Ok, you may remember from my "let me vent" thread that I welded in a 34 cowl section into my Speed body in order to add a functional cowl vent. Cowl vent now painted, installed, weather-stripped and operational. Now, how do I install the vent screen that finally came in the mail? There are two studs hanging in the center but there is nothing to attach them to in the cowl opening? There are mounting tabs hanging off the front of the screen (see pic below). When I open the cowl vent to full open position, the vent screen doesn't seem to fit as it strikes the back of the open vent door. Come on 33/34 guys, show me what I am missing. I read HRP and Larry's threads looking for help using the search function, all I gathered there is I don't want a hornet in my blanket or a June bug in the puss.
oh, I did not know that. Can you add a vent screen to a 33? I may need to PM Chris but I bug him to often I fear.
Pretty sure you already have figured this out by now; but I finally remembered to get a picture of how the '34 screen is attached. Need to add a screen to my friend's '33.
Chris and I shared a couple of PMs on the subject and it appears there was an early design change by ford in 1934. The cowl I cut up to get the vent area from had the hood detents which was a 34 change, but the vent is round like a 33 and has no brace to bolt the vent to. Not being one to give up without ruining a perfectly nice part, I am planning a change to the vent as we speak. I have made a template of the curvature of the vent door. I think I can shape two bands of steel (the vent screen is sandwiched between the two) cut the back of the vent screen and delicately weld the new curved sections back in place. The brace is easy to duplicate and since my car is painted already, I will JB weld it into place using the completed screen to hold it as it dries. Ill play with it tonight and post up some results. I have not yet mounted the body and this is one of the projects I need to complete before hand.
The "state of the union" of my car and frame is severely lacking. You can see more pictures from paint forward at https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/brian-made-me-do-it.1085156/ With a little work and cooperation form the parts, I hope to make the car great again...for the first time.
I couldn't get the vent to move on the '34; but it sure looked like the place it was attached was the clamp around the round rod. The '33 has the same rod, so I was thinking it looks like a direct retro fit to the '33. Sent from my Nexus 5X using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
What's the possibility of fabbing a screen and hanging it from the bottom side of the cowl vent lid? Maybe epoxy or JB weld. It could go up and down with the lid and have the "V" shape.
Ok, It is a bit late the west coast but I tackled a couple of items after work. As promised I played with the vent screen. 1st, I made a cardboard template of the curvature of the vent door. then I spayed some flat black on the 34 screen so I knew where to trim Next, I made the cuts in the frame and the support bracket. Here is the screen trimmed and test fitted I clamped a dolly in the vice to use to shape the metal I folded over to form the filler Then a little TIG welding Frame complete. Here is the rough draft I don't always fabricate while wearing a watch, but when I do, its a Tag Heuer. Next up, the brace that holds it in the car. Next up, the brace that holds it in the cowl.
So it looks like the lower section of the lid itself is different between the '33 and '34 lids. Have check and see what my friend has for his '33.
Yeah, the 33 are rounded a the bottom, I think you could put a 34 vent on a 33 and visa versa. Maybe that is what someone did to my cowl? Ok, I meant to type MIG and goofed. I would have corrected the post but then your post would look kinda silly so I will take it on the chin and laugh along. That metal is not real thick even when doubled over and I did it without my helmet on so it was kinda point, shut eyes and shoot kinda thing. It worked. Always a critic out there somewhere.
Finished and installed. I touched up the back of the screen with JB weld both below and on top at the same time (so it would cure together and sandwich the screen) in the curved area to make sure the screen was secured permanently. A little semi gloss black and it looked quite original. I added a bar to bolt it to for a factory look and to secure it in the car. The door opens and closes without interference from the screen. This is a cool fix for guys with 33 ford vents that would like a cowl vent screen.
Nice solution. I knew about the differences in the lids so I got a 34 lid to use in my 33 to allow me to run a screen.
Noice...I got all the 34 stuff [except the screen] and assembled it...works GREAT! Then I attempted to install my modified 34 dash. DOH! I used a 34 chevy standard dash with the instruments in the center of the dash . Vent handle occupies same space as my gauges! Gotta come up with something different. Your solution is very sanitary looking...very professional. But I have to wonder if the hot sun beating down on the cowl will affect the JB weld. I filled cracks in a 39 ford steering wheel and stored the wheel in a shed that was hot with sun beating down on it...all my JB weld repairs cracked out again.
Nice mod, 34 was the first year of the screen as well as the door glass going back then down in lieu of the 1/4 vent that came in 40. I will doing a similar change on my 33, putting the 34 screen in to stop Bees and wasps getting in.
Actually , the JB is not even necessary as the bracket in the center of the cowl screen just needs something to pull against. A rod long enough to span the opening is all you really need, when you tighten the nuts holding the bracket it pulls the rod tight against the cowl body. the JB may make it easier to install and keep it from developing a rattle but that's about it. On your cowl vent handle interfering with your gauge cluster, I have two possible fixes, one being what I did and buy the 32 handle (solid steel and longer) and bend it to clear your gauges. I used a one ton press and it bent without damaging the finish. Here is the 32 handle after I bent it and the 34 handle I was going to use. I had to manipulate the handle because of a switch panel I mounted under my 32 style dash. The original handle would have been difficult to reach. Here it installed It extends nicely past the switch box and operates the lid very well. The other idea is way street roddish but if you cant see it, who cares? They make an electric vent motor that you could run from a simple switch under the dash. Here is one I nabbed off the net. "Where there's a will, there's a way and... a hot rod fabricator to make it happen" my own quote, write that down.
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