67 newb

So as I'm taking out my floor plan to replace, I also cleaned out everything underneath the dash. A lot of it looks like surface rust and i'm hoping a cowl patch repair kit will do, but the cowl vents DO look kinda bad.

Is this acceptable to patch and repair? Or do I need to replace it? I'm hoping it's not the latter cause I hear the 154+ spot welds are a P.I.T.A. to go through.....

67 newb

This is a ridiculous thread that nobody is answering because we all know the answer. I've already gone so far on this first project car and so much has already been invested, no sense in taking shortcuts. Everything is clear under the dash, the fenders are out, and my engine bay is empty. I need to put in the new floors, install my rear suspension, turn the car around and replace the cowl. Maybe I can get away with just replacing the partial cowl panels themselves and not the entire lower section, but this needs to be done..........

bent metal

Maybe nobody has responded yet because of the time of year, and it's only been a day. Or, perhaps it's the pictures. I don't really see a problem other than surface rust. Do you have pictures of any rust holes? Don't really see a big problem here?

JMD

Pour some watter down the top of the cowl and see if it leaks in your floorboard.

Taking the looks of the inside of the cowl, and the fact that you are replacing the floors into account, I bet the cowl is rusted out though...

Not scientific by any means, but I think a good guess...

andrewmp6

Stick your cell phone up in it and snap some photos see how bad the rust is.If the patch kit you are talking about is the glue in plastic hats those are a waste of money.

67 newb

Sorry for the crankiness. No, there aren't any holes. The rust isn't as bad as my floor pans, but the layers look pretty thick. I didn't pour any water down, but I took some more photos. Is the dark corner seam the water leakage you're talking about? Hence the cottage cheese floor pan?


I tried taking pictures inside the cowl with my camera and cell phone, but couldn't get a clean result. And yes...i was talking about the plastic repair piece that you simply adhere to the cowl...

Bitter

I have yet to hear from anyone who has had anything other than temporary success with the plastic hats, myself included. To be honest, your cowl is one of the better ones I've seen in a while. If it's not leaking, I'd try cleaning what surface rust you can and use a rust encapsulator by reaching through the vents and pouring or spraying it through the grille.

andrewmp6

Those plastic ones only fix the hats if rusted out and its more of a bandaid then a repair.I'm with bitter it looks good just a tiny bit of work will give you more peace of mind.

zmetalmilitia

Really I can't tell from those pictures and I don't see how anyone could. Pouring water down will tell you if it's leaking and I'm sure it is if you have rusted floor pans. How bad is the rust? You'll have to dig into it to be sure. If you don't want to take any shortcuts, and if there is water leaking, you'll have to open up the cowl and tackle it from there. Those corners look iffy.

Installing the plastic covers is a short cut and I think looks like crap.

TexasAxMan

You could cut the hats out with a dremel or something, then clean the cowl area out real well, use some phosphoric acid to kill the rust, paint the area, then put the plastic hats in with plenty of silicone.