My 66 stang has the felt in the window instead of rubber. The rubber wasn't put on until 67. What can I do to stop the window from leaking? I've also got a leak from under the dash, which I believe is coming from the cowl seal, how can I stop that from leaking?

 

The felt in the door windows is not designed to stop water from getting into the door. The felt is there to keep your window aligned while rolling up and down and to wipe off dust, etc. Your door has a hole at the bottom to allow any water to drain. Now, the cowl thing is an entirely different matter. We have discussed this a lot. We do have an article or two in the FAQ that explains ways to repair the cowl, and others will chime in, but it depends on whether you want to fix it pemanently at a great expense, or do you want to do a stop gap method by preventing water to enter your cowl area.

 

Not sure about the windows, never messed with them, but the cowl can be a nasty bit of business fixing them. First thing I would do though is rule out that its not the windshield dripping water down the side and onto the floor in the front since that would be a much easier fix.

If it is the cowl though you can get an idea how bad it could be by poking your head under there and looking around the vents. There is 2 cones, 1 on either side.

Cowl vent repair kit
These are the easiest patchs if the damage is not terrible, but its just a band aid fix. If you dont plan on having the car for more than a few years, or if you just want something that will keep the car from leaking for a little while till you can afford to get in and fix it right then these things would probobly work fine. The problem with these is that the rust is still there, and will still get worse, but at least the leak is stopped for now.

Actually repairing them you can do a couple of different ways, all of which are total pains in the butt. The first way I have done it is with the fenders off and windshield out you go around the whole cowl and remove all the spot welds (theres over 100) and take the top part of the cowl off. These are not replaceable yet so if you do this be extra carefull and make sure you dont bend it up. The bottoms however ARE replaceable. You can get either the 2 ends complete with the cones, or you can get the whole thing.

These are available now from most places for people with major repair work to do for about $150. The 2 seperate peices for just the ends are about $50 each. Also for other people who might be interested the 67-68 lower cowl panel (in the pic above) will also fit in the 65-66 models too with only a few very minor and unimportant differences that could even be fixed without much trouble.

The second way I have done it (with the car im currently getting ready for paint) is to carefully cut just the very top of the cowl off. I cut it about a 1/4 inch or less from the top so it could be welded back on pretty easy. With the top off I cleaned up the inside of all the surface rust, checked the fit of the cones and used a rubberized seam sealer all around the cones and along the seam where the top cowl meets the bottom cowl. Put down a good paint over the entire inside, or you could even use a spray on undecoating type material, weld it back up, clean up the seam, and paint.

Obviously both of the second methods are alot of work and best saved for doing prior to a new paintjob, but you can't beat a full repair for reliability. If done right you could never have to worry about it again. The first way takes alot longer also, so keep that in mind. Cutting the top off, cleaning and re-sealing, then replacing took me about 2 days worth of work.

 

If you have any water coming in from above the fuse box area like I did, there is a body seam just above that leaks when the factory seam sealer fails. remove front fender and there it is. Dig out the old crusty sealer, clean it, apply new sealer and you are good to go. Same for the pass. side if that leaks. Ed

 

yea you are looking at around 900 for justr replacing the two sides of the cowl, not even the whole thing. and that 900 doesnt include the 50 for each side. so around a 1000 is a good estimate.

 

Before I buy any Mustang I pour water into cowl. This is one of the more critical checks I do. If the cowl leaks I usually pass on the car unless it is a special stang. I had a 65 GT fastback that leaked. The plastic hat inserts in w/silicone did the trick. Steel wooled the whole area first and applied rust stopper. This will only work if the rust holes are limited to the immediate hi hat area. Came up with a good way to clean the debris out. Snake your vacuum hose through the highhat openings into cowl area. Someone on the outside can manuver the hose with a hanger through the cowl slots as you go in and out with it. I sucked up lots of crap stuck in the cowl corners. Good Luck.........Ed