Re: Vacation Car - 56 Patrician

Posted by HH56 On 2020/5/7 10:16:41

I could probably come up with one of my better rejects. It would be good for something that is not a calamity if lost or damaged so would not be a big deal when it gets examined and then dropped on the floor when someone faints after the guy mentions the price. For the scan it is still a copy of a repaired original and I would not want to see it used to make a dimensional drawing. For an actual scan it would be so much better If you have an original from one of your cars so he can see the crispness and get a scan with all the correct dimensions.

IMO no matter what method makes the repro a vent is going to need to be replaced in its entirety. Make a good copy and you can replace only one side but unless both parts of the repro vent are made with exact repros of the original steel dies and material there is going to be something in the repro that will not match well with an original mating half. A modern compound may not have the same expansion properties so might not fit when trying to replace just one part and keep an original other piece.

Leeedy mentioned he thinks a repro needed the original weight and details. To me the weight and hidden detail is not as big an issue as is having the visible part have almost a perfect correct look and be made out of a material with a high temperature deforming point. The high temp epoxy I was last experimenting with has a heat deform up to 350 degrees if a post cure is done. 250 without the post cure but even the lesser temp should be adequate. I have not measured but expect the dash would not get that close to 250 or else the pad or other things in the car would have serious issues. The too short of working time or pot life of the last plastic compound I found is rated at 250 as well.

Actually, I think a lighter opening part and some mostly hidden improvements would be better. The originals are held in the open position by friction from a pair of felt pads pushing against the sides of the bottom part. The pads wear or maybe shrink and first thing you know, you are driving down the road and as some small disturbance occurs you watch the lid drop closed. There is more than one vent out there that is helped stay in the upright position by a piece of cardboard stuck down the side or shoved under one of the louver slots. There could also be something done with the hinge portion to maybe use a smaller screw with a thru hole that would leave more of the plastic material in place for added strength.

The exact size felt Packard used for the friction hold does not seem to be easily found so to replace that you need to cobble something together out of a modern equivalent to approximate the thickness and size. That then needs to be glued into the slot. IMO, it would be advantageous to modernize that part with a lighter lid and maybe something like a spring pushing against friction material to keep a more even pressure. One of my versions has a provision for that spring loaded approach. The extra part for the spring is not easily seen when the vent is open. I have also toyed with a long 2-56 or 4-40 stainless steel allen head screw instead of the 6-32 brass stud Packard used as a hinge pin. Either would need a smaller thru hole which would leave almost double the amount of plastic for strength. An Allen screw would only need the larger hole a short distance thru thicker material for the screw head clearance.