jsureke

Hi,
I'm doing my first car. 66 Coupe. It's mostly solid but barely needs floors and both cowl hats done.
I have cut all the spot welds for the cowl except the windshield line, and I'm thinking of going a different route than most, so I would appreciate all you veterans telling me what you think.
Looking at how overly trashed the sides and front turned out due to the sheer number of welds, I am worried about getting a good seal on the windshield. So, I am thinking of curting along the crease at the base of the windshield, and letting the welder I pay just make a seam there.
I welcome all comments.
Thanks,
John

28HopUp

I moved this for you to the correct section.

groho

Welding a four foot seam along the bottom of the windshield is a task and doing it without warping will be interesting. My best advise, don't go cheap on the replacement sheetmetal and go ahead and replace the entire cowl. The better panels cost more for a reason, and they weld better because they're thicker. Don't worry, a proper mated panel, will spot weld nicely and panel sealer will take care of the rest. A good glass guy will insure you won't have a windshield leak. Avoid anyone that's never done one, the glass sits in a rubber seal, and the seal sits in the frame. Both need to be sealed properly. The one item I've learned on my 66, i should have spent more money on better panels because the fit is better, and the welding is better. No panel is perfect and all panels require massaging to fit properly.

jsureke

Thanks for the reply!
Whose should I buy? Toss the top panel, too?
Seems a shame to scrap the whole thing when the lower panel barely needs repair, but I always pay close attention to those who have gone before me.

groho

Do what I did...search the web, virginia mustang has a link. Cut the driver and pass ends off the cowl. you have to remove the fenders to get access. Then weld them back in place when done. With the fenders back on, you'd never notice the work was ever done.

jsureke

Well, it's off, and there were dirt dobber nests filling up both sides. Like a freaking dirt dobber subdivision. I used a $3 spring loaded punch, 3/32 drill bit, and a $5 weld cutter bit. One thing I learned is you can alwys cut some more, and it is verry easy to go fom not cutting enough to cutting too much.
I liked using the hole saw type of cutter rather than a drill bit. Just he careful.
I saved the windshield strips for last. That way I got some ezperience cutting out the welds. Once the welds are all cut, the panel should move without much effort. I learned that if it won't move, there's a weld that was missed or not cut enough.
An air chisle was a major time saver, but i had to BE CAREFUL! Not too much power unless absolutely necessary.
Once I got a couple of welds cut on one of the sides, i kept a slight wedge in there to hold a little pressure as I drilled the next one.
Bottom line... Don't be in a hurry, and there are more welds than you can see. Some only be ome apparent after putting some stress on the panel.
One last thing. I actually had a weld directly under one of the windshield clip studs. I just used the air chiselto take it out. It was the last one.

Boogie's_AutoRama

One thing you're going to want to do is keep trial fitting the windshield during the welding.
Very easy for the pinch weld flange to get warped with the heat and go way out of shape.

Also, try not to weld two side-by-side spot welds back-to-back. Jump around, moving at least a foot each time.
...but I'm sure your welder will know this.




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palerider

Not necessary but musch easier with engine out.