8/17/15 – Day 15

Passenger side inner/outer cowl are removed. Lots of drilling and cutting. Both panels are spot welded at the rear (body pillar) so your drilling can go a little deeper (drill from front to back).

8/12/15 – Day 14

Finished removing everything from the firewall dash area.

8/12/15 – Day 13

I started back on the dash area. I got half out on a previous day and planned to finish today. No real surprises, however, when taking out the steering column, the rag joint end ripped right off! That must be some serious rot. I got most all of the dash out. Another day and I’ll be finished.

8/10/15 – Day 12

Easy evening: just taking measurements.

8/7/15 – Day 11

I removed the upper cowl panel today. I’m not surprised it was so rusted. It had been repaired at one point with body filler. I’m hoping the lower cowl panel can be repaired because the replacement piece is a pretty penny. We’ll see after it’s out.

The top-front was beat up pretty good so it was challenging to find the spot welds. I missed about 5 of them. I gently used an air chisel (can you really gently use an air chisel?). The rear, near the window was rotted through and attached about ¼. I just cut through that with a die grinder and cut-off wheel.

As you can see below, a good bit of rust has eaten away the lower cowl. This should be an easy(ish) fix. I just hope this is the worst of it.

They make a patch panel piece here and I was asked for the measurements.

8/6/15 – Day 10

I’m replacing the entire cowl shoulder (inner/outer cowls). You can buy these as separate pieces or one unit. Today, I’m working on the outer cowl shoulder.

It’s like a jigsaw puzzle with the cowl. I’ve searched the internet and asked questions online. I’m getting closer. The spot welds run along the top, front side and rear. I didn’t take mine off in one piece since it’s not being used and I don’t want to waste too much effort.

The outer cowl attaches at the rear inner cowl lip with spot welds (around 14). They are drilled out from the front of the car. I used a spot weld cutter from Harbor Freight. The one I got is double-sided and works pretty well.

Note that the lower window cowl panel overlaps the inner cowl. I’ve heard of people replacing the inner panel but no mention of moving the lower window cowl panel. I’m not sure how that was accomplished. It looks like my lower window cowl panel needs to be removed. I needed to remove anyway – either to repair or replace.

8/5/15 – Day 9

I started working on dash removal. The plan is to media blast or dip the body so everything must come out. I used the link below to get the dash out. It was very helpful but still a bit of a PITA. I suggest reading the entire document first.

http://chevellestuff.net/tech/articles/68dash/dash_removal_for_1968_chevelles1.pdf

I’m not sure what I’m going to do about the AC. It’s old and non-compliant. I know companies like Vintage Air have replacements but I want to ensure I have the same 1968 look. The dash is half-way out. Getting everything back in and working correctly is going to be fun.

7/27/15 – Day 8

I’m beginning to work on her daily for an hour after work. I think it will take too long working just on the weekends and it helps me relax from a day at work. Today was pretty simple: I removed the rear quarter windows. Nothing special but it does take a bit of maneuvering. Just took my time so I did not scratch the glass.

The 4 yellow bolts hold the crank in place. The 3 green bolts hold the window/frame in place. Remove the green bolts first, starting with the top two (that bracket will need to come off as well). The crank is attached to the window frame and will slide out with little effort. It helps to have the crank out of the way. Then remove the stops.