How do you restore the "felt seal" in a 65 Special OEM A/C Vent?

Dear V-8 Buick fixer-upper extraordinaires, :TU:

I managed to get my hands on some 1965 Buick Special dashboard end A/C vents thanks to eBay. Now they I've got them on my hands, the question is how to fix them up to make them useable. Here is what they look like:



Here is a photo with the louver "ball" removed:



Sure looks to me that there was some sort of "felt" material that served as an air seal and provided the bearing surface for the louver ball to rotate in. This appears to have worn out and in the top photo was replaced by some nasty sealant.

Has anybody repaired vents like this, and if so, how did they go about it? Is there a good substitute material for the original felt seal? Anything special about making sure that louver is reasonably secure but can still move freely?

Any pearls of wisdom on this latest task I have taken on would be greatly appreciated! :Smarty:

Cheers, Edouard :beer

 

You are correct with yoru assessment. The repro companies sell a felt kit for these. Maybe not labeled for a Buick, but they do for a Chevelle. Just make sure you order for the year with the balls, and not all square plastic ones.

Or if you are feeling handy, I htink you can just get some quality felt and glue it in there. The strips from my memory are about 3/16" wide by 1/8" thick or adjust thickness for the tightness of the balls.

 

Thanks for the tips! (Re: How do you restore a 65 Special OEM A/C Vent?)

Hi Adam and V-8 Buick cool-cats!

Hmm, I hadn't thought about other GM lines using a similar vent. I'll check that out just to see if they have a nice looking kit at a reasonable cost. Thanks for the suggestion! :TU:

That is indeed what I figured. If there is enough of a felt surface it should be possible to move the louver balls about while still being stiff enough to hold them in position once adjusted. So if the restoration kits don't pan out there is certainly a way to make this work.

Thanks again for the info!

Cheers, Edouard :beer

 

I used the loop side of self adhesive velcro Probably 1/2" Works OK.

 

Me too....it works OK....not as good as the original felt though, but still acceptable.

 

My '64 Malibu SS had balls. The catalog at the repro place should show the same ones for your car, if I am not mistaken.

 

Thanks for the Chebby pointer! (Re: How do you restore a 65 Special OEM A/C Vent?)

Dear djonesutah, Mark, SteeveeDee and V-8 Buick interior experts,

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I can get my hands on some heavy duty felt because the body shop that repaired my trusty wagon's tailgate had gotten some, so . . . . I'll ask them!! :grin:

Thanks for this tip. I couldn't find a restoration kit with that info in 2 minutes, but with a little more internet searching I should manage to locate one. Indeed the early 60s Chebby's had the same arrangement so hopefully I'll close in on a kit!!

Thanks again!!

Cheers, Edouard :beer

P.S. With a little more time I was able to locate several kits for Impalas that look like they should work.

Here is a link to the kit from Impala Bob's: http://www.impalas.com/1965-1968-chevy-impala-a-c-dash-vent-ball-seal-kit-does-2/230239.html

Here is apparently the same kit from Car parts discount: http://www.carpartsdiscount.com/aut...s/astro_vent_seal_repair_kit.html?3593=127131

There are many more examples, but that will give anyone looking an idea of what they are searching for.

 

[SUB]this thread has been very helpful as im restoring my side ac vents on my 65 Skylark. Did the buicks only come with the felt seal? Or did they also have the "vent ball retainer seal" as offered by impala bobs for chebbys too? Mine didn't just the felt..
thanks for the help guys!

Tony[/SUB]

 

But it didn't work!! (Re: Restore the "felt seal" in a 65 Special OEM A/C Vent?)

Hi Tony and fans of mid-60s V-8 Buicks,

Hmm, I'm rather amazed . . . . on account of, when it came time for me to actually restore the vents that I had bought, I found that the Impala Bob's felt didn't work at all! Worst still, I had to buy two different thickness of felt-based weatherstripping before I found a material that actually was the correct thickness and could be adhered effectively. So did you manage to get the Impala Bob's kits to work?

Curious minds would like to know!

Cheers, Edouard :beer

 

Re: But it didn't work!! (Re: Restore the "felt seal" in a 65 Special OEM A/C Vent?)

Hi Edouard,

I haven't bought anything yet. Just had a gander at the kit you referenced in the earlier part of the thread, looked at it and then noticed the rubber "retainer ring."

What material and thickness did you use to get it to work right?

Much appreciated!!

Tony

 

Re: But it didn't work!! (Re: Restore the "felt seal" in a 65 Special OEM A/C Vent?)

One more question...did you adjust the hex set screw on the duct tubes that go into the vent ball housing? I assume they are there to supply just the right amount of extra pressure from the felt to the ball?

Tony

 

I'll send a PM (Re: Restore the "felt seal" in a 65 Special OEM A/C Vent?)

Hi Tony and mid-60s V-8 Buick fans,

I'll have to dig up some stuff to figure out exactly what I did - its been a while. I'll send you a PM with more specific details.

Cheers, Edouard