Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
The Lizard — our 1970 Torino GT — came to us with a rotted-out cowl, top and bottom. This is the car a good friend named and daily drove for years before it was parked, and the goal has always been to finish building his dream car the right way. So instead of burning new metal in and fighting heat warp and water leaks down the road, we bonded the new AMD upper and lower cowl panels in place with 3M 8115 Panel Bonding Adhesive.
Body man Larry walks us through the whole job start to finish: stripping the e-coat off the bonding surfaces with a surface conditioning disc so you clean the steel without thinning it, brushing the adhesive's built-in corrosion inhibitors over every bit of bare metal, equalizing the cartridge so the ratio comes out right, and laying the bead with that 90-minute work clock ticking. From there it's locating the panels, clamping it down — you can't over-clamp this stuff — and wiping the squeeze-out so the adhesive doubles as your seam sealer. No plug-weld heat, no distortion, and no leaks running down the cowl.
We also get into why a bonded cowl can end up stronger than a welded one, where you'd still drop in a few spot welds if you had the access, and the honest call we made to leave them off this particular car.
Tools & materials in this video:
• 3M 8115 Panel Bonding Adhesive, applicator gun, mixing nozzles
• AMD upper and lower cowl panels
• 3M surface conditioning disc (Roloc-style) for e-coat removal
• Acid and chip brushes for spreading adhesive over bare metal
• Cleaner and prep solvent
• Clamps (bring the big ones for a '70 Torino) and a few box-tube spacers
• Basic hand tools and PPE
Want to support the shop? Grab a shirt, hat, or mug from our store, and check out our Patreon — the $10/month level gets you monthly Zoom hangouts and trivia night. [store link] [Patreon link]
Got a Fairlane, Torino, Ranchero, Falcon, or any 1960–1977 Ford passenger car with a rotted cowl? Drop your questions in the comments — we read every one.
It's Not Madness, It's FORD!
Follow the full build of The Lizard and the rest of the shop projects right here on Manic Mechanic.
Why We’re Using Panel Bonding Adhesive
youtu.be/70cOYh7g0HA
Parts:
Upper Cowl Part Number: D0OZ-6502010A
Lower Cowl Part Number: D0OZ-7602018
Merch:
autorestomod-shop.fourthwall.com
Sponsors:
autokrafters.com
moderndriveline.com
Contact: Jford@autorestomod.com
Insta: @autorestomod
patreon.com/gasolinemedia
Episode 335 Manic Mechanic
#PanelBonding #3M8115 #FordTorino #ClassicFordRestoration #ManicMechanic
The Lizard — our 1970 Torino GT — came to us with a rotted-out cowl, top and bottom. This is the car a good friend named and daily drove for years before it was parked, and the goal has always been to finish building his dream car the right way. So instead of burning new metal in and fighting heat warp and water leaks down the road, we bonded the new AMD upper and lower cowl panels in place with 3M 8115 Panel Bonding Adhesive.
Body man Larry walks us through the whole job start to finish: stripping the e-coat off the bonding surfaces with a surface conditioning disc so you clean the steel without thinning it, brushing the adhesive's built-in corrosion inhibitors over every bit of bare metal, equalizing the cartridge so the ratio comes out right, and laying the bead with that 90-minute work clock ticking. From there it's locating the panels, clamping it down — you can't over-clamp this stuff — and wiping the squeeze-out so the adhesive doubles as your seam sealer. No plug-weld heat, no distortion, and no leaks running down the cowl.
We also get into why a bonded cowl can end up stronger than a welded one, where you'd still drop in a few spot welds if you had the access, and the honest call we made to leave them off this particular car.
Tools & materials in this video:
• 3M 8115 Panel Bonding Adhesive, applicator gun, mixing nozzles
• AMD upper and lower cowl panels
• 3M surface conditioning disc (Roloc-style) for e-coat removal
• Acid and chip brushes for spreading adhesive over bare metal
• Cleaner and prep solvent
• Clamps (bring the big ones for a '70 Torino) and a few box-tube spacers
• Basic hand tools and PPE
Want to support the shop? Grab a shirt, hat, or mug from our store, and check out our Patreon — the $10/month level gets you monthly Zoom hangouts and trivia night. [store link] [Patreon link]
Got a Fairlane, Torino, Ranchero, Falcon, or any 1960–1977 Ford passenger car with a rotted cowl? Drop your questions in the comments — we read every one.
It's Not Madness, It's FORD!
Follow the full build of The Lizard and the rest of the shop projects right here on Manic Mechanic.
Why We’re Using Panel Bonding Adhesive
youtu.be/70cOYh7g0HA
Parts:
Upper Cowl Part Number: D0OZ-6502010A
Lower Cowl Part Number: D0OZ-7602018
Merch:
autorestomod-shop.fourthwall.com
Sponsors:
autokrafters.com
moderndriveline.com
Contact: Jford@autorestomod.com
Insta: @autorestomod
patreon.com/gasolinemedia
Episode 335 Manic Mechanic
#PanelBonding #3M8115 #FordTorino #ClassicFordRestoration #ManicMechanic
