Better know as a Cowl Vent. I have had very few cars that the cowl vent didn't have some damage,the small rivets that the vent pivot on are usually rusted tight or broken,amazingly enough the one in my old beater is as original as the day it rolled of Henry's****embly line but I have had to drill out the broken rivet's several cars in the past and use bolt's to make them operational. Is this common on all cars with a cowl vents? HRP
My F-100 has a cowl vent which never seemed to stay open until I added a stiffer spring to the mechanism. Been working great ever since. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I've used wave washers and nylon lock nuts on the screws after drilling the rivets. The best would be a small screw with a should but the are pretty hard to find. The wave washer will keep tension on the joint and the lock nut makes it stay. As it wears you can tighten it. Hope this helps...
I know what you mean Don,I have opened up a few after they were welded shut back when people thought the slick looked good,nothing like fresh air,even if it's hot air! HRP
Not saying that Chevy's had a better setup up(or am I ?) but the vent on my 32 worked without a hitch and if three notches ain't enough to get the air moving I can just crank the windshield up a couple of inches into the header and fully lower the rear window for the hurricane effect.
I've had them both ways on different '40 Fords I've owned. Honestly I like it functional! I like it more than the vent windows.
Take that as gospel Danny knows about hot air........[emoji6] laughing with you after you read this Danny [emoji1] Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
mine is rusted shut. Poured some atf in it/around the door about 6 months ago. Last weekend my plan was to crawl under the dash and pull it out. A family of wasp decided to move in. I will wait a few more weeks, then pull it and fix the issues with it.
The cowl vent in my '38 Chevy truck does wonders to help move the heat out of the floor area. I also like the crank out windshield the moves air across my shoulders and head in this Florida heat.
Hey L, That vent on my first Flathead, 40 Ford Sedan Delivery saved many hot road trips up and down the coast for us teenagers. With the back window taken out and surfboards stuffed in, it allowed some air flowing out. So, that vent, fully open brought in much needed cool air. But again, we teenagers were bullet proof and nothing was going to get in the way of finishing our surf trips. Jnaki Years later, when I drove my next 40 Ford Sedan Delivery, even with the SBC and A/C, I still drove with that vent open and no A/C. Being in our early twenties still had some "hard core" to the hot rod adventure. But, if my wife was driving or in the car, it was shut that $%& vent and turn on the A/C. Ha!
Used to weld em shut...on my 49 dodge had to reengineer the whole mechanism because of the big engine setback....was worth it....
I peeled the melted bees wax out of the cowl vent on my 33 Plymouth. Pleased a previous owner sealed it up like that years ago as its preserved perfectly Only problem I have is if I exceed the speed limit the wind off the front window slams the cowl vent closed Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
The one in my 35 Chebby is great to keep the heat down in summer. In winter it's another story as I've no windows being a phaeton. True fair weather motoring.
They could have scooped up a little rain H2O once in a while, so yea, rusty/dusty/crusty can happen. Personally I would never weld one shut and would go to great pains to have it operate as originally designed. It's one of the coolest things about an old vintage or classic (no pun intended) and a big part of the experience of owning one. I actually prefer the look of it open and calling attention to itself over it sealed shut. And give me some knobs and cables so I can be in command like I'm captain of the sails of my ship. .......and wing window vents that I can flip all the way backwards with my bare hand. Nostalgia, Baby! I live in Texas so I have to at least consider the possibility of A/C in my '52 Chevy, toaster oven, panel truck. But the cowl vent scoop is not a delete item in my mind even if the full function of the ducting is compromised.
Most of them that I have played with needed the rivets replaced or at least broken loose. I think its pretty common or at least it seems that way to me.
I used shoulder bolts on the frame and it helped with some of the slop... most of the time I have the vent full open or as some refer to it as the a/c on high...
Mine was rusted badly as well. Here is an easy fix, Step 1, remove. This makes drilling out hardware much easier. Step 2, clean as necessary, Step 3, replace Step 4, finish as desired. 4 easy steps, now it works like a charm. Just like Planet Druidia, fresh air for eternity.
Some bozo thought this was a good idea. Uncoolness repaired. In action. I wonder if there is a crank out windshield thread around here somewhere??? -Abone.
The Jalopy Journal
