. The kit for replacing the collars comes with 2 plastic replacement collars and some sealant. I'm about 1/2 way through that project and as soon as I'm done patching my floor pans, I'll finish it and do a write up.

-Chelle