Friday, September 11, 2009

Cowling repair

Here are some pictures of my cowling repair done after I converted the mustang from a coupe to a fastback. I went to my local harbor freight store and purchased a spot weld remover drill bit $6. I would recommend buying a spot weld remover drill bit if you plane to remove the cowling cover. There are about 100 plus spot welds that need to be removed. It took me the better part of a week (putting in a few hours every other day) just to remove all of the spot welds. once I was able to remove the cowling cover. I was pleasantly surprised to find only minor surface rust in an area that is typically rusted through. I cleaned up all the leaves and wire pushed the entire surface. Then I completed the 3 step POR 15 process of washing with degreaser, then using the metal ready, and finally putting a coat of POR 15 on and covering it with primer. I really like using POR 15 because it dries rock hard and locks out all moisture. This repair should ensure that the cowling won't rust out for many more years. Make sure to cover over the shot welds with painters tape so you can realign and weld the cowling cover back in the right place. I will use weld through primer over the spot welds to prevent any rust from forming in the seam when I weld the cowling cover back on.

Cowling