77 vs 78 kick-panel changes?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 833
Likes: 4
From: Mexico NY
Calling all 77 & 78 owners....
Below are the 78 kick panels...
Here are the 77's Please not that there is not a cutout on the passenger side.....
My 77 has 78 kick panels... and it appears to need the to clear that thingie it's cut out for.
Is this a transition year or is my car hacked????????????????
AND to top it off........what goes in theose rectangular slots?
Here are the 77's Please not that there is not a cutout on the passenger side.....
My 77 has 78 kick panels... and it appears to need the to clear that thingie it's cut out for.
Is this a transition year or is my car hacked????????????????
AND to top it off........what goes in theose rectangular slots?
Last edited by timgman; Aug 11, 2007 at 12:48 PM. Reason: Need help?
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Two of the three '77s I have owned had the '78 style kick panels. I do not know why or when but it seems they started filtering them in mid way through the '77 production year. From what I can tell the cutout on the passenger side is needed for the vacuum actuator for the fresh air vent. If you don't have an A/C car you could use the non-cutout version.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: Lincolnshire,ENGLAND
My '77 has the rectangle slots- thare for the levers for the fresh air vents.
Mine is a factory non air-con car, as far as i know all a/c cars dont have the fresh air vent levers, its set up different with the a/c.
If yours is a factory A/C car you want the ones without the slots, dont know why thare listed as 78 kick panels though ? maybee thairs some other 'year' difference?
Mine is a factory non air-con car, as far as i know all a/c cars dont have the fresh air vent levers, its set up different with the a/c.
If yours is a factory A/C car you want the ones without the slots, dont know why thare listed as 78 kick panels though ? maybee thairs some other 'year' difference?
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
The cutout is for the fresh-air flap system on A/C cars. From the factory, they actually just took regular panels and hacksawed the excess pieces off. I have a really nice set of originals and you can clearly see the cuts. The slots are for earlier non-A/C cars that had vent handles. Why the repop people can't be bothered to make a correct late scoop-back kick panel is beyond me.
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 236
Likes: 0
From: Clearwater Florida
My 77 AC car has the cut out on the passneger side also.
On AC cars, the vacuum operated door behind the passenger kick panel is not a fresh air vent.
Its a recirculation door for the AC system. The only time that door should be open is when the AC is set on MAX.
On AC cars, the vacuum operated door behind the passenger kick panel is not a fresh air vent.
Its a recirculation door for the AC system. The only time that door should be open is when the AC is set on MAX.
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