It’s midlife crisis time and I picked up a 1985 Monte Carlo SS. It’s in great condition for a car that’s 35 years old and runs like new. However with any car this old there are always little things that break and will need repair. I will be posting articles on items I repair maybe to help others in their quest. In this article I will be explaining how to easily repair a loose vent in your old Chevy.
In my Super Sport the air conditioner vents roll either to the left or right as soon as the blower fan turns on. This is quite annoying especially while I’m out cruising on a hot Summer day.
Vent Repair for $1.00
As you can see from the image above the vents flop around and will not stay put while the blower is running. From the factory I believe there is a friction grommet or washer around the posts that the vents swivel on. Over time the grommet rots and falls out causing the vents to swing wildly.
Materials
The simple fix for this project is using self sticking felt pads.
You need about $1.00’s worth of felt pads to fix this vent. You could probably pick them up in a craft store or Home Depot. But if not here’s a pack from Amazon that has the correct size – $8.99 Felt Pads Amazon
Step 1 – Remove the dash panel
This trim panel simply pulls off there are some plastic clips at the bottom, so use caution not to break them, and a couple of metal clips at the top that look similar to cotter pins.
STEP 2 – Remove the vent from the dash panel
I used a flat head screwdriver and GENTLY pried the vent out from the trim. Go SLOWLY as these panels are OLD and could be very brittle and may crack easily!
Once you have the vent out, apply two of the smallest felt pads to the very back of the vent housing.
STEP 3 – Reinsert the vent
Carefully reinsert the vent back into the housing on the dash panel. Be sure the vent lines up correctly with its mounting pivot holes. Test the movement of the vent. It should move easily, but stay in place.
Finish up
Carefully reinstall the trim back into the dash board and your ready to go!
The vents will work perfectly, and the felt repair is so far back on the dash panel it is virtually invisible inside the car.
Hope this info is helpful!
Thank you for reading my blog
Joe
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www.GeekGearStore.com