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I did a really good days work today, got all my cowl rust cut out, patches made, everything in there sandblasted and painted. Tomorrow the patches get welded in and everything sealed up. I just closed those holes up, as this is a non-A/C car and I am doing a Vintage air upgrade...it does NOT require those vents. I have new fender aprons on the way. Gonna get this thing on the road.
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(02-16-2011, 09:25 AM)don29163 Wrote: I did a really good days work today, got all my cowl rust cut out, patches made, everything in there sandblasted and painted. Tomorrow the patches get welded in and everything sealed up. I just closed those holes up, as this is a non-A/C car and I am doing a Vintage air upgrade...it does NOT require those vents. I have new fender aprons on the way. Gonna get this thing on the road.
Really? Just close the vent holes up if use a vintage air system? I like that idea. How will the rain get out if you seal off the route to the floorboards? Lol
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Would love to see some pics of progress.
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Up here in New England cowl rust is as common and most auto body shops deal with this all the time. I've been lucky with my 72 but the 66 I had was a different story. I've seen worse then yours and it was saved so it can be done. Good luck
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It sounds like you have a good start on it but for future info and anyone following this, I had the same cowl rust on my car but only on passenger side. I looked and looked and found the same things you all found no replacement pieces. However I saw one listed somewhere the other day for 71-73 cars and when I find it I will repost the info. As far as mine went I did all mine mostly from the inside of the car underneath. I luckily was in the body work mode when I found this rust so I had no interior in the car. I first removed the plastic vent housing and blower motor then took several measurements for distance from floor to bottom flat of cowl inside and measured the mounting tab for plenum piece height as well and took countless pictures. I cut out the top part from outside the car then cut the rest out from inside while laying on the floorboard. I then had found a 72 torino for a donor part and had already cut it out. They are not a direct put in place and weld but they are very similar in shape. I trimmed up the donor part and made little pie cuts all along the top mating edge where it could be better fitted to the car. I then bent and tweaked and played with until it fit snug and had the same measurements that I took. Now the fun begins by laying on my back and welding all those pie cuts closed and welding the seam shut where the patch piece met the car. Then I held the tab up and tacked it then put plenum piece up to see if everything was good before welding that. I then seam sealed over the welds and after that was set I lightly sanded smooth then painted. ( the pictures of my homemade patch will be posted in my 72 mach 1 build post in a few days) I didn't take any pictures of the sanded and painted finish piece but have them through the process up to the seam sealer application. if my memory is correct the only modification really made to the donor piece was that it ahd a fairly egg shaped oval opening where the plenum sealed against it and the mach 1 has a round hole, so I welded in a flat piece of sheetmetal on the bottom with the correct round hole. It was some work but not bad really. I took 1 day to cut out old rusted pieces and to prep the patch piece then 1 more day to weld it all in and let cool and seam seal sand and paint. For whatever its worth I really didn't think it was too bad to do. I just got creative and looked at similar ford cars in the same years. Don't rule that trick out for other homemade patch panels or pieces you may need. Worked for me.
YLWHRSE
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I believe CJ Pony Parts have a complete cowl replacement panel for 71-73 mustangs. Check it out.
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(02-05-2015, 05:07 AM)mrmach1 Wrote: I believe CJ Pony Parts have a complete cowl replacement panel for 71-73 mustangs. Check it out.
Yes there is replacement pieces available now. At the stage I was in with the cowl rust issue and doing the bodywork about 2 years ago, there was no such parts available. So I had to get creative.
YLWHRSE
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A lot of people had to be creative doing this repair for a long time. I was lucky with my present Mustang but the two I had before it I wasn't so lucky and I even had to part with one of them because the damage and subsequent repair would have been to much for my limited means.