Home made lightweight vent.air intake

[Ove]

Some time ago I removed the stock air box/vent.control/blower as part of the weight reduction process. The vent system is now very simple. When I pull the red knobs next to the hand brake I get hot air from the heat exchangers directly to the defrost outlets under the windscreen.

After removing the air box it became obvious that I needed to do something about the air inlet behind the front hood. By leaving it open air flows well through the dashboard center vents, but water will also get in. For this reason some people just block off the air inlet.

But since I wanted to get fresh cold air without rolling down the windows I made a simple air intake instead and connected it to the stock center vent system.

I'm very happy with the results, especially considering the small air opening up front. I guess it would flow better if I used a larger opening to collect the air, like the SmartRacing box, but when the center vents on the dashboard are open there is a generous amount of air coming into the car.

SmartRacing sell a kit which I probably could have modified to direct air to the dashboard outlets.



But I didn't want to spend $200 on this. Instead I went for a simple solution using parts I had lying around. I was lucky to find some aluminum of the right size in my garage.

Below are pictures of the fabrication.




The white part is from a stock 911 footwell blower. I will connect another hose between the small outlet and the air outlet on the far left side of the dashboard. Not sure how well this will flow, but I will give it a try.

[Ove]

I used JB Weld to seal up the ends and also around the brass fitting. A hose will be attached to the brass fitting to drain water from the system. Water may also find it's way into the ducting, so I may have to attach a second water hose at the lowest point of the duct.







The weight is 333g.

[Ove]

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[jpnovak]

Cool. I have been thinking about the same thing. I wanted to come out of the clock hole with my vent. I would like a butterfly valve to turn it off for the winter.

[Ove]

Originally Posted by jpnovak

Cool. I have been thinking about the same thing. I wanted to come out of the clock hole with my vent. I would like a butterfly valve to turn it off for the winter.

I tried this to see what it would look like, but I'm keeping the clock.





A vent diameter of 10 cm fits well. Look for it in a boat supply store.

[911pcars]

Ove,
Would you mind sharing the source for that vent piece?

Thanks,
Sherwood

[Jeff Alton]

I too would do it if I could turn the vent off.....

Cheers

[Ove]

Jeff,

I can close the dashboard center vents. If you have an early car w/o center vents you should get a vent like the one I pictured for the clock hole.

Sherwood,

I bought the vent here: www.maritim.no

You can download the pdf catalog here: http://www.maritim.no/pdf/Katalog%202007.pdf See page 79. Price is $ 21.

But since this company is located in Europe I recommend that you try a local boat supply store.

[Jeff Alton]

Thanks, I have none of the factory HVAC plumbing in my 84. But, I have heat and defrost via some plumbing changes and the factory footwell blowers (on a custom circuit). But, I may want some fresh air.

I have a "semi" flat hood and have thought about the SRP part, but I don't want the air blowing out the clock hole all the time. Iwill check the link you posted and see if I can make it work with the SRP part.

Thanks for the info!

Cheers

[Wavey]

Nice work Ove. I've been thinking about replacing the clock with a fresh air vent. All current Ford trucks and SUVs have a vent that looks like it would be a perfect fit. The 911 clock measures about 3-3/8" at the outside of the bezel, plus the rubber ring beyond that. This vent also measures 3-3/8" at the outside. It makes a nice tight seal when closed and rotates 360 degrees. Looks like it might take a 2-1/2" hose.

[Ove]

That vent looks better than the one I found. Do you know the price?

[johndglynn]

Oh yes, more sweet mods from the Arctic Circle - love it Ove

[Wavey]

No idea of what they cost. That pic is from one of my shop trucks. Probably $5.00 in a salvage yard, but probably not too much as a new part from a Ford dealer - let me look into that.

[Plavan]

Nice Job!

[Jack Olsen]

Somebody find a part number for that vent.

[Wavey]

Geez, Jack, you're so pushy

I just pulled one out. The number looks like it's 4L3H19893, separate number below is 3271A-2.

It measures 2-13/16" OD at the back, where a hose would mount. The back tube projects out 2-3/8" from the back of the face, total depth 2-1/2". I'm tempted to go pull my clock out to see how well it fits, but I've got billable stuff that needs attention. Maybe tomorrow. Here's another pic:

[Wavey]

Correction -

In my haste to make Jack happy, I failed to see that there's another ring that fits between this part and the dash, which allows the whole vent to rotate. So I pulled that out, and here's the correct info:

This part has an actual Ford part number label on it, so it looks like the whole assembly is # 4L3H-19893-AJW.

In the pic, if you took the foam ring off, a 3" hose would slide right over the outer bezel. Total depth is 3-1/8" front to back. Looks like it's damn near perfect for the clock hole.

[Jack Olsen]

I'm almost happy. I still can't find it. What's the year and model of Ford truck you pulled it out of?

Google turns up the strangest things: sexy vent movie

[Wavey]

I'll bet you're fun to live with

It''s from one of my '04 F150 shop trucks (4.6 V8, 4WD, standard cab). But I think it's used in a ton of Ford vehicles - probably all the trucks and SUVs, and I'm pretty sure the new Mustangs use them. I've been searching online too, and found nothing, so I'll try a Ford dealer next. They must have made a few million of these (4 per truck), so I can't imagine they're too expensive.

I'll also check the fit in the clock hole over the weekend.

[jpnovak]

The Mustang version comes in Chrome! And on ebay you can get carbon fiber stickers for them...