one more step to the safest bump around...defroster idea!

[1971ford]

dont know if this should be in interior or electical but here it goes.
also this was started in another thread called "i wonder why..." and since that thread motivated me (thanks 72stepside!!!) and this should take action soon, i decided to create this thread.


some of you may know that im trying to make the 69 project one of the safest bumps there is, i plan on nice 3 point belts, these vents, a crazy headrest idea, air horns , and some other doodads. these vents will greatly increase safety, since they used to create a nice 2 in. by 2 in. hole to look though (and dont try to tell me something is wrong in the heater, because these will still increase hot air flow greatly)

my first post...

ive been looking at the bumpsides guy's defroster vent and noticed for all that work, it doesnt look that much better.

i wonder what i would be getting myself into if i decided to have my own vents custom welded/bent at work, the old defroster vents sealed up, and run my own tubing to the heater. hmmmmmm

im thinking i could put the vents(maybe each 12 in. long, 1.5 in. wide depending on the room i have) behind where the dash pad would go. hmmmmm

im going to look at the possibilities in my truck... and see if i can get a plan of measurements. it would be easy enough to just get a nice peice of scrap metal, cut it to the right size, bench press it into a rectangular shape, weld it up, create a opening in the bottom of the new vent for some tubing and weld it in the dash.

am i going crazy or should this work!

second post..

i was thinking about the idea today and put tape roughly where i wanted the vents. (pictures are taken in the 71, but the vents will go in the 69).



heres my plan drawing. how well would this distribute the air?
what can i improve?

also im not sure the original duct will reach that far, it would be close.
and im thinking that instead of 1 in. height, that it should be 2 maybe for the vent in the picture i made.

third...

my dad has approved the idea and i checked the 71 for an idea of clearance, but it was really hard to see how much room ill have with everything in the 71. im sure it will clear, and if not i can move stuff around in the 69 until it does clear.


im going to try to draw more detailed, better drawings of my plan.

also i am friends and work for a guy named Hal (also the PO of this truck and would do anything to see it being restored) and he can do all the welding and cutting involved.

i would appreciate any comments, advice, or anything other about this plan. if you think there is a better way to have good air flow, please let me know.

thanks for reading

[worldsmysterie]

I was going to do some defrost upgrades to. I was going to put some small fans under the vents. Im thinking it would increase the air flow
but i have to say your idea is alot better.

[Ranchero50]

The biggest single drawback of the system is the fan has to draw through the heater core and it's a small scroll diameter for the speed it turns, thus you get very limited amount of flow out of the system. Centrifical fans blow well if the inlet has a very low resistance, but don't draw very well if the inlet is restricted...

The fan is small compared to newer designs as well so you end up with a crappy defroster because the heater design can't create enough air velocity to hit the windshield even if the ductwork is aimed better.

Your idea has merit if you redesign the heater box. I've been tinkering with that as well. My '71 may not be the safest, but I want the heater to have AC integrated without all the extra add on crap like most systems have. I plan on putting a newer mustang fan blowing through an AC evaporator and heater core to the ductwork. My project hasn't gotten beyond the gathering parts stage yet. I have a couple bathroom stall walls (24ga stainless) to fab the box out of and a couple cores to play with, just not enough time to make it work.

If I were you I'd play with the duct design and test it out before cutting the truck. Fab up or steal some vents out of junkers and then hook them up to you 2" flexible ducts and see how it blows.

Jamie

[1971ford]

thanks for your guy's replies!

jamie,
i have thought about finding a way to "put my fan on steroids" or something like that. thanks for the input, i will definetly try to get the most out of my heater system and find new ways for more air flow before i get cutting.
and let me know what you do with your heater, and if you have any ideas, i may be able to try them since im waiting on going down to the welding shop (want to figure out what im doing before i go) for my project. so i need to figure out the heater thing sometime soon.
any ideas i can try? remember, i work at a welding shop and we can make any brackets etc. i can also go to the junkyard this weekend maybe, to get some fans out of new cars/trucks
thanks

[1971ford]

im looking for vents right now on ebay that would look good in the bump. because i dont want to make my boss weld each grille peice of the vent. i want them recessed, so they dont stick out and look dorky too.

these look awsome, but they arnt recessed and dont have much grill peices to direct air flow.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/mg-a-def ... 0212168270

i havent found any good vents yet. maybe at the junkyard.
whatever vents i find, i will have a ring that the duct can grab onto and such.


edit: now these would be cool recessed in... but not for 50.00 at least!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes ... 0199463625

[72stepside]

Well, I guess I got somebody motivated

[fordman]

i think the orginal blower motor would handle it. because the ones in my newer trucks are smaller than the one in my bump. as far as making ducts. i think getting them from a dentside is the best idea to test out how they would fit and so on.

[1971ford]

allright. tomorrow ill disassembly my heater unit, and see if i can get some more power out of it somehow.
im stuck on vents right now though

[fordman]

i wouldnt bother taking it apart. the motor is what jamie is talking about. i dont think its the design of the box either its just the cfm that can be pushed by the motor.

[1971ford]

i planned on taking it apart before this defroster idea anyways. i want to clean it out and repaint it like i did with my heater/ac in the 71.

[Ranchero50]

Yeah, but then you have to install a generator to drive the 120vac motor...

Jamie

[4th effie n counting]

I didn't mean for to use the whole vacuum.... just the hose and attachments. more specifically the narrow wide attachment, and the hose to route to heater. not the big wide attachment though...that would be ugly

[1971ford]

your a genius
ill use a vacuum's hoses (longer, very flexible and thinner) and run a hose to each vent! and i love the attachment idea! since they will fit the hose perfectly! all i have to do is have a adapter made that adapts the heater's defroster outlets(the things that allow the ducts to grab on) to the vacuum hose.
and a cover for the attachment!
genius
i know what im doing today! shopping for vac. attachments!
thanks!

[Ranchero50]

Actually I remembr reading last year about a guys used the defroster duct from a mid 80's dodge and it worked out really well. I don' remember if it was here or just brousing the web...

Jamie

[fordman]

on the parts truck i have a guy used vinyl dryer dust to replace his original duct to the dash. he just hose clamped it on to the box. i havent seen how he put it on the dash yet.