I'm Leaking!

cargon · 05-20-2001, 01:01 AM

I was reading a reply to an earlier post and got the suggestion to run water down the vents in front of the windshield on my '66 coupe and there is a leak in the firewall on the pass. side. How can I stop this? And do those vents do anything important? If they serve no legitimate purpose, how can I seal or get rid of them?

Gearhead999 · 05-20-2001, 07:15 AM

They make some "quickie" repair kits. They are two plastic top hat, with the top cut out, looking pieces. You gook them up with RTV and stuff them up in the air intake holes under the dash. They do work if the cowl isn't that bad. If it is rusted out "bad" you have a BIG welding job [$1500+].

There are always the plastic covers for the outside intake grille too.

FYI I have elimitated mine. I pulled the inside vent assemblies out and made covers to bolt on the large holes. But, my cowl wasn't rusted out. I just didn't want the vents under the dash.

PNYXPS66 · 05-21-2001, 02:16 PM

On the 65-66 bodies, the fresh air vents had "cups" that the vent pipes mounted into. These cups acted to collect water when driving in rainy conditions. unfortunately ford didn't provide any drainage path for the water to go, consequently the water stagnated and developed rust. Eventually this rusted through the vents, and when it rains, you have water on the floorboard. They do make repair kits, but if you work good on your head and with a dremel, depending on where the rust is, a little grinding away ALL the rust and bondoing the holes does the trick. If your car is stored outside uncovered, or is a daily driver, I'd suggest getting a "cowl cover" (as named) to seal the hole on the outside when it rains. The problem here is that you don't have any ventilation when you're driving in the rain. Hope this helps.

------------------
Pony Express 66
God Speed and keep it between the lines!

induction · 05-30-2001, 01:04 AM

It may be your front window weather seal , I thought my cowl was leaking so I went out & got a "cowl cap" .well, after I installed it the leak was still there .Turns out the front window seal was the prob. ( yes it ran down the firewall an the kick panels, also the clutch & break peds were gettig wet too.)

------------------
Restored 1965 Coupe
April Mare of the Month

05-20-2001, 01:01 AM	#1
cargon Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3	I'm Leaking! I was reading a reply to an earlier post and got the suggestion to run water down the vents in front of the windshield on my '66 coupe and there is a leak in the firewall on the pass. side. How can I stop this? And do those vents do anything important? If they serve no legitimate purpose, how can I seal or get rid of them?

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05-20-2001, 07:15 AM	#2
Gearhead999 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 1998 Location: Oviedo, FL Posts: 992	They make some "quickie" repair kits. They are two plastic top hat, with the top cut out, looking pieces. You gook them up with RTV and stuff them up in the air intake holes under the dash. They do work if the cowl isn't that bad. If it is rusted out "bad" you have a BIG welding job [$1500+]. There are always the plastic covers for the outside intake grille too. FYI I have elimitated mine. I pulled the inside vent assemblies out and made covers to bolt on the large holes. But, my cowl wasn't rusted out. I just didn't want the vents under the dash.

05-21-2001, 02:16 PM	#3
PNYXPS66 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Beaufort,SC,USA Posts: 72	On the 65-66 bodies, the fresh air vents had "cups" that the vent pipes mounted into. These cups acted to collect water when driving in rainy conditions. unfortunately ford didn't provide any drainage path for the water to go, consequently the water stagnated and developed rust. Eventually this rusted through the vents, and when it rains, you have water on the floorboard. They do make repair kits, but if you work good on your head and with a dremel, depending on where the rust is, a little grinding away ALL the rust and bondoing the holes does the trick. If your car is stored outside uncovered, or is a daily driver, I'd suggest getting a "cowl cover" (as named) to seal the hole on the outside when it rains. The problem here is that you don't have any ventilation when you're driving in the rain. Hope this helps. ------------------ Pony Express 66 God Speed and keep it between the lines!

05-30-2001, 01:04 AM	#4
induction The Brit! Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Across the Pond! Posts: 694	It may be your front window weather seal , I thought my cowl was leaking so I went out & got a "cowl cap" .well, after I installed it the leak was still there .Turns out the front window seal was the prob. ( yes it ran down the firewall an the kick panels, also the clutch & break peds were gettig wet too.) ------------------ *Restored 1965 Coupe* *April Mare of the Month*