Fresh Air Vents 1958

[Dakota Boy]

I had to get the little knobs from John at Thunderbird Ranch. Nobody seems to sell reproductions of them.

[Rob Sumowski]

Thanks very much, guys! I have the vents open and working. It is indeed an awkward little assembly but, once oiled, it works if I manipulate it a bit while opening and closing. What a difference! It's still in the upper 90s in Georgia this week. Will try to get a new knob from one of these guys.

(I did kind of hold my breath while washing the car in fear that I might channel water from the cowl to the floor board through those vents, but no issue.)

Rob

[Deanj]

Cowl Vents

I found this thread on hard to operate cowl vents. My 1960 AC car vents operate with some sort of rod assembly to open and close like a flip open can lid. It isn't a push-pull and it can't be operated while driving for 2 reasons: I can't reach it, but even if I did it takes Samson to work it.

Does this fall under the WD40 rule? They do not look frozen, but neither do a lot of things.

[Dakota Boy]

post up some photos

[Deanj]

I can't. But mine feel like they're connected to strong springs.

[YellowRose]

Fresh Air Vents 1958

Anyone can post pix on this Forum, Dean... You have several choices.. One is to use a free photo hosting website like photobucket and upload the pix to them. Then post the link to them on here. Another is to send them to me, jopizz or simplyconnected and we can post them for you. The other is to become a Paid Member ($20yr) and post them directly on our server. In eithe case, the pix must be no bigger than 800x600pixels and the file size kept to less than 145kb.

[DKheld]

Rob,

From years of experience in the hot south (mostly Charlotte) with a non A/C Tbird - I can tell you no amount of blowing hot air in these cars will help.

Unfortunately those vents on the side under the dash only have air flow when the car is moving - they may help when you are sitting still by acting as a chimney while you roast inside the car. Even if you did find a way to add a fan to the side vents it still pulls air from the cowl which is heated by the hood (and my car is WHITE - which should help but doesn't). The engine/exhaust/radiator does a great job of heating up the hood and it seems that the super heated air is drawn into the cowl most all the time.

Bet you've learned to turn the glass side vents on the doors outward as much as possible too so that air blows in on you as the car moves (key words here are "as the car moves"). With the exhaust running under the center console, manifolds right at the firewall etc - sitting still - these cars are an oven.

You've probably already found out but just thought I would throw in those words of discouragement.

So on the side vents - if any one needs a set I'd be happy to send them to you for shipping cost. Need to be cleaned and painted but they do operate.



For the A/C car. The cable from the console makes a loop up and out to the firewall where it controls the flap that directs cowl or pass compartment air across the evaporator coils and out the A/C dash vent. That cable can get moved out of place if you've been working under the dash or console and it will bind but if it hasn't been moved some oil might help. It's a solid core cable by the way. Should be able to oil it from the firewall side but because of the uncovered outer coil type sheath the oil will leak out and may or may not make it very far into the cable - worth a shot though.

Look at the lower image in this pic - the cable is connected to the air valve arm. May have to remove the cable clamp and cable from the arm to get oil to flow down the cable (lower yellow arrow)



Also notice in the upper image how the system works. If you do not have A/C there is no air valve to direct what the squirrel cage fan pulls from either the pass compartment or cowl to the evap coils. The fan only blows into the plenum under the dash. If you have the temp set to off and the control set to heat "theoretically" you should be able to get cowl air into the pass compartment without heating it via the small slits in the under dash plenum. I've even gone so far as to block off the heater core but the air always seems to be heated as I mentioned above.

Under dash plenum for non A/C car (and probably the same on the A/C cars)

Also free to a good home for shipping costs!

There is a seal at the cowl that should help keep the heat forward but my seal is in place - no help.

You can see the hood seal pretty good in this pic below.

(although this looks like an A/C car it is not - I added the evap box on the firewall - notice the Bendix power brake booster is in the engine compartment not the Kelsey Hayes under dash booster as standard on the A/C cars)



This pic should help.
Non A/C car.
Squirrel cage fan draws air from the round hole (cowl or pass compartment)
Shoots it out into the square hole - heater plenum or if you have A/C the flap diverts the outgoing air to the evap coils in the box on the firewall and out the dash vent. You can see in the far upper right where I was about to cut the firewall to add the factory type evaporator plenum to the firewall. All cars have the 2 knockouts on the firewall - just have to cut a slot between them after they are removed. I wouldn't recommend adding factory air - it's been a real PITA.




Maybe that long winded answer helps.

Eric

[Deanj]

Thanks. I thought I saw your car in the movie: The Fastest Indian In The World. It was a scene at Bonnieville.