Hey guys. I was just wondering, the unlucky people who have had to repair a rust problem with the floorboards, do you guys go all the way and repair the rusty cowl vents too? (Which I hear is a huge undertaking). If not, what other options are there in terms of stopping the leakage into the floor? Sean doh!! wrong forum...
Nine times out of ten the reason the floors rust out in the first place is because of rusted out cowl vents. The water just pours down onto the floor boards, gets trapped under the carpeting and the rust problem begins. If you go through the trouble of repairing the floors without also repairing the cowl panels, it will pretty much defeat the purpose. The problem remains. It's always a good idea to go the extra mile and get the cowl vents repaired. The other areas where water comes in are around the windshield moldings and the door seals. In my case it was all three. Take care of the water leaks and you will save your floor boards.
I got luckyon my car, the floor rust was limited to a hole the size of a small saucer, which is extremely slight for an Ohioo car. Also lucky was that the cowl doesn't leak--although the windshield did. A temporary fix that might work, though is to check into one of those cowl cap things that are made for the early Mustangs. I've seen these things used on a few Stangs, and while they don't necessarily fix the problem, they doo serve their purpose. I think you could make one yourself with not too much trouble. But like I said, it doesn't fix the problem, it just keeps water from getting down into the cowl.
Actually those cowl covers will not keep the water out. They will cut it back. All the water that runs down the windshield and under the trim is also channeled into the cowl. Not to mention the 2 holes where the wiper arms stick out.
cruise65oh, Do you mean pulls to much power and burns them up or are you having trouble with the end that is kinda sharp and moves back and forth really fast? Although my cowl is shot all to he!! and all but the windshield and backglass seals leak like a water fall I am lucky also. My buddies dad instals sheetmetal duct work for HVAC systems for homes and offices and his brother works for a welding shop so fabricating the new parts for the repair will just cost me a case of beer and a carton of cigs as well as the time it takes me to clean out their shop so that I can get my car in there to work on it.
I mean the saw blade cuts right intoo the !@#$$%^%^ things after only 8 or 9 beers. Lesson learned. Which brings up a point-- make sure you don't give the dude the beer until AFTER he has fixed your car! Also, probably a good idea to get a new windshield seal.
