Rear Vent Grills - need fixing
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 347
Likes: 1
From: Walpole MA
Rear Vent Grills - need fixing
My 74 has A/C therefore the rear Astro Vents are blocked off and non functional. There is no drain as in non A/C cars.
When I wash the car water collects in the pocket where the grills are.
Previous owner, Bubba, would unscrew the grills and stripped the fiber glass and/or what the screws, screw into. Screws just spin and don't tighten.:cry
I'm sure there is a quick and easy fix so that I can remove the grills for cleaning, and yet replace them so they are tight.
Any suggestions???
Thanks
When I wash the car water collects in the pocket where the grills are.
Previous owner, Bubba, would unscrew the grills and stripped the fiber glass and/or what the screws, screw into. Screws just spin and don't tighten.:cry
I'm sure there is a quick and easy fix so that I can remove the grills for cleaning, and yet replace them so they are tight.
Any suggestions???
Thanks
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 3,581
Likes: 28
From: Spring, Texas
Re: Rear Vent Grills - need fixing (74Coupe)
To remove the screws, try a magnetized screwdriver. To reinstall them, try the metal tabs designed for sheetmetal type screws (clip onto fiberalss or other thin materials, commonly used by GM for interior trim parts).
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 3,281
Likes: 6
From: NC USA
Re: Rear Vent Grills - need fixing (74Coupe)
My 74 has A/C therefore the rear Astro Vents are blocked off and non functional. There is no drain as in non A/C cars.
I'm sure there is a quick and easy fix so that I can remove the grills for cleaning, and yet replace them so they are tight.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 2,125
Likes: 9
From: Crescent City, CA
Re: Rear Vent Grills - need fixing (74Coupe)
All the cars had drains, just our AC cars had not astro ventilation.
The screws screw into a regular "C" clip that you can buy at any hardware store.
As said above, check the drain, it exits over the center of the rear tire.
Hope this helps.
Terry
The screws screw into a regular "C" clip that you can buy at any hardware store.
As said above, check the drain, it exits over the center of the rear tire.
Hope this helps.
Terry
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 7,072
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Re: Rear Vent Grills - need fixing (Marks69BB)
On 1970 anyways (not sure what changed later years since they moved the aft firewall forward) - the drains in the non-AC cars go sideways and dump in the rear wheel wells. On th AC cars the drains go straight aft and dump just in front of the gas tank. I suspect yours are clogged. There are pictures of the drain exit trim pieces on my website - get a wire brush on a flexible wire, like you'd use to clean an engine block passage out and start cleaning out the crud. :D
http://www.annapolis.net/julepage/gastankarea.htm
You can see them here on my '70 w/ AC on the aft wall, top right corner of the picture.
http://www.annapolis.net/julepage/gastankarea.htm
You can see them here on my '70 w/ AC on the aft wall, top right corner of the picture.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 347
Likes: 1
From: Walpole MA
Re: Rear Vent Grills - need fixing (trw)
OK Just went out and pulled the grills, there are only 4 holes in each side, the holes the screws go in. From above posts it looks like Bubba was here and already filled in the drains holes, he even removed the metal clips for now I'm sure that the fiberglass is the only thing holding the screws :mad :mad
Looks like I going to start looking for the parts and see if I can correct it. Anybody got any spares laying around???
Thanks for the help.
Looks like I going to start looking for the parts and see if I can correct it. Anybody got any spares laying around???
Thanks for the help.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 7,072
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Re: Rear Vent Grills - need fixing (74Coupe)
Standing outside looking down into the vent catch area, I can NOT SEE the drains. There is this diagonally installed piece (sort of a splatter piece) with very rough edges and lots of factory glue ooze on it. I was hardly able to get the wire snake brush to turn to get into the hole when I knew where it was. I was able to access it from below though. Those little covers are riveted onto the body. They're sandwiched between the front of the fuel tank and the rear vertical wall of the passenger storage area. ~Juliet
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Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 10,866
Likes: 717
From: Beverly Hills/Pine Ridge Florida
Re: Rear Vent Grills - need fixing (Juliet)
Believe me, there are drains in all. GM wouldn't design a car that would hold a quart of water in each recess. :) Commonly these get plugged, with leaf debris, twigs, etc. Some drain to the rear, right behind the bulkhead, in front of the gas tank, and some run off to the outboard side and drain into the fender wells. I honestly don't know how the different years vary, how coupes and convertibles vary, and how AC---Non AC cars vary, but they all have drains. Hope this helps. Chuck
Racer
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 285
Likes: 1
From: Edmond Oklahoma
Re: Rear Vent Grills - need fixing (Chuck Gongloff)
Just went and double-checked. NO drains. It would only hold a couple of ounces of water, nowhere near a quart. This '74 A/C car has only a shallow trough the depth of the grille, ~.25-.38" deep. There is a closeout plate bonded to the bottom. No nipple on the bottom side, just 4 bosses for the screws, this is looking at the underside of the rear upper panel, behind the seat. I'd guess the design was changed in '74? I stripped this car , there were no drain holes or repairs to the grille pockets.
[Modified by a454corvette, 6:45 PM 12/23/2002]
[Modified by a454corvette, 6:45 PM 12/23/2002]
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 347
Likes: 1
From: Walpole MA
Re: Rear Vent Grills - need fixing (a454corvette)
a454corvette,
I agree, there are NO drains in mine either. But I'm still not sure that if there were, they may have been filled in when the car was painted about 6 six years ago.
Mine grills are the same as you described the depth of your indents and their are no nipples on the underside of the deck.
I'm still kind of :confused:
I agree, there are NO drains in mine either. But I'm still not sure that if there were, they may have been filled in when the car was painted about 6 six years ago.
Mine grills are the same as you described the depth of your indents and their are no nipples on the underside of the deck.
I'm still kind of :confused:
