1968 B Body upper cowl removal

Hello, I'm removing an upper cowl panel off of a 1968 B Body. This is my first attempt removing any cowl panel. My question is, on the window channel corner areas what's the best method for separating the upper cowl panel in these areas? I know that the factory used lead as filler. I want to save all surrounding metal panels. Below are some pics of what I'm working on.

Thanks in advance.

I HAVE NEVER DONE THAT JOB.... just saying, but if you're SURE it's lead, then "maybe" you could melt it out with a propane torch & not warp the metal? I would be afraid to use any torch hotter than that.

Lead melts at 612 F
Steel (s) melt at 1400+ F, but I bet a panel will warp at a lower temp

I would think a hardware store bottle of propane would melt that lead easy enough, if you don't have an oxy/acetylene set-up.
Wear a mask/respirator, as lead is nasty stuff.
As with anything take your time and do a little at a time.


I own a 68 B-body and would appreciate updates to this process.

Good Luck!

From someone whose done this and made a huge mistake ...

Take pictures before you start to get an idea of the original lines - there is a LOT of lead in there - particularly on the sides.
Melt all the lead out using a propane torch and a small wire brush (the small ones that are usually sold in 3-packs). Don't worry about the paint ... the torch will take care of that. Get ALL the lead out - that's what the brush is for. Once all the lead is gone you can drill out all the spot welds - there are a lot !! Now here's where I screwed up ... The cowl is welded near the A-pillars. leave those welds intact and cut the cowl off about an inch from where the stock cowl ends. The reason is because the aftermarket cowls are short in this area.

This is only an issue if you're grinding the stuff. Melting it is not an issue.

Not necessarily. Burning paint and melting lead do put off fumes that aren't lung friendly.

Well I suppose if you toke the stuff regularly it'll eventually kill you, so yeah, you're right.