Rusted Cowl

I unfortunately found the right side cowl (72 Mach ac car) rusted out pretty bad. Can't get replacement parts yet. Not sure when they will start building them. Anyone have any experience with this issue? Of course they make replacements for the 65-70 but ended there (we are children in a bad divorce..LOL).

Anyways I was wondering if anyone tried to take a 70 corner cowl after market piece and fit it onto the lower cowl corner of a 71-73 car? I'm trying to find the easiest approach to fixing this problem during the down time this winter. The heater box was hanging from the heater core lines basically before I pulled it out.

Look around for a donor car to get the cowl.Like you said no repo cowl. good luck.

I put a Want to Buy ad in another part of this forum for a cowl for my '72 Mach with a rusty cowl. It actually turned into a thread with some pictures. One of the other members went to a furnace duct company who fabricated a part for him he was able to use. It looked like a real nice fabrication and would certainly be enough for me to move forward.

I had considered buying an earlier one (69-70) cowl and cutting to fit like you suggest. I took pictures of the bottom of my 69's cowl just to compare once the dash is apart on my 72. However, I think I am going to just go the complete fabricated route for mine. Cheaper and just as good.

As for someone like Dynacorn making cowls for our cars, like you said--forgotten child in a nasty divorce. Probably isn't going to happen. Good luck on your project.

Seems like this problem is more common than I thought.. I couldn't find any info on the topic when I was replacing mine... I just made a thread about it, here ya go http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-replacing-a-rusty-cowl-panel?pid=1451

Thanks everyone. Loving this site. Everyone is helpful w/ no BS. Refreshing at best.

Those pics were awesome of the cowl repair. I have some questions about it. I tried posting as reply but it wouldn't go.

Do you have to drill out all the welds on the upper and lower cowl w/o grinding or is there some grinding? Along that line basically how did the factory assemble these things? Is it just tacked with sealant?

Does it make sense to temp install the heater box to line up a new fabricated cowl before welding to make sure the location and depth is accurate?

My heater box has holes in it. I was thinking of fiber glassing. Any problems with that. Looks like a mouse chewed through it. Must have been a pretty big mouse. Looks rugged. The car was an ac car so the evaporator is in it. The box is heavy especially when your jockeying it in and out.

Besides the top of the dash what else has to come out, gauge clusters..panels?

We have a group in the neighborhood that gets together 1 x per week to run the cars and have a drink at the local pub. The two others have GM's 69 Camaro SS and a 69 Firebird vert. They are always busting me for running a Ford. I need to get this car straight so I can blow their doors off..I'm 49 years old and am turning 25 in December.. LOL.

I put a Want to Buy ad in another part of this forum for a cowl for my '72 Mach with a rusty cowl. It actually turned into a thread with some pictures. One of the other members went to a furnace duct company who fabricated a part for him he was able to use. It looked like a real nice fabrication and would certainly be enough for me to move forward.

I had considered buying an earlier one (69-70) cowl and cutting to fit like you suggest. I took pictures of the bottom of my 69's cowl just to compare once the dash is apart on my 72. However, I think I am going to just go the complete fabricated route for mine. Cheaper and just as good.

As for someone like Dynacorn making cowls for our cars, like you said--forgotten child in a nasty divorce. Probably isn't going to happen. Good luck on your project.

Click to expand...

Hey Rustang,

Did it look like the 69 cowl would work after looking at it?

Do you have to drill out all the welds on the upper and lower cowl w/o grinding or is there some grinding? Along that line basically how did the factory assemble these things? Is it just tacked with sealant?

Click to expand...

I didn't buy a grinder until I started fixing the panel. They clamped the 2 panels together and used spot welders to attach them. Spot welders are like clamps that weld when they are clamped down. The sealant is to prevent corrosion

Does it make sense to temp install the heater box to line up a new fabricated cowl before welding to make sure the location and depth is accurate?

Click to expand...

yep, you may also need to weld a bolt to the back of the panel to mount the box depending on where it is rusted. I made a nice tall gasket out of trunk weather stripping and siliconed it to the heater box.

My heater box has holes in it. I was thinking of fiber glassing. Any problems with that. Looks like a mouse chewed through it. Must have been a pretty big mouse. Looks rugged. The car was an ac car so the evaporator is in it. The box is heavy especially when your jockeying it in and out.

Click to expand...

I think glassing is the best way of fixing it. I used JB weld to fix a cracked side and it seems to be holding up.

Besides the top of the dash what else has to come out, gauge clusters..panels?

Click to expand...

It's easier to access with everything out, and you don't need to worry about the gauges frying with them out.

Hey Darren -

Just wanted to say that I can appreciate your comment "49 going on 25" (although in my case it's 50 going on 22). LOL

Best of luck with your project - post pics when you get a chance, and tell the non-Mustang knuckle-heads to get ready for a fight!

Doc

here is how i dealt with it on a rolling restoration. Keep in mind this was a second step in metal work i had done, so the pictures are an intermediary step.

