hey nice car...maybe....you got it from Illinois right??? ha..if you did i called on that car before i got mine...guy sounded like a douch bag...and be carefull...its been through the "buddy system" which mean alot of friends have tooled on it but anways....good luck
First 5.0! sweet I don't know about the cowl piece...but for me, I was glad to get rid of my a/c (which worked by the way), I didn't like the cluttered look it gave my engine bay. you'll be fine without it..it's a mustang, roll down the windows and drive..but then again I also got rid of my power-steering & I like how it drives now with a manual rack & skinnies better than it did with power-steering. It's a lot more responsive and predictable & not jerky like before. Have fun, you've got lots to learn
I work at a body shop, and have repaired cars where the hood flew up. If the hinge supports are ripped out/bent you could have a hole in the firewall and a major problem. might want to have a body shop look at it even if you aren't planning on getting it fixed.