shockingly, i own a 75 valiant. for some time, i have had serious electrical problems because the fresh air intake box, located beneath the cowl, has been leaking. I have refused to repair the (minor) floor, replace the carpet, or anything else until i finally got this solved.

i found a really good thread on the subject on FABO, explaining both the problem and the fix. there are two big holes stamped into the base plate of the box, where the air vents feed the fresh air. leaves, dirt, etc. will collect in this area, and, not being painted like the rest of the car, start to turn into swiss cheese from the mud holding on to the moisture. the problem is, the entire car is basically built around this box, and it is a BOOGER to tear it apart and put it back together, although it can be done and the above-mentioned thread on FABO shows how to do it beautifully. however, literally disassembling your car, especially on a 4 door driver, is daunting, to say the least.

i took it to a buddy's shop, and after explaining the issues, he had an idea. he took the air vents off, then shoved one of those snap-on cameras on a stick with the flexible head up into the air box. guess what? mine was not rusted! (you can see quite a bit of the box when you look down through the cowl grill, but not all of it). he continued with his idea, which was based on his belief that my problem was a failure of the factory seam sealer.

he taped off the grill, completely. he then improvised a big "double boiler" by putting a big pan of water on his propane fish fryer, and then slowly heated a can of white roofing sealant until it would flow like paint. he then poured this into the grill, with the car on the lift. when the "paint" began to pour though the drains, he then tilted the car on the lift in both directions, to assure total coverage.

he made sure that the drains would not clog, and let the car cure for several days. he then tested with water for leaks. HA HA!!! NONE!!! this repair cost me the grand total of $187, and actually worked. thought i would share this with the rest of you, since i realized i'm not the only one out there with a great car that sadly doesn't have the same market valure as some of its brothers and cousins.

Pretty cool fix. Thanks for passing it on.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

This looks like the best, most exact focus on the water leaks in the cowl area that I have read. ALL our 74-76 Darts/ Valients leak there to some extent. For most of us, wobbling the entire car around to slosh the sealant is not a do-able task, though it is an awesome idea. My plan for our family fleet, though still not proven, is to cut a 1.5" hole on each side of the firewall vertical face, just below the outboard ends of the top grill. Then go in with an improvised vacuum to clean and scrape the big stuff. Then go in with a brush on a stick and seal that whole inner cowl area, but keeping the drains clear. Or even making the drains larger. (Plastic plugs for the access holes.) Your bottom line was- it worked! Re-sealing the body joints inside that cowl area cured the historical problem. Thank you for that reassurance.

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"Louise", a 1976 Dart Custom project, (now sadly reverted to being just an "organ donor" to our other project Darts.)

Side Note:

Looking into the black holes that every car has is a real pain.

Endoscopes are available online for less than $20. They'll let you see all sorts of things you might wish you hadn't. Mine has adjustable LED's, a mirror for 90-degree viewing, a 7mm diameter head, and a USB connector.

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO

Interesting solution! Good info.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

thanks for the kind words, fellas! yes, the "camera on a stick" made by snap-on is what is called an endoscope. just like a colonoscopy!

the "sloshing" was done on a 4 point lift, with 2 men. the shop charged 2 hours, @ $65/ hr. i overstated the bill, it was $175, and i didn't have to lift a finger.

anybody can get a good start on cleanup by using air and water, and repeating the process many times. while i did not enjoy the water in the dash, if you don't get it clean, you won't get good adhesion.

Great tip, thanks!

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

you know, the same thing could be accomplished with one or two floor jacks if you don't have access to a lift. i should say, the most time-consuming part is taping and then cleaning up the grill. whatever you do, don't give yourself an unintended paint job (!). that wouldn't look so good.