The biggest difference on mine is i left the windshield in place and did not cut the entire cowl off to make a repair it was sectioned away from the windshield.

this is an A/C car with only 1 fresh air intake on the passenger side.

http://s1031.photobucket.com/albums/y377/72hcode/cowl/

Well, I took the picture of my '69, but have not taken the dash apart yet on the '72 to compare. I just don't want 2 cars inop at the same time. Once my '69 is running and driveable again, the '72 is going under the knife for cowl repair, body and paint. Attached is a photo of the underside of a '69 cowl from my '69 Mach. Comparing to the topside photos I see here, the firewall appears much closer on the '69 so there would be less metal to work with to replace the rusty part on the '71-73. Also, the '69 looks dead flat. So, I am now certain I am going to go the route of the HVAC fabricated part. Either that or make my own.

Do you have to drill out all the welds on the upper and lower cowl w/o grinding or is there some grinding? Along that line basically how did the factory assemble these things? Is it just tacked with sealant?

Click to expand...

I didn't buy a grinder until I started fixing the panel. They clamped the 2 panels together and used spot welders to attach them. Spot welders are like clamps that weld when they are clamped down. The sealant is to prevent corrosion

Does it make sense to temp install the heater box to line up a new fabricated cowl before welding to make sure the location and depth is accurate?

Click to expand...

yep, you may also need to weld a bolt to the back of the panel to mount the box depending on where it is rusted. I made a nice tall gasket out of trunk weather stripping and siliconed it to the heater box.

My heater box has holes in it. I was thinking of fiber glassing. Any problems with that. Looks like a mouse chewed through it. Must have been a pretty big mouse. Looks rugged. The car was an ac car so the evaporator is in it. The box is heavy especially when your jockeying it in and out.

Click to expand...

I think glassing is the best way of fixing it. I used JB weld to fix a cracked side and it seems to be holding up.

Besides the top of the dash what else has to come out, gauge clusters..panels?

Click to expand...

It's easier to access with everything out, and you don't need to worry about the gauges frying with them out.

Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks for all the feedback. Wish me luck in the future.

Hey Darren -

Just wanted to say that I can appreciate your comment "49 going on 25" (although in my case it's 50 going on 22). LOL

Best of luck with your project - post pics when you get a chance, and tell the non-Mustang knuckle-heads to get ready for a fight!

Doc

Click to expand...

Thanks Doc,

I will keep you posted and let you know when I turn 25..LOL. Hopefully I can get to this during the winter. We are building a huge addition with a garage that can store 4 cars so I should be set although the wife will want the addition finished which doesn't leave much time for my mistress (72 Stang is her name). Time management!!!!

Well, I took the picture of my '69, but have not taken the dash apart yet on the '72 to compare. I just don't want 2 cars inop at the same time. Once my '69 is running and driveable again, the '72 is going under the knife for cowl repair, body and paint. Attached is a photo of the underside of a '69 cowl from my '69 Mach. Comparing to the topside photos I see here, the firewall appears much closer on the '69 so there would be less metal to work with to replace the rusty part on the '71-73. Also, the '69 looks dead flat. So, I am now certain I am going to go the route of the HVAC fabricated part. Either that or make my own.

Click to expand...

Thanks,

It looks like I'm headed for the same route unless Dynacorn makes an announcment. Good pic!


Hey Everyone,

Just for sh*ts and giggles I just e-mailed Dynacorn and asked what their plans were for making cowls for the 71-73. I told them we felt like the step children and that a good percentage of these years have this problem. Hopefully I'll get a response. If not I will keep hounding them. I'll keep you posted. I'm sure someone already did this but I would like to hear what they say. If enough guys inquire, maybe they will pick up the pace on some of the missing repro parts.

Hey,

I contacted James at Dynacorn and asked why they are not building cowls for 71-73. Here is his response:

I am in the same boat as you, I can not find a clean cowl to use as a sample. Find me a clean sample so I can get them made for you guys! Thanks James

I guess you just have to ask.

Any ideas?

Find me a clean sample so I can get them made for you guys!

Any ideas?

Click to expand...

Send him yours???

Nice, good luck!

I've been trying to find a clean one as well--I talked to a stamping place about producing them for me so I could sell to all the Stang places but I cant find a good one as a starting point--may have a guy in Texas who has one but slow to get it out.

I had the same issue with the passenger side cowl on my 72 coupe, the air intake "hat' area that keeps water out of the fresh air intake was rusted out and tottaly gone. I found a doner car with the same problem on the drivers side but not on the pass side and cut that section out. Leaving as much metal as I could. Then I trimmed it to fit my cowl after I cut out all the rust, and lapwelded it into place. Then I used body panel seam sealant on both the inside and outside covering the entire patch seams with it. Then I painted the entire interior with restolium to help deter rust issues with the floor pans, fire wall, and cowl. This was all after replacing a floorpan and completing all the work on the rest of the metal on the car. Here is a before and after.

you know what gets me, is the hat is always missing, makes you wonder if it fell into the heater box and then dissolves in the box because all the water collects inside.

Be great to even find a good section on either side--way easier to punch patch panels out and I bet you'd sell a zillion of them.