Restored AC recirculation vent door

[Wallington]

I had a spare cowl recirculation door with a good vacuum actuator so had it replated and assembled. These are often fairly rusty and far worse than how this one started.

Firebird AC cowl vacuum vent unrestored 1-24 (5) by Ben, on Flickr

Firebird AC cowl vacuum vent unrestored 1-24 (4) by Ben, on Flickr

Restored Firebird AC recirculation vent cowl (2) by Ben, on Flickr

Restored Firebird AC recirculation vent cowl (3) by Ben, on Flickr

Restored Firebird AC recirculation vent cowl (4) by Ben, on Flickr

Restored Firebird AC recirculation vent cowl (5) by Ben, on Flickr

Restored Firebird AC recirculation vent cowl (6) by Ben, on Flickr

[81Blackbird]

Very nice.  thanks for sharing.

[5th T/A]

Ben, all your stuff is very high quality, most likely better than what GM did.

[FormTA]

I wish you lived on this side of the pond. That way I could get you to restore parts for my junk.

Nice work!

With all these nice parts you should have a complete car needed assembly....

[Wallington]

None of it is terribly hard or expensive, other than shipping of parts in the first place and finding they are not even driver-quality to restore or use. And yes, have had a car simply needing assembly for 12 years. Sadly, it never will be. But I keep busy with little things that don't really matter.

[sreta]

I think that there is also a pot metal version of this door. I found this photo online.

[Wallington]

Interesting, have not noticed that version.

[roadking77]

Looks nice Ben, I need to get mine done at some point. How did you replate the vaccum cannister flying saucer thingy?

[Wallington]

I took the easy way out. I packaged it up with various bolts, clips and parts like those trunk lamps and fuel line clips and shipped to a guy I've used several times over the years. Briefly about 2 years ago the local carb rebuilder started taking on plating jobs too and was good. But was taking longer and longer and not at all interested. The last time I had to go and collect after 10 months, not even touched. Sent them back to usual guy in another state, within 5 days of getting the box he had them done and on their way back. These vacuum pods are probably the hardest to do, not so much the job itself but the fact that even if capped off, they always still seem to have a dribble of the acid or similar that gets inside and under the rubber diaphragm bellows but chooses to seep out during posting back and staining the plating. It even happened this time and I have one to send back, this one had a slight mark or two from same but I let it run after a wash.

[Wallington]

Turns out I had seen it before, but not noticed the difference. I saved a few pics of it, would notice if was in my hands. This is one I nearly purchased but the seller couldn't come up with shipping that wasn't several times the item cost, and then someone else bought it instead. Certainly looks cast rather than stamped steel, especially compared to surface rust on door.

Firebird cowl recirculation vent vacuum door (2) by Ben, on Flickr

Firebird cowl recirculation vent vacuum door (3) by Ben, on Flickr


And another.....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/196006241833?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ZhfUl5OxTZe&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=Otl3lLdJQZG&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Turns out they buckled and warped easily, not sure about 50 years ago or just looking at these pics. Regardless, they all carried the same assembly number throughout the years of #3979732, cast or stamped.

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Who performed this service? Mine still works but it's ugly as sin (worse than the one pictured). I'd like to have this done.

[Wallington]

Have what done? I had the steel parts sandblasted and powdercoated satin black. I had various other parts sent to an electroplater I know in a different state. Various other parts blackened or painted by me before reassembling the lot, and then hiding forever inside cowl!

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Have what done? I had the steel parts sandblasted and powdercoated satin black. I had various other parts sent to an electroplater I know in a different state. Various other parts blackened or painted by me before reassembling the lot, and then hiding forever inside cowl!

You of all people should understand the sheer satisfaction of just KNOWING that a part is all nice, clean, and fresh even though literally nobody can see it, haha.

Anyway, I appreciate the response. How did they sandblast and powdercoat around the rubber seal without damaging it? I could be missing something, but is that seal able to be removed in order to properly restore the vent door?

[Wallington]

No, I should have mentioned that I removed the door, stripped it myself and painted in black. Although sandblasting is fine on rubber and often powdercoating too, but didn't want to take chances with the bonding of it. I think it has been set around the door as it was made, rather than added later. There was often rubber flashing stuck around the edge too, trimmed back where stuck to face and bare below it. I think that is even shown in this pic where sections of bare surface rust on each end at the top where a flap or rubber once sat. The black paint often had a border where the rubber peeled back so it was painted with it in place, perhaps had overspray that wore off the rubber. Often, the doors appear to only be painted black on top, the undersides stained with surface rust.

Firebird AC cowl vacuum door used (3) by Ben, on Flickr

Here's I've used paint stripper to take back to mostly bare metal. I didn't need to do the frame as well as was to be blasted but nice to see the condition while I was at it.

I didn't take a pic but after I'd scrubbed the parts up with soapy water and steel wool to shiny bare metal.

Firebird AC cowl vacuum door stripped (3) by Ben, on Flickr

Firebird AC cowl vacuum door repainted satin black (1) by Ben, on Flickr