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Had the same thought t'other day, Ernie. Only hitch is it won't bend enough without deforming. Look at the pictures HH56 posted.

Anyone out there with a 1941-47 Clipper having the same option Howard described?

Meanwhile, no, not spending $16/foot on something this originally cheap but effective.

Like some of you, have sunk buckets of lucre and time in this spoilt gothic grilled b__ch. But not on some trifle like this.

Afraid this is another case of wanting our original cowl vehicle i.d. plates inscribed by the selling dealer re-silkscreened. Why are people willing to buy reproductions on a fresh piece of tin when the original metal can be just as easily re-inked?

No, wait. Don't tell me. And please, no "you getcha a..." DIY projects.

Steve/58L8134, thank you, sir. Not only does Organ Supply Industries have the Right Stuff, but it is more durable, stronger than the original, and for less than half the cost a major Packard vendor in the Midwest wanted.

Those needing this material in any length, in 2-, 2 1/2-, 3-, 4, 5-inch diameter, contact Lisa Kitcey, OSI Customer Service, 800-374-3674, lisak@organsupply.com
2320 West 50th Street
Erie, PA 16506-4928
(814) 835-2244

You'll want their "Flexaust," per below:
https://www.organsupply.com/assets/CatalogPDFs/2014/Wind-Conductors-Revision.pdf

Thanks again, Steve. Something swell about a fine old car fitted with the same ducting used in church, concert, cathedral organs. E. Power Biggs and Bach devotee Dr. Schweitzer, the latter restoring organs when not treating ailing natives, would approve.

I take that to mean you bought a length?? If so please post photos when it is installed so others can see an option that it appears most (myself included) have never seen on the cars.

I also looked at their cast duct flanges and they look so similar to the sheet metal pieces that Packard offered I think by making a flapper valve for one of them the option could be made and installed. Knobs might be an issue though.

I also ran across a description in another book about operation on the option which sounded incorrect. I had thought you would pull the knob out to admit air but if I read the description properly and it is correct, it said the fresh air flows all the time when knob is in and flow is slowed or stopped entirely by pulling the knob out. Would you confirm the operation.

This wonderful organ ducting Steve steered me to fits so snugly, you don't even need clamps. Again, all it's doing is directing fresh air.

The 1941-47 Clipper Fresh Air Option Howard pictured page one of this thread suggests the door or valve in the passenger side firewall duct adapter is open or closed by a "small lever on the instrument board." My car was shipped from Detroit with no heater, the Packard dealer selling my car new July 18th, 1947, Virgil Negranti Packard-Cummins Diesel-White Trucks Sales and Service, 565 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA adding a South Wind heater, so it uses that "Airflo" tab lever, out for open, in closed.

The 1941-47 Clipper Fresh Air Option duct originally went along the side of the engine bay. Since my Master Lube device providing full oil pressure before starting the engine hangs in the way, I ordered my ducting a foot longer than the requisite four feet (check yours before ordering) since it's a little tight going between the Master Lube device and my throttle spring, so it passes under, as you see in the attached photo.

BTW, shortly after buying my Packard, i removed the South Wind heater as i didn't like the idea of even a trace of gasoline coming into the cabin. A supercharged '37 Cord Phaeton owning friend had one, said they were nice because you got instant heat.

Many premium cars in the day were shipped sans heater, esp. those delivered in more moderate climes.

This entire episode as I tired of seeing the pair of unused duct adapters, tho' closing the aforementioned valve/door/flapper keeps engine fumes out of the cabin, esp. when stuffed with a rag. But thought it'd be nice to have fresh air without opening the cowl vent at the base of the windshield.

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Mike, Your car and the extra switches for the Southwind install brings up questions which without having catalogs or first hand expertise from the day might be hard to answer. If anyone has more information would sure appreciate if it was posted.

Am now curious if your fresh air kit was Southwind made and outside fresh air was standard or if they only provided their control to operate the Packard fresh air kit and it was still an option. Am also curious about the extra control panel and why they did not use the standard Packard heater/defroster knobs and switches. Are the Southwind switches all electric or is there some cable mechanisms also involved with the defroster or heater switches?

I guess without a factory style heater the stock switches might not have been installed and if the Southwind was installed by an aftermarket shop, could be a reason for the extra switch module. Another would be if they needed a special function such as a cable to operate an air diverter. What do you have in the unused or standard heater switch locations in your dash?

Here is a photo of the postwar dash and factory FRESH AIR knob and cable assy. That could have gone in any of the right side switch positions but various books say was usually placed in the top right location where the COOLING switch is shown. The COOLING switch is for AC and obviously not on very many cars even in 42. That particular switch being shown in a postwar book has already brought up questions of did they just reprint 42 books or was AC actually being considered for the postwar cars.

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https://www.flexaust.com/group/industrial-hose/

I suspect organ supply is just a reseller of commercial ducts, not a manufacturer.
If not, they're violating trademark here.

Quote:

I'd bet they are reselling too. A typical organ order is probably much longer in length so just glad they were willing to sell Mike an order of 4 or 5 feet instead of the hundred or so the mfg would probably have had as a minimum.

Does anybody really care???

It should be noted that the stuff from Motion Industries that was $16/foot is also "Flexaust", specifically

Flexaust
CWGP 3 in

So basically this stuff should be available from many different industrial supply folks.

HH & Company,

No idea if the San Luis Obispo Packard dealer used the Packard Fresh Air kit or not without seeing details of another in a car. Stewart-Warner sold three million South Winds from the '30s through early '50s for 6-volt US cars.

Maybe in Buffalo or Duluth having heat "within 90 seconds" a draw, but again, the idea of tapping gasoline so to do instead of the commonsense hot water heater seems wasteful, silly even.

There are several detailed explanations of the South Wind heater on YouTube, inc. one operating in a '41 Plymouth.

You'd think i was pulling a fast one or facing excommunication for paying less than half for similar but superior material from a helpful young woman at the organ supply company Steve58L8134 graciously steered me to. The natives are restless, indeed. One of our compatriots above seems all but ready to launch litigation against this 46,000-sq.ft. Erie, PA pipe organ parts manufacturer established in 1924, first year for Packard's straight eight.

Here's a shot of all eight of my dash switches. In descending order from left: head lights, Electromatic, instruments, cigar light. From right: fog light, heater, defroster, map light.

Presume Packard used the downmarket spelling merely to fit on the switch tabs, as a company advertising in National Geographic, the New Yorker, and Literary Digest knew better.

My heater and defroster switches are immovable, suggesting they are dummies, so will await concurrence from any other 1941-47 Clipper owners whose cars left the factory sans heater.

Other than what's on my Vehicle Registry profile here, that's the story, gentlemen.

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