alright, I'm getting down to fixing my cowl cracks and replacing the completely rusted floor pan, hopefully here in the next few weeks. I've contacted the Dodge dealership to get the replacement panels, but alas they are no longer made. So, what do I do now? Is it possible to just simply weld the cracks back together? Can this be easily fixed by a body shop?

I'm at a loss here, not to mention sick of carrying a towel with me on rainy days to wipe the truck out!

 

I don't see why it could not be welded back together. Just make sure to beef it up with some cross-strapping and it will be better than new. There must be some reason it cracked in the first place, right?

Don't know your welding skill level, but with this type of sheetmetal repair you have to be very careful to not warp it with excessive heat for extended periods in any one spot/area. That goes for any automotive-type welding, but particularly problematic with larger areas of sheetmetal.

 

well you see, I'm not the welder, but I have a good friend who has some experience, and we'll probably be using a wire welder, which is lower heat right? I was planning on bracing it yes. Also, a good idea to use some sort of sealant for waterproofing?

 

DO NOT weld the cracks back together...they will just crack again. You'll need a patch panel that can be welded ON TOP of the cowl crack, along with some flat strap to be shaped to the cowl and welded on it for added rigidity. The cowl corners crack because that is a serious point of stress on the cabs. Just a bad design from Dodge really. I'l also recommend you buy all new cab mount bushings to reduce the stress on the cowl corners.

 

Jeremy, could you explain exactly why a person could not repair their own cowl cracks satisfactorily by simply welding in some additional strapping/bracing to increase strength over the original design?

 

Can somebody tell me what the "cowl" is?
I haven't been able to figure that out yet...

 

same here, i can weld sheet metal awesome, but is hard to give an opinion without seeing pics.

 

Mine has been welded for years with a homemade patch over it to add strength. Hasn't cracked again. It isn't that big of a deal. I welded up the crack then took a hammer and dented it in a little then placed the patch over it then welded around it. Primed and sprayed with undercoating no more squeeks or leaks.

 

yeah, what he said. I have no idea what you guys are talking about

 

anyone got any pictures? Mine has mystery leaks as well...

 

cowl is between windshield and hood. if u open up your doors and look in all the way in the front and up u will see the big cracks.

 

I have never even seen a cowl crack up close, but I have welded quite a bit of thin guage steel.

I would make the repairs using an oxyacetylene torch.

rather than drill holes at each end to prevent the crack from migrating, just use a small (CLEAN) tip and burn a small hole at each end. doing it this way will not leave any sharp edge on the backside of the hole.

then weld it up using tie wire, commonly known as haywire. it is alloyed to prevent cracking when using it to tie rebar together and makes an excellent oxy/acetylene welding wire.

after welding the crack, prepare another piece of steel of a reasonable size to be able to weld the entire perimeter, again using oxy/acetylene. as well as welding the circumference of this piece it would probably be a good idea to drill a number of 1/4" to 5/16" holes in the patch piece before applying. drill these holes such that the patch has a plug weld about every inch in every direction. this will greatly enhance the extent that the patch increases the section strength.

it shouldnt be to difficult to form the patch piece to the cowl using a ball peen hammer. it will be plenty warm from the welding.

if you have cleaned all the paint from the underlying area the welding will go easier, if you seal weld the patch there will be no future corrosion between it and the parent metal.

again, I havent done this particular job before, but my truck needs it and I will probably get to it this year.

the only thing that worries me is whether there are combustibles directly on the other side of where the welding needs to be done.... would hate to burn my truck down.

paint it when your done.

I'll make sure to take good pictures when I do mine.

tks,
rjm

 

Dodge dealer showed quite a few cowl patches on computer when I bought mine last summer. Here's a link for a few body parts.
http://www.autobodypartsonline.com/c...25103015543.6d

 

The cowl crack patch panels are NS1 now (obsolete), this is something Chrysler should be spanked for. If you guys that don't know what or where the cowl or crack issue is check the Tech Facts here or over at Dave Fritz's site. There was a TSB on it way back and every 81-93 Dodge truck probably has them in some vary degree. Poorly designed area that a special steel patch panel was sold to repair it without welding, by drilling and riveting and also using an epoxy type adhesive. Weld them up, that is not a problem, in fact I was told by the engineer that wrote the TSB to do just that since the panels are no longer available.

 

ahhhh, i feel enlightened now. I have never seen one cracked, and i have a bunch of spares laying around without cracks if i ever need one