Vintage Air Installed - center vent blowing left?

[WannaBe68]

Just got my 69 Burb back from having a complete Vintage Air system installed. The guy did a great job and was very diligent in documenting the install. Driving it home and around some today I noticed the center vent, which I was hoping would blow towards the middle back is actually blowing directly at the middle of me in the driver's seat. Literally missing the right side of me and at my midsection. It's not even remotely blowing in the middle. Installer said the center vent blows to the driver side because of the way the tube is routed into the box behind the vent.
Anyone have a solution / fix or idea on how to get this center vent to blow in the middle?
Thanks!

[jocko]

I would think that would be a "feature" rather than a problem I wish my 2001's vents would only blow on me, but my wife keeps pointing them at her.

Anyway - I believe your installer may be correct - see the duct below, it snakes around and blows in from the passenger side, so it seems to make sense that most of the outflow would be to the driver, the skinny vanes aren't gonna straighten it out that much.

Sorry, don't know a solution (unless you want to rip it apart and put something non-stock inside the ducting to help get the flow further into the duct before it flows to the vanes.. some sort of plastic wall epoxied in to get most of the flow over to the driver's side before it lets it go out. But I don't think that would work "very" well and probably not worth the effort).

Not much help but I think your problem is probably the way it worked when original also. My a/c hasn't worked in so long, maybe someone else can tell you of they are seeing the same thing.

[WannaBe68]

Yo Jocko,
Thanks and that picture shows how the installer explained what it happening. It's blowing from right to left and continuing out to the left. And don't get me wrong...it feels great! But the object was to get that center air to the rest of the Burb for the boys... Hmmm -

[Steven R]

take a piece of plastic shaped with a curve and hot glue or JB weld it in place to redirect about 65 percent of the air to the pass side of the vent. basically making a scoop. I have had to do this in my line of work with duct work just out of metal.

The air is moving so fast and is being asked to turn 90 deg with a large opening right at the point of exit. It will just try to keep going straight as there is not enough duct or deflectors to turn the air effectively. If it helps think of the Air like water, with a "scoop" right at the end and going far back into the tube as possible it will help alot to redirect a large amount of air more to the passenger side of the vent. and with less pressure on the driver side of the vent it to will come out the vent more toward the center of the opening.

This will take some trial and error but try to make some test piece out of stiff card board, and when you get what will work for you, then make a final piece out of plastic and JB weld it in, dont leave the cardboard as it will rot and brake down over time. also make sure the plastic is ridged enough not to vibrate, most plastics can be formed with heat and if kept in that shape until cool will retain that shape.

just and idea.

[RichardJ]

I am wondering if you used this duct piece and a length of hose capped at the end, that it wouldn't straighten out the air through the center vent.
I thought the left side of this piece fed air to the driver vent, LMC catalog images show this to be incorrect.

Just a thought.

[WannaBe68]

Thanks Steve - will give it some thought on what may work...

Richard - I found that double ended vent piece at LMC and just ordered it. Maybe I can have another hose routed to the other side to balance out the flow. Or cap off the long left side to create back-flow that might also balance it as well??

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by WannaBe68

I found that double ended vent piece at LMC and just ordered it. Maybe I can have another hose routed to the other side to balance out the flow.

That's how the factory A/C is ducted (you probably know this already) and I bet it would solve your problem if you can figure out a way to do it.
LMC has a drawing on page 183 that shows how it's done. If that's a no-go, they also have plugs (#16) but it seems you'd be right back where you started.

[el_fantasma]

My factory air does the same thing, 65% blows towards the driver. As you can see from the LMC diagram it is inevitable.

[WannaBe68]

Thanks el_fantasma...

Stocker - thanks, that's the page I ordered the two sided vent adapter from...#9. I'm hoping I can route another hose to the left side which would force air in from both sides pushing everything straight out.

[tdangle]

I did the "upgrade center vent" where the housing only had one hose connected. Had the same problem, most of the air went toward the driver. Put the old 2 hose setup back in and problem fixed. Maybe thats why the factory did it that way, air coming from both hoses meet in the middle and blow straight back.

[WannaBe68]

tdangle - thanks man... That helps make the decision to use the double hose adapter way easier!