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Originally used a cheap papery/thin black fabric over thin wire, think "Slinky." This ducting used in all manner of cars of the '40s, '50s, into the '60s, probably sold for 15 cents a foot at any car parts store.

This description from Howard HH56, whose '47 Custom doesn't have this:

"The 41-7 Clipper heater air supply duct setup was an option PA-377704 with a '47 list price of $6.10. A punchout in the firewall directly behind the defroster unit or deluxe heater and in the radiator shroud was removed and the two duct adapters added. A knob was then installed in the dash panel to operate a flapper valve in the dash side adapter. Since Packard didn’t usually cover accessories and options in the regular parts and service books until later models I think the only place you will find details and a parts breakdown on that particular item will be if you can find someone that has some of the old accessory install sheets that was shipped with the options."

Anyone have or know where i can get the crappy "right stuff," or something similarly flimsy and cheap?

All it does is conduct air. Don't want some shiny rubbery/vinyl ducting.
Also, if your car has this, please measure those two protruding duct adapters' diameter, and, if you have a '41 or 1942-47 senior Clipper, the exact length i need. Please let me know both scores, because it's hard to believe this material sold in 1/16th of an inch gradients of diameter.

It has to curve a little to clear the carburetor linkage and the duct adapter to the right of the radiator is at an angle.

Many thanks. Please keep it simple, cheap, and don't tell me about Kanter/Merritt and the others. No one has this. My ducting's been missing for years, but the flapper valve is hardly a hermetic seal so it'd be nice to get fresh not engine bay air.

Hi

A friend who is active with theater organ repair and maintenance recognized the black, flexible hoses in old car ventilation systems is the same as those used by organ air blowers to the wind chests.
organsupply.com/

Hope this helps.

Steve

Thanks, Steve. Now that's thinking. Will look into it. But i remain baffled why with all the old cars A-Z, seemingly no one purveys the cheap old matt black thin paper/fabric over Slinky ducting.

Just a note: Dwight Heinmuller does sell the stuff for the 1951-56 cars, but I think that is different stuff:

Heinmuller Packard Parts, 5" heavy duty ducting.

I have Dwight's on my car and it's not cheapo. Actually quite nice quality but either it or the vinyl I used to repair my heater duct baffle make a slight burning plastic smell with the air on. Hopefully it goes away sometime.

Dwight and the other vendors seem to only sell the short lengths of 5 inch duct used for the air vent and heater in 51-6 cars. What Mike is looking for is a 3 inch diameter by roughly 4-6 ft piece used for the optional fresh air vent in 41-7 Clippers. That option has a screw on adapter with a valve at the firewall end which feeds fresh air to the heater and an intake end adapter positioned on the passenger side radiator shroud with the length of duct connecting them.

Since the duct is high and in your face he would like to find something close to the original in look and preferably without needing to buy a 25 ft or longer length. Modern material seems to be a thin vinyl material used for ducts like dryer vents or a thick corrugated neoprene hose like material, both of which are very shiny and modern looking in comparison to the original dull black fabric duct. Even the modern defroster duct seems to have gone the shiny vinyl route.

IMO the reason the older stuff is getting hard to find is it is probably harder to make and harder to use. It appears to be made of layers of impregnated fabric glued together so probably needs a spiral winding process to get the pieces under and over the wire support and glued together. I expect that is expensive in comparison to the modern stuff which looks like it is made of vinyl and probably made by sending molten material and the slinky like support wire thru a continuous extrusion process. More expensive and stiff so harder to use in a congested dash or engine cmpt probably means low demand.

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Thanks, Monsignor Hanson. As always, Howard nails it, even includes that period cutaway and description.

Perhaps much ado 'bout little, but it'd be nice to get fresh air into the cabin when the cowl vent closed.

The two pictured duct adapters are almost 3" outer diameter. Why that size and not an even three beyond me. They're actually 1/32" or so smaller, but the ducting must've been 3" inner diameter.

As Spudman reports, the smell of plastic is not what's wanted in an auld luxe barouche. Am sure i could find some dryer/HVAC stuff at Lowe's, Home Depot, but then you've got that glossy, shiny vinyl/rubber.

Think of all the tripe reproduced for old cars. Wouldn't you think someone would have such plebian, widely and long used, simple, cheap ducting? This is one time when something chintzy wanted. Flat/matt black.

Hard to get precise length, because it has to curve a little to not chafe against carb linkage, and as you see in my pictures Howard posted above, the front duct snout to the right of the radiator is angled. But 37, no more'n 38 inches would nail it.

Any of you with junior 1942-47 Clippers can subtract seven inches from that figure, and congratulate yourselves on having more rational cars, 120" wb instead of my comic opera 127" making for an ideal sized old car. Some of you might not think seven inches of wheelbase would make such a difference, but it does. Also, the 282 engine all anyone needs, less of a load for brakes, shocks.

Way off subject, but as a sport car guy at heart, think Packard's snappiest cars were the first generation 120, like Kev's Packuar, and the '42-'47 junior eight Clippers, all w/ OD, original or added.

guilty of fueling the digression, and with "snappiest" being a bit vague, consider the 1940 160 business coupe (yes, 127" wb but power/weight) and the Speedster series in their day.

Packard never really made small cars so their agility was never tops - your choices indicate this is big in "snappiest" (and I agree).

Simply a change in technology occurred, so no longer made that way. I can't even find paper heavy enough to make some duct items, let alone staplers heavy enough to recreate. Forced to use alternates. The OEM doesn't survive this long.

I went thorough this recently with the Cad, and opted for industrial grade hose sold by the foot, so not paying those "niche" supplier prices. It's unseen. Also a weird size 5", so may not be around later - has to last.
Rubber items are becoming an issue too.
I'm changing a fender, and the 3 little bumpers and plugs that fit in your hand came to $40+. An 5" X 3" unobtainium blower to heater flex duct, is reproduced and was $140. Glad to get them as the alternates were not good.
If you want to find parts for your vehicle better buy new.

I think you nailed it. That, and as a lifelong Packardite points out, he's seen few 1941-47 Clippers with this option, and the later cars used larger diameter ducting, so apparently not enough market for repro.

Right, the niche industrial supply prices are for the birds.

However, found some 2 1/2" identical material via an old Ford vendor, Dennis Carpenter, which i could shove into the duct adapters and call it a day. But it won't go far enough in for a good seal without hitting the flapper valve. So perhaps stuck with some modern 3" ducting sprayed flat/matt.
But it'd be nice to have that ancient, once ubiquitous material.

Wish someone here had a 1941-47 Clipper so equipped.