my method is used when testing cowls for leaks "in the field"...they are full of...leaves and pine straw. a...light/mirror will show you...nothing. a couple of bottles of...water...
So true! My method is to use after all that is cleaned out, so you can get an idea of how bad it is. You already know it's going to leak! While on this subject, has anyone ever seen a Maverick or Comet that didn't leak here? Mine was garage kept for years and when I got it the cowls got a rust hole on the drivers side! It doesn't look like it was even painted in there!
Mine were good until I stuffed it in a guard rail.......after the repairs, it leaked. Thank goodness for Hagerty...fixed it right up!
Mine does not leak, never has and has never been reapired. Original Arizona car, BUT just a matter of time before it does. I am sure as I move forward with this build, I will open it up and do the repair before it is needed.
I poured Rustoleum in my cowl and made sure to flip it around a bit before putting it back on the car. I'm sure that if you pulled the fenders and capped the drain holes you could do similar, pour about a gallon in there, shake the car a bit and then pull let it drain. It won't be a problem if you don't have any leaks, should protect fairly well, certainly better than nothing. If you have a leak, you'll find it with this method tho. It will leak through the front of the cowl to the seam on the back of the engine compartment. If I had a car that didn't leak, I'd do it just so I wouldn't have to pull the cowl again. It is a pain in the neck.
Well today I used the inspection camera to check the cowl area. By going up through the drain (fenders removed) and down from above using the plug above and beside the hat I was able to see most of all areas. Very little rust. The standard amount of leaves etc. but not enough to plug either drain. Looks like it it has been draining very well. I have used the water test down through the cowl vent and again no water inside the car. I will now do the water test down through the plug holes above the hat. My car has the hat only on the passenger side which I understand is how they were built for A/C cars. The A/C under the hood parts are all gone, but the dash vent and the heater & A/C switch is still there. There are NO RUST LEAKS now, but the seam sealer presents another problem. Has anybody sprayed undercoating (or something) on and around the hat down the plug hole and up through the vent to covet where the seam sealer has been applied? I have plans to remove the windshield & dash (rebuild, clean, new pad etc) maybe then I can have a better look at the cowl area. Thanks to all for your tips and suggestions. This forum is a great place to hang out.
I am curious about where the seam sealer works myself. I've had my old one completely apart. Looks like the seam sealer, for the most part, is going to keep water from splashing up and wind/smoke from coming into the passenger compartment. I can't see anywhere where the seam sealer would really prevent the cowl from leaking into the passenger compartment. Unless I'm overlooking something, water would have to go out, over, around and uphill to flow from the cowl to inside the car.
I did another water test today, plugged up the drain hole (one side at a time) and poured water down through the top plug hole. I let it sit for 5 minutes and NO water coming inside. The water looked like it was above the seam sealer around the hat on the passengers side. I am sure the drains were never plugged on this car and that it drained as it should. I may just leave things as they are as the car will always be garaged and never out in the Ontario winters.
Once you take the dash out, just pour some POR 15 in there, it'll seal it up forever. But like you say, this isn't going to be an everyday car, ever again.
