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The seal is naturally shot after 44 years (broken section marked), so I wish to remove and replace it. Easier with the Door out of the car I'm assuming, so How is the door removed?
I lifted the Door UP, compressing the Spring as much as I could, but the lower pivot stud still doesn't clear out of it's hole.
Am I missing something?
Thanks much for any thoughts.
Steve
Never mind. I got it. It just required more force, and I took a chance of breaking something in using it. Pried the door up at the bottom with a large screwdriver, and it was up enough to "walk" the bottom pivot out of it's hole. then took the screwdriver and "chiseled" it off the edge and freed the door that way.
Hi Steve,
If you look at the plenum itself you'll see there's a shallow recessed track molded into the fiberglass that makes it easier to get the door out and back in….. once you realize it's there!
Too old to remember if it's at the top or bottom… I'm thinking... top.
Regards,
Alan
Just remembered... (Glad you weren't drowning while I was looking for a life preserver!)
Look at the top of the plenum… there's actually a 'ramp' that leads up to the hole for the sprung pin. To install you put the pin in the bottom hole, tip the top of the door completely into the plenum and then pull the top of the door towards the interior of the car. This movement compresses the sprung pin on the ramp until it's below the hole and then the sprung pin pops into place.
Hi Steve,
To remove or install that door you don't pry it up against the spring loaded pin as all you are doing is deforming the vent itself and they can break. All you do is pull down on the exposed end of the spring loaded pin until it releases and clears the mount hole, angle the door in and lift the bottom fixed pin out of the other hole. The pin is spring loaded so it can be removed.
Hi Steve,
To remove or install that door you don't pry it up against the spring loaded pin as all you are doing is deforming the vent itself and they can break. All you do is pull down on the exposed end of the spring loaded pin until it releases and clears the mount hole, angle the door in and lift the bottom fixed pin out of the other hole. The pin is spring loaded so it can be removed.
And you drill out the rivets.. go find you some flat thin rubber.. put it between the halves and then trip around it 3/8"... or buy the seal kits.. lol. You should be able to find some rubber at your local parts store and the two halves just rivet back together.
Hi Steve,
If you look at the plenum itself you'll see there's a shallow recessed track molded into the fiberglass that makes it easier to get the door out and back in….. once you realize it's there!
Too old to remember if it's at the top or bottom… I'm thinking... top.
Regards,
Alan
Just remembered... (Glad you weren't drowning while I was looking for a life preserver!)
Look at the top of the plenum… there's actually a 'ramp' that leads up to the hole for the sprung pin. To install you put the pin in the bottom hole, tip the top of the door completely into the plenum and then pull the top of the door towards the interior of the car. This movement compresses the sprung pin on the ramp until it's below the hole and then the sprung pin pops into place.
HA! I did it ***-backwards Alan.
And like Grant said, I was lucky nothing broke.
I did get the rivets out; they were extremely tight in the spots where they held hardware in place, but very loose (rotated) where they just sandwiched the seal.
Speaking of the seal....
... they remind me of my wetsuit, only a tad thinner. Kind of a foam, more so than a rubber type. You say there's a Seal Kit available Willcox?
You can find sheets of craft foam at Jo-Anns fabrics or any of the craft stores that you can cut seals from.
I used that when I rebuilt mine years ago, and it is still working today.
You can find sheets of craft foam at Jo-Anns fabrics or any of the craft stores that you can cut seals from.
I used that when I rebuilt mine years ago, and it is still working today.
Thanks much. I'll hit some of the local craft stores and see what's available. Did you just use 1/4" Pop Rivets for assembly?
Thanks for the great pics Cavu,
This is another job I have on my horizon. It will be much easier after reading your great post and seeing the close up pics.
Cheers, Pete
Last edited by VancouverL71; Apr 19, 2017 at 10:30 AM.
And you drill out the rivets.. go find you some flat thin rubber.. put it between the halves and then trip around it 3/8"... or buy the seal kits.. lol. You should be able to find some rubber at your local parts store and the two halves just rivet back together.
Willcox
Willcox,
I did find a sheet of thin foam at a local hobby shop. Coulda bought it in RED,BLUE,YELLOW,PURPLE, but dull ole me got BLACK.
Mine after cleanup and paint before installing the seal:
I did this a few years ago. Had do do some repairs as one of the hinge pins was almost falling off. Makes a world of difference when driving on those cool morning or evenings. I used pop-rivets and back the seal side up with some thin washers.
Yeah it's amazing that a little time and effort yields such a dramatic change in condition. Those came out great.
I went to Home Depot expecting to find #4 Washers for these little Rivets, but all I could come up with is, dare I say, Metric M3 size!
But they fit the rivet diameter perfectly!
Now to accurately cut the foam around the plate to leave a decent sealing lip. This seems easier than cutting out the seal first and then try to perfectly center it between the two plates. At least I could tell you how that would come out if I tried to do it.
Hi Steve,
Nice Work!
And.. nice information!!
I think there's a certain pleasure gained from doing something well even though it won't be seen until the car's apart again…. someday!
Regards,
Alan
Hi Steve,
Nice Work!
And.. nice information!!
I think there's a certain pleasure gained from doing something well even though it won't be seen until the car's apart again…. someday!
Regards,
Alan
Yes Alan,
There is indeed a satisfaction gained.
And it also comes in the form of a rather unchanged bank account balance.
Vent Door Removal
), ....
