Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Hello everyone,

I am very pleased to announce that I will soon have reproduction A/C vents for sale. You can see the models below that I have made so far. The cover I am still working on, as it is as complex as the rest of them combined.

The component parts are shown below except for felt strips "A" and "B". Felt strip "C" is part 469790 and the tie bar for the deflectors 469789 is directly above it in the photo. The side deflectors are 469787; the center is 469857 with a handle. The deflectors are attached with shaft 469791, which are a press fit on both ends in the cover, but a slip fit on the deflectors. The lower housing 475065 (the two file names are incorrect) uses screw 469793 (threads not shown) to make hinges in the two rear holes.

For materials, I will make cover and body from a high-quality resin which is heat-proof to 160F. If you live in Phoenix, let me know and I will get them made in a material heatproof to 350F, at reasonable extra cost. The deflectors will all be made of this material regardless of application.
Edit: I found a vendor that can make parts from ABS, which is the standard car dashboard material, and ASA, which is similar. The cover and body will be ASA and the deflectors and bar will be ABS. The pins will be made from brass (originally bronze); the screws I will probably have to substitute with counterbored socket head screws, since using partially-threaded screws will achieve the same design intent at literally 1% or less of the cost of a custom part. The felt will be gray wool felt, as original.

Please let me know if you would be interested in some vents. These should be significatly more affordable compared to how the pricing has gotten to (which is like $500 for a "good used" condition vent). If you want to install an A/C system and use these vents, I will include a cutting template, made from the exact factory drawing, so that you may easily install them in the factory location. I will also have completely factory parts available a la carte in case you are repairing a broken existing vent.

Thanks everyone.

Attach file:

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  475605 2.png (43.60 KB)


  469857.png (69.32 KB)


  469787.png (43.25 KB)


  469789.png (8.66 KB)


  469790.png (9.87 KB)


  469791.png (25.34 KB)

It’s looking great! I recall seeing a post somewhere here on this site about the clearance indent on the underside of one of the pieces shown not lining up with whatever it was the clearance was for. I know that’s vague but I can’t locate the post now and it may have been that their dash cutouts, which were added after the fact, were incorrectly placed. In any case, it might be something to find and re-read.

ABS is OK for this, but there are many different grades. You trade off heat deflection temperature and impact resistance. Choose appropriately

ABS is not really dash skin material. It’s alloyed with flexible vinyl to improve the processing of the soft skin in thermoforming

Bravo for adding to the parts available! Any thoughts for doing the early AC vent?

Which early vents? Prewar or 1953-1954? I ask because I’m working on the latter but not sure which vents you mean.

A very worthy project if it turns out decently. Since the original Bakelite is so brittle ABS or another modern material should also help with the issue of the top cracking or breaking off the hinge when roughly handled or forced. The screw hinging all that weight and force embedded in only about 1/16" thick brittle material is asking a lot. Another option that might help with that issue is instead of using the original 6/32 size straight thru bronze or brass threaded stud use something a bit smaller like a 4/40 or smaller socket head screw where the head size could still mimic the visible original larger 6/32 size stud but be recessed only 1/8" into the top. The shaft and hole needed thru most of the top material and the hinge "boss" on the base part would be smaller so more material for strength. A smaller size screw would still be plenty strong.

I was going to bring up the same question Don had about the dimple in the base and how it appears to be on the wrong side in the originals. Ordinarily, while probably not an issue with factory padded dashes, I believe Pete in San Diego is the first to experience the problem with his professionally redone dash. After some discussion I think we have figured it may be because the the new padding installed under the vinyl when his dash was redone is not as thick or contoured quite the same as the original causing the vent to tilt very close to the instrument cluster. If Leeedy is correct in saying the dimple was there to provide more clearance for the turn signal light then that did not work for Pete and even appears to be on the wrong side for that purpose.

If that is the case, others may experience the same problem if they also have a repro pad installed or have a Clipper with just a gasket on the metal top and no pad at all. Since that base part is totally hidden and nothing inside the vent would be interfered with, perhaps the dimple could be placed on both sides just in case the original location is needed for something else and not actually for the purpose we think it was for.

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If you mean the prewar 40-42 package shelf vents, Joe Block was looking into those at one time and had found someone that could cast them out of aluminum. I think I saw an ad where he had his original prewar complete AC units up for sale last year so he may not be very active anymore. Don't know if he ever carried thru with making the vents but he did have the name and caution plates on the evaporator repro'd.

When I did my "what if" copy of the prewar unit to go in my 47 I made my own vent in the 42 style but other than that I believe Joe was the only one doing much with the prewar units.




There is a question on the 53-54 interior vents. Original photos only show a straight plastic louver affair mounted to the package shelf that blasts the air right onto the rear passenger necks. Some have said that Packard later changed to the transparent vent tubes that placed the air up at the headliner but there is only one part number for the vents. Question becomes did they offer the flat louver style as standard with the tubes optional and not in parts book or did they later go exclusively to the vertical tubes but kept the older part number.

As far as I know, the clear parcel shelf tubes did not come from the factory but rather were dealer or owner-installled although aftermarket systems tended to have them.

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That would be consistent with the part numbers but IIRC, early when this forum started this subject was in another discussion. I believe Joel Ray mentioned he thought they might have been factory issue in 54. Believe he said he had thrown away quite a few damaged ones that he couldn't sell that had come from a dealer inventory and I think he also said they had Packard identification in some way.

Yes, I remember that thread. It is here.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?start=0&topic_id=27654

I plan to test-fit these in the metal dashboard of my parts car using the factory template. Offhand I am not certain of the reason for the dimple if it's not that. Other option would be something to do with the radio amplifier I think.

It actually took a long time for me to even add the dimple to the model because it is such a weird feature and very hard to do parametrically. But it looks like the one on my model is more substantial than on the originals. Actually I think the depth dimension may be off.

If there if still an interference problem I will just "pinch" the duct slightly in that area and delete the dimple as that will be much easier.

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Sorry, I was unclear. I was talking about the pre-war one. How did you make your own?