has any one pop riveted the cowl cover back in place??is the merit of spot welds needed for structual help or just a cover...in my mind i guess i already know the answer..comments please! thx in advance for your replies!!
I replaced the panels that make up nose and spare tire storage area on a VW Beetle with pop rivets. Not the best method but at the time I didn't have access to a MIG welder or skill to use one and hiring a guy to weld it was outrageously expensive. Since the rivets were not exposed I thought it was OK. Rivets work on air planes!! I did a rivet every inch and, YES, steel rivets. Looks better if you space the rivets evenly and in a straight line. You could also use the Eastwood panel repair epoxy and rivet kit. I suspect JB Weld and rivets would work OK if you don't want to spring for the Eastwood kit. The only place the rivets will be visible on a cowl repair will be in and below the gutter on the firewall under the hood. Since you remove a lot of metal when drilling out the spot welds, and it won't be replaced by plug welds, I think I'd lay a strip of sheet steel down and rivet thru it.
