HELP !!! Any suggestions - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

mcubedntx · 01-22-2005, 01:54 AM

Ok here is the problem. Both of my vents in my kick panels are horrible. I drilled the spot welds and opened them up from the outside. The passenger side looks repairable, however the driverside is totally shot, I mean totally. The whole kickpanel is eaten up. What would happen mechanically to my AC system if I closed the driverside vent up totally? Does the cooling sytem require both vents to work properly? I may anap a few pics tomorrow and post them. My motor on my compressor went Kaplooey tonight

, so I got make a roady tommorrow.

dyingdeadman · 01-22-2005, 02:16 AM

you should be able to close them up with out any problems. i dont think those vents have anything to do with the a/c system. but i could be wrong

mcubedntx · 01-22-2005, 02:30 AM

The GM assembly manuel shows a crude schematic that shows them supplying the air too the fan to circulate air thru the system. I would love to close them both, but was told on here that the factory A/C system would not properly. Can anyone clarify this issue?

68w/sbc406 · 01-22-2005, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dyingdeadman

you should be able to close them up with out any problems. i dont think those vents have anything to do with the a/c system. but i could be wrong

which you are

i dont have a AC cab nor have i ever worked on one, but from my many hours of reading, when you turn on your AC one of your vents open via a cable or something, and the other one is hand operated. this helps to recurculate the cold air throught the system again so you are not constantly trying to cool hot air

JimKshortstep4x4 · 01-22-2005, 07:37 AM

The driver's side air vent can be closed up and not affect the AC operation.
The passenger's is used for recirculating the inside air so keeping it fuctional would be needed.

Have you considered cutting the damaged vent area out and replacing it with a doner piece?

Jim

mr402 · 01-22-2005, 02:49 PM

I've seen patch panels that work in that area as well. Might be worth a look. Around the floor vents is a common rust area since that's where all the trash from the cowl settles. You need to clean out behind the vents every so often to keep that area from rusting.

WRMZ71 · 01-22-2005, 03:32 PM

I'm not an expert on this but the PS vent on the AC trucks is vacuum controlled. I can't tell you where the vacuum line gets its feed from though as i have mine torn apart and don't remember where it goes

GMC Jim · 01-22-2005, 11:50 PM

YES..... you can close both kick panels with air conditioning. The factory set-up uses the pass side kick panel for optional re-circulated air. As, I desired to use outside air only for the air conditioner/heater system; I removed the vacuum mechanism and plugged the hoses.. Works fine...Keeps fresh air coming into the cab; a god-send if there are smokers!!....Jim

mcubedntx · 01-25-2005, 02:34 AM

Would love to see some pictures of your kickpanels if you have some available. That is really what I want to do

GMC Jim · 01-25-2005, 07:40 AM

I don't have pics and any I would take would not be of much use... I mounted a radio speaker in each side vent opening after removing the flappers controlling air flow. I fabricated a piece of aluminum to cover the vent opeing ( where the flappers used to be). In the center of the aluminum sheet metal pieces, a hole was made with a scroll saw, fitting the diameter of the speaker...After the speakers were mounted, a curved piece of thin aluminum was affixed over the top half of the speaker to prevent mositure ruining the speaker cones. The aluminum panels with the speakers mounted, were then attached (with flat head sheet metal screws) to the kick panel, centering the speaker in the cavity formerly occupied by the flapper valves. After mounting I glued a piece of lite weight black carpet to the aluminum piece after cutting out for the speaker. The attach screws were backed out and re-inserted after the carpet was affixed. This carpet can be obtained from several sources as it is similar to carpet used in car trunks and other applications.
The audiophile purists would probably state that the speakers directly opposed from each other would not be desirable for the best sound...I have used this set-up for the past 6-8 years or so and suits my needs........ Jim

Scooter67 · 01-25-2005, 08:14 AM

As long as your system has a good source for outside air you should be fine. The aftermarket heat/AC system installed on my '67 has been fogging the windows because it only recirculates inside air, and who wants to run the AC to clear windows when it's 40 outside? Not me! So I fabricated an outside air source. Not quite done yet but here it is: outside air source

01-22-2005, 01:54 AM	#1
mcubedntx Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: West Texas Posts: 54	HELP !!! Any suggestions Ok here is the problem. Both of my vents in my kick panels are horrible. I drilled the spot welds and opened them up from the outside. The passenger side looks repairable, however the driverside is totally shot, I mean totally. The whole kickpanel is eaten up. What would happen mechanically to my AC system if I closed the driverside vent up totally? Does the cooling sytem require both vents to work properly? I may anap a few pics tomorrow and post them. My motor on my compressor went Kaplooey tonight , so I got make a roady tommorrow. __________________ Just a NOVICE who thinks this is the BEST board on the WEB!!

