shaved cowl

[chris91]

I have a 64 and thinking about shaving the cowl to have it smooth, nothing but wiper holes. Any suggestions or problems that may occur. I saw a post about a month ago where someone used jb weld to fill the holes. Is this a good idea. Also will this cause any problems.

[muddpile]

Personally, I'd cut the area out and add in a large piece of 18ga sheetmetal, or cut a bunch of strips and individually weld the slots shut. I'm not 100% on this, but it may negatively affect the performance of your kick vents and heater.

[BMSJaX]

True You wouldnt get any fresh air for your heater/air. But if you dont have one it wouldn't affect anything I can think of

[Captainfab]

It would be best to cut out the slots and replace it with one piece of 18ga sheet. The biggest concern will be warpage from that much welding. Just take your time go slow and straighten as you go. Of course this is if you don't need the air intake as mentioned above.

[lakeroadster]

Markebo1 filled his cowl using a rather non-conventional method. Looks good and has passed the test of time. I was so stoked about it I subscribed to the link... Here it is:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=367489

[markeb01]

I agree with Captainfab, welding in a single piece of sheet would be the preferred professional approach, if you’re experienced with sheet metal fabrication welding. I’ve seen it done successfully – once. I’ve also seen a few filled vents so badly warped I wondered why they put them back on the truck. The cowl vent has compound curves – front to back and left to right. With my limited welding skills (and lack of welding equipment) this wasn’t an option.

For me, it was either fill the cowl with JB Weld, or don’t have one. I previously eliminated the inside vents when I installed diamond tufted kick panels, so I no longer needed the open cowl vent. Whether to use the JB Weld approach should really be decided on ability. If you’re great at welding, go for it. It’s a nice bragging point to show off your talent.

If you’re not, the technique I used on the cowl vent set me back about $20 for two tubes of Industro Weld, which is regular JB Weld in larger tubes. Lakeroadster has noted the link above explaining the entire process. Based on my experience, I have confidence my filled vent will certainly outlast me.

What makes JB Weld so effective on sheet metal repairs is the amount of steel in the epoxy, providing expansion and contraction similar to the surrounding metal. If you’re ever interested in demonstrating the amount of steel in JB Weld, mix up a batch and apply to something metal, then attach a magnet (like one of the cheap Harbor Freight welding magnets) off center on the back of the piece. The mix will actually migrate and pool over the magnet. Also – don’t substitute PC7 for sheet metal repairs. It’s more of a paste than JB Weld and stays in place better on vertical surfaces, but is no where near as strong when cured.

[chris91]

Thanks everyone. After thinking about it more, I decided not to fill the cowl hood. I do like the JB weld idea to fill other holes. Since I have no plans to sell the truck I may use the JB weld to fill some holes in the floor. I do not have the welding skills to do patch panels yet.