Any Tips on cleaning up inside cowl without removing???

[70GranCoupe]

Anyone have any tips on cleaning inside the cowl areas without drilling out all the spot welds and removing the cowl??

I really wanna make sure the rust doesn't come backbut removing the entire cowl to do it seems like a major undertaking.

I had to cut out a section and fabricate some of it near the driver side 'top hat' vent so I can kinda get in there, but other than that not much access.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[ShelbyDogg]

A friend of mine just did that on a '65 Ford Mustang Fastback. He drilled out ALL of the welds and knew the exact number of welds because there were so many.  I you really have to get everything in there without drilling, with the dash and windshield out, stand over it with a brush and a can of POR15 and go through the cowl vents.  My arms are small enough to get every inch of that cowl top to bottom on both sides.

Now, how do we get to the inside of those rusting frame longtitudinals and crossmembers?

[70GranCoupe]

Thanks for the info that's where I was going with it anyway. And funny thing is I have a friend doin a 65 Mustang Fastback he is actually the guy who is teachin me how to do bodywork. He drilled out all the welds on his cowl and told me it was a major pain and he wouldn't do it usless I really wanted to put a lot of time in. The guy you know isn't named Dave is he???

Any tips oon stripping that area, no room for DA or grinder???

Here's my plan see what you think:
 
Hand sand the area as best as possible.

Vaccuum and blow out as much as possible.

Apply rust converter.

Apply Rust Incapsulator.

Epoxy Prime.

B5 and black out.

Thanks Again! Sean

[ShelbyDogg]

Dave isn't the guys name. This guy is on MO. by me and has lots of hours in his car. Maybe he'll get to drive it someday.

Your plan looks good but I was wondering, Aren't  you supposed to put the rust encapsulator right over the bare metal?  The rust converter leaves a black coating that might get in the way. I was also wondering about putting the epoxy primer over that. I think you can go right to thr B5 after the Encapsulator.  Red the directions. to see if you can save some steps.

[70GranCoupe]

Thanks for the tips and I got the Rust Converter and Encapsulator from Eastwood in their catalog (July 2006 page 68) they say that the rust should be converted first and then encapsulated for extra protection.

I also have some weld thru primer for the weld points, but I was wondering if I should rust convert and encapsulate those areas as well or will they react poorly during the welding? In that case it would be awful hard to apply the rust prevention to the backs of the panels darn near impossible. I'm so new to this and the products boogle the mind!

Also since I am doing the car little sections at a time, I am gonna do enough little sections then expoxy prime the whole section so I am not really worried about the time spent spraying that plus just a little extra protection.

I also talked to Dave yesterday and he said when he removed his cowl there were 152 spot welds he drilled out, mind you on a 65 Mustang which is a lot smaller than a Cuda!

Thanks for yer help and keep the tips coming!
Sean

[ShelbyDogg]

Sean,
Only use the weld-thru primer on the pre-welded spots then treat the metal after welding.  If you try to treat the backside with anything else, it will contaminate the weld and probably pop it off while it's molten.

[70GranCoupe]

is there a buffer area between where I apply the weld thru primer and then use the other product? Such as since I am putting in patch panels caould I apply the welding primer say two inches from the weld area and treat the reamining areas prior to welding??? Some of these panels will be impossible to get to the back side of once welded in.
Thanks Again! Sean

[ShelbyDogg]

Try to use the weld thru on just the area around the weld area and treat the rest of it with the good stuff. If you have to treat more of the metal, that's just the way it has to be. Just try not to leave any bare metal.

[Wang]

way easier than what is stated,  sandblast as well as concievably  possible. .....
Then prime with a epoxy primer, (even if it means brushing around by hand).

now the fun.. buy a quart of spray on bed liner (yes , the stuff used in pick up beds) This IS catylized, so you only have about an hour at best to apply it.
I have done it with a body schutz gun, and a tip bent so that I can access all points , even upside down.  Once done  it is a MUST THAT YOU clean all over spray from anything surrounding, cause it will stick FOR GOOD. You will now have sealed up the inside plenum of your cowl panel, no more rust, no more leaks .
Apply liberally.

[moparnut]

whats a schultz gun and where do you buy one?any links?
thanks

[Total BS]

A schutz gun is a heavy volume spray gun that they use for spraying undercoating.  If you go to Eastwoodco.com and do a search for "schutz gun" you will see a couple of examples.  Some are basic and others have wand assemblies to get into those hard to reach spots.