just ripped out carpet and seats in my 66. new to the whole restoration game but you have to start somewhere. i am wondering if there are some very common leaks spots. I noticed some rust on drivers side kick panel inner and outer rockers are a bit rusted nothing to horrible but might need to be replaced. Floor pans from front to back seem to be in good shape all in all. I don't have much experience so just looking for pointers or common issues i should think about. Working on a budget so wondering what is most important to replace and in what order. seems that some water has been getting in maybe cowl vent loose seal near steering column, not sure. Thanks for any tips or advice. also it has 302 not 289 thinking of getting another 302 to drop in nothing to crazy any good ideas on that would be appreciated as well. Thanks again.....

Jeremiah

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I hate to be the bearer of bad news,but from the pics, you need to have the inner rocker panel(s) replaced. The cowl leak usually causes this type of damage. The passenger front floor looks bad too.
What I would do(especially on a budget) is either save enough cash(probably close to 2 grand) to have the repairs done, or buy a cheap welder and practice for yourself and do it. Now for long term permanent repair, the cowl will have to be cut open and new metal welded in. That being worse case scenario, of course.
To find the true source of the leaking, take a garden hose and let water run into the outside of the cowl. After a while(depending on how severe it is) you will see it coming down from under the dash. If nothing comes down, then it's probably a bad windshield gasket/seal or the windshield wiper post seals.
The most important to replace would be the rocker panel, then the cowl. They do sell a cowl vent cover made from plastic, but this is only a temporary stopgap.

 

yea getting the cowl fixed is a pain, the guy who painted my car just did it while he was working on it, but you have to cut off the cowl to get to where you need to fix, and then either weld or epoxy the problem. I dont think thatll cost too much, but if youre REALLY on a budget go with the cowl cover, it doesnt look good but it does the job