01-22-2005, 02:16 AM	#2
dyingdeadman Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: san marcos,tx Posts: 266	you should be able to close them up with out any problems. i dont think those vents have anything to do with the a/c system. but i could be wrong __________________ 72 GMC sierra 3/4 ton 402 bb 68 GMC 3/4 ton 2010 camaro rs: daily driver

01-22-2005, 02:30 AM	#3
mcubedntx Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: West Texas Posts: 54	Well here is what I saw!! The GM assembly manuel shows a crude schematic that shows them supplying the air too the fan to circulate air thru the system. I would love to close them both, but was told on here that the factory A/C system would not properly. Can anyone clarify this issue? __________________ Just a NOVICE who thinks this is the BEST board on the WEB!!

01-22-2005, 11:50 PM	#8
GMC Jim Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 901	YES..... you can close both kick panels with air conditioning. The factory set-up uses the pass side kick panel for optional re-circulated air. As, I desired to use outside air only for the air conditioner/heater system; I removed the vacuum mechanism and plugged the hoses.. Works fine...Keeps fresh air coming into the cab; a god-send if there are smokers!!....Jim __________________ '71 GMC;fleetside;PB/PS/AC/CC/402 Eng./Custom Paint/110,000act miles/3 fuel tanks(52gal).

01-25-2005, 02:34 AM	#9
mcubedntx Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: West Texas Posts: 54	Jim, got any pics of your repair Would love to see some pictures of your kickpanels if you have some available. That is really what I want to do __________________ Just a NOVICE who thinks this is the BEST board on the WEB!!

01-22-2005, 07:37 AM	#5
JimKshortstep4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Muskegon,MI,USA Posts: 6,026	The driver's side air vent can be closed up and not affect the AC operation. The passenger's is used for recirculating the inside air so keeping it fuctional would be needed. Have you considered cutting the damaged vent area out and replacing it with a doner piece? Jim

01-22-2005, 02:49 PM	#6
mr402 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Elmira, Oregon Posts: 449	I've seen patch panels that work in that area as well. Might be worth a look. Around the floor vents is a common rust area since that's where all the trash from the cowl settles. You need to clean out behind the vents every so often to keep that area from rusting.

01-22-2005, 03:32 PM	#7
WRMZ71 Cause the Chicks DIG IT!! Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Beaufort SC Posts: 509	I'm not an expert on this but the PS vent on the AC trucks is vacuum controlled. I can't tell you where the vacuum line gets its feed from though as i have mine torn apart and don't remember where it goes

01-25-2005, 07:40 AM	#10
GMC Jim Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 901	I don't have pics and any I would take would not be of much use... I mounted a radio speaker in each side vent opening after removing the flappers controlling air flow. I fabricated a piece of aluminum to cover the vent opeing ( where the flappers used to be). In the center of the aluminum sheet metal pieces, a hole was made with a scroll saw, fitting the diameter of the speaker...After the speakers were mounted, a curved piece of thin aluminum was affixed over the top half of the speaker to prevent mositure ruining the speaker cones. The aluminum panels with the speakers mounted, were then attached (with flat head sheet metal screws) to the kick panel, centering the speaker in the cavity formerly occupied by the flapper valves. After mounting I glued a piece of lite weight black carpet to the aluminum piece after cutting out for the speaker. The attach screws were backed out and re-inserted after the carpet was affixed. This carpet can be obtained from several sources as it is similar to carpet used in car trunks and other applications. The audiophile purists would probably state that the speakers directly opposed from each other would not be desirable for the best sound...I have used this set-up for the past 6-8 years or so and suits my needs........ Jim __________________ '71 GMC;fleetside;PB/PS/AC/CC/402 Eng./Custom Paint/110,000act miles/3 fuel tanks(52gal). Last edited by GMC Jim; 01-25-2005 at 07:43 AM.

01-25-2005, 08:14 AM	#11
Scooter67 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: middle TN Posts: 87	As long as your system has a good source for outside air you should be fine. The aftermarket heat/AC system installed on my '67 has been fogging the windows because it only recirculates inside air, and who wants to run the AC to clear windows when it's 40 outside? Not me! So I fabricated an outside air source. Not quite done yet but here it is: outside air source __________________ Here's my '67 stepside www.truckwithaheart.com



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