Fresh air
Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2021 7:53 pm
Cars have several different systems, brake, steering, exhaust, etc, and you might call fresh air a system, or fresh air routing system. But how much time does that system get during a restoration when there are no obvious problems, such as rust, keep in mind it is the so-called fresh air that you are going to breath.
A lot of cars from the 50s and 60s have a fresh air grill in front of the windshield, such as the 55/56 chevy. I'll sell this car eventually as an easy project car, but I removed the cowl side covers to check for trash and rust.
Not sure how fresh the air is going to be after traveling this route.
Mustangs have the same system and I knew there was a problem because of the rust above the master cylinder.
After removing the right front fender for the first time in its life, there was this ugly mess hiding there. The right side drain hole is totally blocked.
This car was repainted once, its original red had more orange in it. Its a GT, with pony interior, remote mirror, AC, PS, and parking brake warning light. Other than the cowl, it doesn't have much rust, so its worth the effort.
The sealer is way past its life expectancy
The cowl top and bottom are reproduced, but I prefer to use original metal when ever possible.
All the welds were done on the bench, and it was easier to weld from the back side.
This is the back side of the weld
Close to 200 spot welds to remove the top, and around 100 for the bottom
There are three cracks running from this hole, drilled a small hole at the end of each crack.
That was a lot of work, but the two panels lay flat, and the spot weld holes line up, so I know the fenders and hood will fit just as they did before. And thats much better than reproduction parts.
A lot of cars from the 50s and 60s have a fresh air grill in front of the windshield, such as the 55/56 chevy. I'll sell this car eventually as an easy project car, but I removed the cowl side covers to check for trash and rust.
Not sure how fresh the air is going to be after traveling this route.
Mustangs have the same system and I knew there was a problem because of the rust above the master cylinder.
After removing the right front fender for the first time in its life, there was this ugly mess hiding there. The right side drain hole is totally blocked.
This car was repainted once, its original red had more orange in it. Its a GT, with pony interior, remote mirror, AC, PS, and parking brake warning light. Other than the cowl, it doesn't have much rust, so its worth the effort.
The sealer is way past its life expectancy
The cowl top and bottom are reproduced, but I prefer to use original metal when ever possible.
All the welds were done on the bench, and it was easier to weld from the back side.
This is the back side of the weld
Close to 200 spot welds to remove the top, and around 100 for the bottom
There are three cracks running from this hole, drilled a small hole at the end of each crack.
That was a lot of work, but the two panels lay flat, and the spot weld holes line up, so I know the fenders and hood will fit just as they did before. And thats much better than reproduction parts.