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I believe 68 and 69 actually had kick panel speakers.
I wondered that. It's crazy that the drilled hole panels continued in production all those years after. Why? It doesn't make sense. Why not just stop drilling the holes. What am I missing?
Seems the drilled kick panels continued to provide outlets for the Astro Ventilation system, at least through 1977. Like you, I first assumed that the holes were for speakers, but my car also only has the AM/FM mono radio.
I wonder if the 1978 interior redesign did away with these as the rear glass obviously didn’t accommodate the rear vents and AC was essentially standard. If so, then these round vent levers are pretty rare and limited to only 1977 no-air cars. That helps explain why the slots in the panels look like a “Bubba” solution. The GM folks didn’t see a need to invest in a more polished solution for what must have only been a few thousand cars.
Last edited by Stevelovescars; 04-21-2018 at 11:27 AM.
Reason: Typo
Seems the drilled kick panels continued to provide outlets for the Astro Ventilation system, at least through 1977. Like you, I first assumed that the holes were for speakers, but my car also only has the AM/FM mono radio.
I wonder if the 1978 interior redesign did away with these as the rear glass obviously didn’t accommodate the rear vents and AC was essentially standard. If so, then these round vent levers are pretty rare and limited to only 1977 no-air cars. That helps explain why the slots in the panels look like a “Bubba” solution. The GM folks didn’t see a need to invest in a more polished solution for what must have only been a few thousand cars.
Or Bubba actually had his hands on them as maybe they were replaced and the only one's you could get are without the slot for the lever.
I like threads like this as it shows all the little differences between cars with different options.
MY guess is you have the vacuum actuated door under the rear window that's open most of the time until you set the heat on (and maybe some of the defrost setting too).
In 78 over 9000 were ordered without ac opposed to about 4000 non ac in 1977.
Look at my post #14. In 78 there is a carpet insert matching the floor carpet over the panel (which has the similar section of small holes).
If you look at replacement panels for 77 at the vendors it seems none shows a picture of that slot.
My friend has a 77, non ac car, and he said the slot on his panel is perfect. Nice & smooth. Perhaps someone replaced your panel with a non slotted and cut it themselves.
Seems the drilled kick panels continued to provide outlets for the Astro Ventilation system, at least through 1977. Like you, I first assumed that the holes were for speakers, but my car also only has the AM/FM mono radio.
I wonder if the 1978 interior redesign did away with these as the rear glass obviously didn’t accommodate the rear vents and AC was essentially standard. If so, then these round vent levers are pretty rare and limited to only 1977 no-air cars. That helps explain why the slots in the panels look like a “Bubba” solution. The GM folks didn’t see a need to invest in a more polished solution for what must have only been a few thousand cars.
So the drilled holes were a speaker grill in '68/'69 and then, when speakers were no longer offered, GM decided the same drilled holes would serve as ventilation holes until '78? I'm not even sure air can get down there in my '77. That just doesn't seem right.
Wish my A/C equipped 79 had those vents in it. The A/C stopped working and when the heat/ac control is placed on vent it only blows hot air if the outside temperature is above 50 degrees.
I don't think Chevy ever put speaker down there. If they did why did they stop doing it?
Both my 6t8 and 69 have speakers in kick panels [no dash speakers], also the kick panels look very different. They were the only speakers in the car and they didn't sound very good. T
Both my 6t8 and 69 have speakers in kick panels [no dash speakers], also the kick panels look very different. They were the only speakers in the car and they didn't sound very good. T
Hi,
This is a kick panel from my 71.
No a/c.
Regards,
Alan
Yeah, I really don't want to beat this to death but I'm still not getting it. From what I've read so far, only '68 & '69 got kick panel speakers. The speakers resided behind the drilled holes in the panel. I also read that thereafter, when the kick panel speakers were not offered, the drilled holes in the panels served as 'ventilation' holes. That would include the '71 panels pictured. Yet I plainly see ventilation 'louvers' designed just for that purpose, along with the holes. Just doesn't add up.
Whoever said the speaker holes served as ventilation was just speculating. The back of the slotted vent area has a lip that kind of fits into or around the vent door opening to create a clear path for the air to travel.
The speaker grill holes are there because....GM didn't care enough to change the mold. (In my opinion, I wasn't there). Why make 1 part number into 2 part numbers if you don't have to? One panel works for all years with speaker grills, but not the other way around.
But Chevrolet certainly wasn't immune from doing puzzling things....
The hole in the forward upper corner of the panel is used to mount the bracket for the courtesy lamp on the PASSENGER'S side.
On the DRIVER'S side the socket for the courtesy lamp is part of the bracket that includes the 'trip odometer' reset cable and ****.... but the hole is still in the kick panel.
My feeling is that the lamp was moved from the kick panel because a person searching for the headlight dimmer switch with their foot could knock the lamp out of the small bracket with their toe.
Regards,
Alan
Those cut out kick panels sound like the same kind of thing the factory did with 78-79 manual window cars. The window crank stud was punched right through the map pocket, making the pockets completely useless.
04-20-2018, 10:26 PM
