The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Passenger Side Cowl Vent on '53 Chevy 3100

So what is the story on the passenger side cowl vent on a '53 Chevy 3100?

The reason I ask is the one on my truck appears to be totally useless. There are the louvers on the outside body that allow air into the cavity between the inner and outer sheet metal. On the inside, there is what appears to be an original factory plate screwed over the opening in the inner panel.

Were there some trucks that had some kind of vent there?

The dealer installed fresh air heater bolted to where the cover plate is. With the recirculating heater and aftermarket heaters the cover stayed in place.

Didn't some AD years have a vent door that could be opened to let in fresh air? If there is such a thing I need one. I thought I saw one on some of these trucks before.

There was a vent door on the driver side from '47-50. It was eliminated when the vent windows were introduced.

Are you talking about a Deluxe Airflow Heater ?
Deluxe Airflow


Tim

What years were the Deluxe Airflow heater available?
Carl

A somewhat similar in appearance Airflow (Air Flow) or Fresh-Air Heater was available as a GM Accessory from 1947-1955 (A-D years). They all used outside air from that that lower right cowl opening.

In 1953-55, the cable controlled inside/outside air and from 47-52 the cable controlled the defroster flap.

GM's use of the terms Air Flow and Fresh Air over 47-55 is confusing and not consistent with changes made in 1953.

Thanks Tim.
Carl

I have seen passenger (RH) side opening 'crotch cooler' vents on RH Drive trucks such as Australian and South African models,although Cletis is correct about the American/Canadian spec trucks.

Thank You to all who replied. The answers confirmed my thought that as far as I am concerned, on my truck, the passenger side cowl vent is useless.

The instructions for the AC/Heat unit I am going to install says to close off the vent and recommends putting insulation in the cavity between the outer and inner sheet metal.

My thought was to weld and seal a piece of sheet metal on the inside of the louvers, leaving them on the outside for a stock appearance.

My wife, on the other hand, says I should cut out the louvers and weld in a smooth piece of sheet metal. She says, "there are no louvers on the driver's side".

I am going to weld the upper cowl vent shut and seal it because over the years it has been a source of water under the dash and down the inside of the firewall. My thinking on closing off the louvers (either method mentioned above) is the same, seal off potential sources of water.

Thoughts?

I hear you lynngrove, but I must admit, I like the vent cowl in spring and fall weather...... but I don't have A/C yet!

If your trying to keep your pickup at least looking stock I'd leave the louvers and do your plan of sealing it off. Just my .02

It never really gets warm enough here to justify the expense of A/C here Alvin,I just open the cowl vent and drive faster!

Been down in the teens and twentys this month here outside of
Chicago. Been driving the '5O a couple times a week, without
earmuffs or scarf. I've actually got the heater valved off at
the water pump because my Deluxe heater core has a tiny leak.
But there is still enough hot water seeping past the shutoff
that the core gets hot. With the blower on high the cab is
quite comfortable. Drove her for a while yesterday, was a
cloudy day but it was still nice inside the cab.
AC in the summer, might be nice when you're standing still,
but with the side and cowl vents open as long as you are
moving along again, it's quite comfortable in the cab.

Even though Blue's not a show truck, a couple of years back
we took part in the Oswego Drag Strip Days car show. This is
a biggie around these parts, they closed down the entire town
and filled all the parking places with show cars. It took
almost an hour to get from the staging area across the river
and into town, so we were idling in traffic on a sweltering
September day for about an hour.
Surprisingly it wasn't all that bad in the cab since there
was a little bit of a breeze blowing.
DG

From what I understand,the deluxe air flow(fresh air) in my picture was available for 1953 to 1955.1 series trucks.

Tim

Thanks Tim.
I have one of those and wanted to put it in my '52 which I am trying to make as built. Now it will go in my '50 daily driver and use my other standard fresh air heater in the 52.
Carl

my 52 panel had the fresh air heater and I believe it to be original. Hadn't really done any research on it. I rebuilt my system but plan to go with an "all in one" A/C-heater.

Tim with the Bow Tie, just spent an hour with your pictures,
thanks. I feel I've been thru this discussion before but,
what paint did you use in the restoration of those two
heaters? Very nice job of restoring them to their original
appearance.
I've been looking for a Deluxe Fresh Air heater for my '54
since I brought it home 5 years ago. Bought a couple from a
guy here on the bolt, both stuffed into a box and both turned
out to be way to rusted up to salvage, literally no usable
parts on either of them. Good way to get rid of that rusty
scrap in the corner of the garage. That was a wasted couple
hundred bucks.
But I'll keep looking.
Thanks,
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,I used Rust-Oleum Hammered Finish type #7218 dark bronze.
rust-oleum dark bronze
7218 dark bronze
I know it's not the factory spec color,but it's close for me.

Thanks;Tim

Looks great, can't believe it's not all bumpy like hammertone
is every time I've applied it.
I'm experiencing deja vu cus I'd swear we've had this
discussion before. Well---that refreshes my memory and should
help out any new be that missed it the first time around. It
was probably noted in my reference archive but I lost the
first 9 years worth to a computer failure and monster move.

Thanks Tim,
Denny G
Sandwich, IL