Upper and Lower Cowl Replacement

By Brian Brennan Photography by Jason Chandler

ur ’64 Ford Galaxie (named “Project Lara Lor-Van”) belongs to Eddy Cebreco and has a great deal of sheetmetal work that is needed. We have already begun by replacing the firewall, now comes the upper and lower cowl areas. This is going to give us all fresh metal underhood at the firewall/windshield area. It should be noted that Auto Metal Direct (AMD) makes a great number of sheetmetal pieces for not only our ’64 Ford Galaxie but any number of other buildable material from the ’60s.

The project continues with Auto Metal Direct (AMD) freshly stamped sheetmetal. These upper and lower cowl pieces will fit both the ’63 and ’64 Ford Galaxie. The upper cowl carries PN 360-8963 while the lower cowl carries PN 360-8963-1. To achieve our efforts, we relied on AMD for the sheetmetal and then Craig Hopkins of The Installation Center to perform the work along with Jubee Mays of aMAYSing Metal Works.

While we may be working on a ’64 Ford Galaxie, the fact remains that the firewall and the upper and lower cowl area are subject to rust. Cars of this period trap water that runs off from the roof down the windshield and is captured through the cowl plenum area (directly beneath the windshield). It’s not only water but how about all manner of dirt, leaves, and other debris that clogs the drain points. Water is then trapped and the rust process begins.

Sit back and take in the photos that show you how Hopkins and Mays begin the project and work their way until it is out with the old and in with the new. Keep an eye out as there will be more sheetmetal projects coming in later months on Cebreco’s ’64 Ford Galaxie.

2-3. Auto Metal Direct offers a huge selection for the ’63-64 Ford Galaxie. These new upper and lower cowls are the perfect solution for project Lara Lor-Van (upper cowl PN 360-8963, lower cowl PN 360-8963-1).

5. Mays takes on the passenger side, showing how the angle on the chisel removes the old metal without damaging the panels you want to preserve.

7. As you can see, the rot on these panels is showing through. These panels are notorious for rust.

9. With the panels out of the way, you can see just how bad these hold water and rust out over the years. AMD has made it a breeze by offering the full OE-style replacements.

11. Following the grinding wheel, Mays uses his 36-grit sanding disc to smooth out the panel we are going to be installing it to. This will ensure a tight fit between the old panels and the new AMD cowls.

13. A quick coat of weld-through primer is used at all the mating services where the new cowls will meet with each other and with the remaining panels on the car. This will ensure years of rust protection between everything.

15. With assembly just about ready, we need to add some sealer to the lower cowl drain holes on either side. Medallion RS-229 Urethane Sealant is their preferred product here. It allows the same product to be used in sealing and bonding, therefore eliminating the need for several products.

17. Mays drops in the new AMD lower cowl panel and starts clamping everything up. This is where that prep comes in big time. The secret to a good weld is a tight fit.

19. The A-pillar is spot-welded to the lower cowl just like the original.

21. Lots of clamps ensure that the rest of the weld-up process is tight and exactly where it needs to be.

23. With the windshield channel complete, finish welding the sides.

25. There is some plug welding that needs to be done where the spot welder can’t reach. Mays drills out the panel just enough to gain clearance to the door hinge pillar using a smaller drill bit to start then a larger bit to ensure good penetration. Don’t go too deep here; just enough to reach the panel below.

27. Clean up your welds starting with a 36-grit sanding disc and moving onto the buffing disc.

28. With the panel cleaned up, Mays adds a coat of Medallion OE Coat to prevent the new installation from rusting before it heads to bodywork.