Partial cowl repair possible?

[Keith Williams]

I have seen plastic hats for replacing the rusted out one, and these are just glued in place with silicon sealer. The repair kit I had involved cutting out the old one from underneath and glue the new one up from underneath. It had a large square collar plate around the base, probably 2 inches all the way round, and you trimmed it to suit your cut out. My cowling was way passed repairing so I opted for a total replacement, upper and lower.

One thing does puzzle me is, what stops flying insects from being sucked down through the fresh air inlet hat, chopped up by the fan and blown out through the vents into your face. Was there at one time a fabric filter that was placed over the top of the fresh air inlet hat to stop this from happening? I was debating whether to stretch a pair of the wife's stockings over the top of the hat so it acts like a filter. It is accessible to do this via the two removable plastic grills covers.

its best to replace the only way to properly repair is remove from car seperate the cowl halfs repair with new metal welded in place reweld halfs back and reinstall really not hard just time consumeing i replaced mine with a good used one from one in a junk yard out west before repos were avail and can even tell it was done looks perfect

 

[69 Rustang]

Why the new windshield?

After pulling out the windshield, I cut the top of the cowl right up to and through the windshield flange and drilled out the spot welds. Then I separated the top from the next layer down of the windshield flange. When it went back together there was minimal seam I had to finish based on where I cut and using the windshield flange. I’d do it the same way again if I had to, but I hope I never have to.

 

[midlife]

I still don't understand why you needed a new windshield, unless it was unrelated to the work you did.

 

[69 Rustang]

The top of the cowl is under the windshield so the windshield had to come out to remove the cowl top. AND, the windshield broke coming out as they almost always do. I can’t explain this any differently, sorry.

 

[The Heff]

Same here, my windscreen broke. I used a cheese wire to cut through the sealer but I just could not quite get all the way round the base. I slowly prised the windscreen away from the roof section at the top by about 20 inches, hoping it would tear the sealer away from the upper cowling, but no, she would not give and then, crack, that was it. New windscreen was ordered.