Water inside
 

Recently bought a 66 hardtop in great condition. Shortly after the purchase we had a rain storm. That is when I discovered that water had enter into the car on the drivers side. In searching for the leak I discovered that water entered in through the vents in front of the windshield and flowed down through the fresh air vent on the driver side. I am new to Mustangs but pretty sure this is not right. I am at a lost as to the fix. I have not found any manuels on the fix. Can anyone help? Thanks

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Moses 6

Pretty standard for the earlier Muastangs. There are several options. Replace the entire cowl section (around $2500 if a body shop does it) or buy a kit that looks like a couple of top hats and some hardware. You will have to remove the vent tube that is above the parking brake, and remove the heater. Then apply a sealant to the upper brim of the "top hat" insert it into the opening, , and let it set up overnight. I used a cut 2x4 to hold it in place. Then replace the air duct, and reinstall the heater. It is a temporary fix, but works very well if done right. Companies like Ca. Mustangs, or Nat'l Parts depot I am sure sell the kits.

If you need more detail drop me an e-mail at rfedd@aol.com

Ron

Sure does sound like the cowel vents are leaking.

It is an expensive fix. Try the plastic hats and good luck.

That was one of the things that set me back in my resto on my Stang. The leak destroyed all my floor pans and was quite expensive to repair as I replaced the pans and had all new sheet metal replaced in the cowl area. If your floor pans are in good shape I would start with the "top hat" method to save some dough. Keep an eye on things and keep in mind that you will eventually have to go the expensive route.

Stefan

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66 Standard coupe
200 inline 6 - Pertronix ignition, Flamethrower Coil, K&N, Clifford Perf. 6 into 2 headers, Holley carb, three row radiator

96 GT Convertible
Bosch Platinum +4 plugs, B&M Ripper
K&N, removed air silencer, Tokico non-adjustable struts/ shocks (more to come)
Next up: 3:73's and side exhaust
www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?258

The first cheapest "fix" is to get a cover for the cowl vents. These are available from all Mustang places and basically keep the water out of the cowl area. Does not fix the problem.
The next is the plastic hat replacement. I tried this but had rust thru the cowl pan that I couldn't get sealed working under the dash.
Third fix is to pull the fenders and make slash cuts at the end of the cap so you can reach in and slobber sealer all over the cowl pan. (check out http://home.pacifier.com/~dnstoys/mustang.htm )
Finally to do the job "right" requires removing the cowl cap. This starts with pulling the windshield, hood and fenders. Then cut the 140 to 170 spot welds to remove the cowl cap. You can then examine the cowl and decide on a fix. Either replacement or give it the corvette treatment (use fiberglass to rebuild the cap, this was my choice). Once you have the cap repaired, sealed and painted, you should be able to hire a welder with a portable set up to plug weld the cover back on. The site above has a link to a page that shows the complete repair.
You definitely want to do something before the floor pans go. (Suggest you pull your carpets to check the current condition of the floor pans.)
Good luck.



[This message has been edited by John Z (edited 09-07-2000).]

Moses6,

You might get lucky like I was and find that your drain holes for the cowl vent are plugged with dirt and leaves. If the cowl can't drain it will fill up until it leaks into the heater and vents. Good luck,



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Steve
66 coupe w/351w