We finally completed the repair of the firewall. It is a solid, very properly done fix that took me an entire week to do. I used thick, 18-gauge metal from a discarded steel cabinet and shaped it to form a surface on which the new cowl can be welded.
barely any of the original surface remained at the top edge of the firewall. The new panel was fixed to the firewall side with 6 bolts and self-locking nuts. These were coated with panel bond throughout the entire surface, just to be sure they would not rust in a few years.
A coat of panel bond (Permatex) was applied. Care was observed not to glue the holes where I plug-welded the panel later
The remaining firewall top edge metal was first coated with weld-through coating. Then the panel was fixed with clamps and allowed bond overnight.
The bonding felt solid (notice the bolts at the side) but now it was time to plug-weld the way Alex Olshove showed me.
Not the nicest plug welds, but good enough for me
After a little grinding
A light coat of paint was applied to prevent rust.
Now it's time to test-fit the cowl, fenders and windshield. Then drill about 100 or so holes and plug-weld the cowl in place. Of course, I had to drill the 4 holes for the tower braces. One this was done, the cowl fit almost perfectly. Clamping was an easy task. Tomorrow I will test-fit the fenders, drill the plug holes and weld away...
Man, Ivan! You're gettin' after it! I'm glad you're plug welding the cowl. You won't regret it. Speaking of plug welds, don't worry about appearance. It's the strength you're looking for. Just check the back side of the welds. As long as you see that nice dark spot with the "heat ring", you've got good penetration. I also understand that plug welds are just as strong if not stronger than factory spot welds. Besides, by the time you get the seam sealer on and the car put back together, no one is going to see the welds anyway. ;-D
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