Cowl repair question.

[casadejohnson]

I have rust on the ends of the cowl on my 74. Its not bad and probably my fault from attempting to seal it up and trapping some water in there. I can't find any other rust in the cowl. Its solid on the top and on the bottom (9ash is out so I have good access to everything). I dumped a little naval jelly on there to work on the rust. Should the ends be sealed up? I was thinking I should weld a support piece on but leave the corners open so it won't trap water. Whats the best way to handle this?

 

[vinson]

I left the ends open on my bronco. swaped por15 back and forth thru their. Por makes a mess might try the eastwood product for inside the frame, it not as much of a mess and is a real easy to use. spray can

 

[samamarshall]

Mine was sealed up with seam sealer, and looks just like yours. A little worse on the drivers side. I was going to POR the inside, and leave the ends open.

Interested in what others have done....

 

[Rox Crusher]

I am doing the same exact repair

My inexperienced opinion would be to either seal that sucker up like there is no tomorrow so that water can't enter in the first place or leave the ends open

It would be nice to hear a professional opinion

 

[Viperwolf1]

If there is no way for moisture to get in then it can be sealed. Look at the seam below the hood hinges. That's where the water is coming from.

 

[casadejohnson]

If there is no way for moisture to get in then it can be sealed. Look at the seam below the hood hinges. That's where the water is coming from.

Phil,

Your 100% correct on where the moisture is getting in I thought I had it sealed up good when I painted but I can now see where I did a poor job of sealing it up near the driver side hood hinge. I'm thinking I'll leave it open but have not decided for sure. I was planning on using POR15 or something like it inside but would like to figure out a way to clean it out as good as I can first.

 

[spap]

I took sheet metal made new corners out of it and jb welded them in place, I used por 15 on the inside first used a foam brush and taped a rod to it to get as far in as possible and then a can of that insulating foam on the inside before I put the corners on

 

[Explorer]

Not saying this is right method. I have a cheap pump up garden sprayer from Tractor Supply I put Ospho in(phosphoric acid) so I can spray in tight places. Then cut out back to good metal. Patches are easy to make and weld them in. spap: Foam is never a good idea.

 

[casadejohnson]

Richard, I actually thought about the garden sprayer idea when I spotted mine in the shed. I might give that one a try.

 

[Explorer]

If you go cutting on that thing, watch for the support that runs across there about 4" off the windshield frame. Your pedals are partially supported by it. Have fun.

 

[surfer-b]

I have left mine open, in the moist climate where I live its gonna get moisture in there no matter how well its sealed and once in, it cant get out then rust sets in. With them open I can take the air nozzle and clean them out and let dry. I have never had any probs this way with rust or leaking inside. I do take a small wire brush and attach it to somthing and clean them out real good like cleaning a chimney before applying something like POR 15.

 

[71massbronco]

Ospho is awesome for treating, but it needs to be evenly spread to be most effective. If it pools, it becomes molasses-like and won't be as effective. After you wand it in there, snake in a rag to soak up excess, and spread it around get good even coverage. The great thing about Ospho, a little goes a long way.

 

[Rustytruck]

Once you get it all fixed replace the hood seal on the back of the hood thats what keeps the water from running down and entering the lap seam for that tube section. I used Eastwoods frame sealer on mine once I got it all cleaned out. When I reasealed before paint I also spread the sealer on the ends so rain water between the hood and fender joint will drain off and not pool on the ends under the fender. The windshield drain channel dumps right into that area leaving it shaded and wet all the time.

 

[casadejohnson]

I ran some PB blaster in there last night to loosen up the scale a little and tonight I'm swabbing it out with vinegar. I figure that will get the worst of it out before I start treating it. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[casadejohnson]

The vinegar worked pretty good. I let it soak for a day then cleaned it out. Next I took the pressure washer to it until the water came out clear. I followed that with a lot of compressed air to get it dried out. After that I let it dry over night again. Tonight, I mopped some rust converter through it. Once that cures, I'll break out the rust bullet or some POR15 and mop that through a few times. I hope that will get it all sealed up nice.