From the factory the firewall was full of holes and
attaching points for the heater, battery, wires and cables. With a
polished and gleaming blower motor under the hood you don't want the
engine compartment crowded with wires and such.
There are several routes you can take to smooth out your
firewall. Maybe the best, but the longest, is to weld in each individual
hole. You also could cut out the firewall and replace it entirely. Since
I wasn't doing it myself, and time is money, we opted to use another
method. A new piece of metal was welded in over top of the original.
It's very secure and looks great! Also, if I do see the need to have any
holes through the firewall, the original holes can be accessed from
within the cab.
Here's the firewall after body filler and primer. It
looks great and is just about ready for paint! They did a good job of
blending the new panels into the center section. Some might not like the
firewall smoothed over, but in the end it will go with the overall
smooth look of my truck.
