Permanent cowl cleanouts?

JeffisOld said
I am glad others are wrestling with this issue also.

I have been debating how to deal with the pine straw there before I prime and put POR-15 in that area. A panel would th a foam gasket and held in by 6 or 8 cam-loks (zeus fasteners) has crossed my mind.

I even considered cutting out the vent completely and just welding it up with solid sheet metal to keep it clean. Your thoughts?

I've noticed that some of the later models had 2 much smaller intake vent/grille areas. Many of those have much larger cabins too. Not sure why a-body needed so much intake area. Lesser opening equals lesser debris entering. Mice didn't go in through this grille anyway. So completely closing the grille isn't a cure all. Just a more cozy home for critters.