Cowl Repair.....ohhhhhhhhh

[65-Fstbk]

Well I was hoping to avoid this but as most newbie car "DIY restorers" go one thing leads to another and I find myself thinking....better to do it now. I brought my 65 2+2 up from AZ so it's a fairly clean car but just b/c it's from AZ doesn't mean the cowl is good.

First how do I check it for rust? Do I just pour some water in and hope the inside stays dry or is there another way?

Second, IF the cowl has rust and needs repair, I know there are 110 rivets jaw holding it together. Where do you start? Anyone have pictures or diagrams of the rivet locations?


Thanks in advance.

 

[68GT500KR_Vert]

Not Rivets, spot welds. You need to drill them all out.

 

[rusty428cj]

First are your floor pans good? If the cowl is bad they will have rust. Look up under your dash on both sides for rust or holes.

 

[65-Fstbk]

Floor pans seems to be pretty solid and are original. Behind the firewall is all good. There IS some rust right at the bend where the floor turns up towards the FW. It has gone through in a few spots but the surrounding metal is pretty good and could be saved with a good clean and some POR-15. Not a major mess in there.

And thanks for the correction....spot welds NOT rivets...my bad...DUHHHHH!

 

[10secgoal]

Get a sopt weld remover. Then you drill holes in the new sheet metal. If you drill out all the old holes, you will have nothing to weld the new metal to.

 

[StangDreamin']

Isn't anybody going to suggest the simplest cowl-leak test? Gently pour a pint or two of water into the cowl grill; check to see if the carpet stays dry. Even rusted-through pinholes will drip on the floor.

 

[gjz30075]

As mentioned, pour the water in the cowl, one side at at time watch for leaks from underneath. It might be easier to remove both the air vent box on the driver's side and the heater box on the passenger side. If they don't leak, you now have fairly easy access to paint inside the cowl. I made a 1" brush with a plastic handle bend almost 180 degrees and reached up inside with the brush over the cowl hat and slathered the best I can all over the place. If you remove the fenders, it's a bit easier but do anything you can to prevent rust, if they are already rust free.