Question concerning the cowl on my ‘70 Electra. The hollow space behind the front passengers kick pad. Where, I’m guessing if this car had the lower side vents would be. This area is filling up with rain water and weeping into the front passenger footwell via the pinch-weld underneath the front passenger sill plate. I suspect the drain holes in the cowl are clogged? Can’t seem to locate them under the car. I haven’t yet pulled the screen from the cowl along with the lower chrome window trim to look. Could someone point me in the right direction? Going to tackle this this weekend. I removed the cover from that kick panel. Using a wet dry vac, sucked out the wet mouse nest and water. I’d like to keep water out of the kick panel area. Just wondering if anyone has dealt with this and what their solution was. Thanks, Paul
Remove your kick panels and clean that area, also check your rocker drains as they may also be plugged.
My 2 cents - Why is your car getting rained on? Any old car will have issues with rain. Seals dry up, dirt clogs drains, panels warp, etc. If at all possible keep the car out of the rain or at least put a cover on it.
You may want to remove the cowl screen and shove the vacuum hose down to the bottom of the cowl. Debris builds up there and clogs the opening which is quite small. Before you put it back together test for draining with the hose. Also. as mentioned, check that the rockers are open to drain all the way back. If there is organic debris in any of those areas it won't dry quickly and rust will occur.
Matt, Thanks for the info! Had same issue on a ‘71 Fury III 2 door. Yeah, those drain holes are quite small. And being located at or near the bottom of the V in the cowl makes cleaning a pain. It is on the list for this weekend. I know something is clogged somewhere! Also checked for drain holes in rockers. Couldn’t find them. Going to be looking again this weekend as well. Thanks again, Paul
