I have a 71 Maverick with a rusted out cowl. I was thinking about closing off the cowl vent behind the hood. Any opinions? Thanks
I closed off my external vents but before I did that, I took my cowl cover off and did the underneath repairs because you still will have some water going down into the cowl from the windshield
If the cowl is rotten, then I would fix it. Actually, I AM fixing mine! While welding the cowl vents shut keeps a ton of water out, there are still drains at the base of the windshield that could potentially allow water inside the cowl. One of my drains did have a bunch of butyl in it, but it also had a bunch of debris and "gunk" laying above it too. While the immediate concern for most is stopping the water from getting into the cowl, the cowl (along with fresh air) supplies much needed structural rigidity to the front of the car. When I cut my lower cowl out, the bottom of the A-pillars sprung over 1/4". The weight of the doors being opened allowed the firewall and door hinge area to move so much, I could see the metal flexing. I would definitely consider fixing the cowl properly, even if you still wanted to weld the cowl grille. The repairs are not easy or quick, but are worth doing if you plan to keep your car. That's my two-cents-worth. http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=92251 I was lucky enough to find a rust-free donor cowl, but there are other options.
If you remove it, make sure you get a spot weld remover, and maybe 2-3 of them. There is something close to 120 spot welds. Some over lap eachother as well. So careful when removing otherwise youll bend the hell out of the upper cowl. Its a pita, but good luck
