Bad Water Leak

[Elizabeth73]

So I noticed that my car had a ton of water on the passenger side floor after we had a rainy day. Today I took the hose and found where the leak was and I couldn't believe that I found rust and holes above the passengers feet where the "heat box" is.

The water is coming from those vents under the hood near the windshield. I pulled some gunk like leaves and nuts that I thought could be blocking some kind of drain. The problem is that even if I cleared the blockage, the holes are low enough for any flowing water to pour through.

My question is what is the piece called? Is it part of the fire wall?

For now my dad and I have put marine can-foam and will sand and paint it with rubber coating until we know what the metal part is.

 

[cudak888]

Cowl hat - the bane of every Mustang, and the one thing many so-called "restorations" seem to ignore.

This is the repair process:

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-another-cowl-repair-thread?highlight=cowl+repair

Some more photos in this thread: http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-cowl-repair--4930?page=3&highlight=cowl+repair

-Kurt

 

[OMS]

I have them but I think you just had your car painted

You have to remove the fenders, windshield, dash and much more to replace it.

You might be able to cut the new one and used a section to patch yours - or make a a patch

 

[matrixx]

Yep that's the infamous cowl rust.

Debris fills up inside when not taken care of and clogs the drains. The moisture sits and 40yrs later you have what you found. This is also the precursor to rotted floor pans as water eventually rust through the cowl then fall in the floor and soaks the carpet creating a moisture heaven for the floor pans to rot out.

I would pull the carpet back a little to see if the damage hasn't spread.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Elizabeth73]

The car yard/bone yard near my house does not have any mustangs. Anyone have an idea in RI where I could find a part like this in the future? I will not buy a parts car for this one problem. The car is in nice shape besides this one spot that I know of.

 

[cudak888]

You'll never find a parts car with one intact. Have some sheet steel bent and cut to match, then have it welded in.

Either that, or tape the cowl vents shut as a quick fix.

-Kurt

 

[Elizabeth73]

So its a really popular problem with these cars. I am lucky they are small holes. For now it will need a quick fix to prevent the floor from getting soaked. I am still saving for a Shelter Logic car shelter, the one that is an arch-shape. I am not a fan of car covers, especially with new paint.

 

[72HCODE]

Well short of making or buying a patch panel;

You could use, fiberglass mesh and resin, cover the area from outside with mesh, resin it then spray over the top with rubber undercoat, or use some thick paint on rubber or rustolem.

Another option is metal putty or marine epoxy putty. It's a 2 part mix you hand roll together and it forms any shape and hardens hard as steel, then you can sand it, over coat it as needed.

That will keep the water out and hold the rust back for a while, the best would be making sure when you patch over it that the patch is smooth so water will not pool inside, a rubber overcoat will seal it.

The area isn't structural so you can fudge it until you are ready to fix it.

 

[Elizabeth73]

I was thinking of fiberglassing it. I used marine foam, cut it to shape after it got hard, and then sprayed it with truck liner spray. Did a water test with two gallons of water and I got small drops out of a hole I couldn't see. Ill fix it now, cure it over the night and then test it tomorrow.

Thank you for the information. That thread was great cuds, I wish I could have found the leak before the accidents, then I would feel fine pulling it apart and welding. But with new paint and all the exterior body work finished I couldn't even imagine doing it, especially because I didn't pay a dime for the repairs.

I get nervous when people come near the car bc of the new paint lol. My body was trembling at our cookout yesterday with all the people huddled around the car (no one in my family owns an antique so it is treasured even though its not the most desirable type of car)

 

[72HCODE]

Urg I know that feeling belt buckles leaning over the door tops.

Many people do not final paint cars because they just know the first time a rock hits it or a soccer mom door dings it they will go nuclear.

Some people did patches from the inside of the cowl. It is possible to do this... Then from the outside you use seam sealer to fill the cut you cannot weld and paint over the entire area with thick paint or undercoat. As long as there is no low spot where water gets trapped in the cowl then it will drain ok and not leak.

That saves you from having to work from the outside of the car, but you will need to gut the interior and dash and protect the headliner and windshield from welding sparks which you can do with welding blankets.

I was thinking of fiberglassing it. I used marine foam, cut it to shape after it got hard, and then sprayed it with truck liner spray. Did a water test with two gallons of water and I got small drops out of a hole I couldn't see. Ill fix it now, cure it over the night and then test it tomorrow.

Thank you for the information. That thread was great cuds, I wish I could have found the leak before the accidents, then I would feel fine pulling it apart and welding. But with new paint and all the exterior body work finished I couldn't even imagine doing it, especially because I didn't pay a dime for the repairs.

I get nervous when people come near the car bc of the new paint lol. My body was trembling at our cookout yesterday with all the people huddled around the car (no one in my family owns an antique so it is treasured even though its not the most desirable type of car)

 

[Qcode351mach]

Stay away from the fiberglass..Messy expensive and never holds up. Better quick cheap repair for now is get a sheet of medium painted aluminum from a sign shop. cut your patches from that..glue in with 3m panel adhesive...Or S.E.M. panel adhesive..Pull the cowl vent screen..lay a thick bead of the adhesive all around whats left of the hat joint..You can also form a ring from the aluminum sheet glue bond in if there's nothing left of the hat..you can use your finger dipped in denatured alcohol to get in there smooth out the seam joint.Get some sem rust shield flat black..Paint apply to all repaired areas..