Cowling slots.

that's usually the fresh air intake for the HVAC system. And yes, you should clean all that gunk out. When I got my '67 Dart, it had apparently been parked under a pine tree for years, and a hard corner after a rain would bathe your feet in fresh, cool, pine-smelling water. Very refreshing. Fortunately the dreaded panel rot hadn't set in yet.

nate

I don't know why I said those slots are vertical, they are really horizontal.The cowl panel on my 1983 Dodge van is actually sort of an off white/cream color.I laid two pieces of the thin bronze/sort of a gold color aluminum under the cowl panel and I reinstalled the screws and the windshield wipers and the radio antenna.I think that finishes that little job for me.

That married Irish woman wayyyyy over yonder across the big pond was right, I am getting old and senile! cuhulin

Better to put aluminum screen under there, now your defrost won't work!

nate

I think the heat valve under the hood is turned off.Mostly, the only stores I go to are the food store, one and a half miles from me and the animial health store for Pro Pac dog food for my little couch buddy doggy, about six miles from me.Most of the times in the Winter time, it doesn't get all that cold around here anyway.I am not going to worry about it.I can always remove the aluminum and put some screen wire under there. cuhulin