On Mar 11, 10:35 am, samst...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 15:14:57 -0700 (PDT), N8N <njna...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
> >I bet someone's already figured this out, but I figured I'd post in
> >case a couple of you might not have... I've got a '93 F-150, actually
> >pretty good shape overall although both bumpers need attention. But
> >inside, those crappy vent assemblies made it look very ghetto, because
> >of course like all Fords "of a certain age" all the vanes in any given
> >assembly point every which way. Well I figured I'd see if I could fix
> >them myself rather than pay the $25 apiece for new ones from LMC.
> >turns out all of the vanes were busted in the same place - a little
> >molded plastic pin that fits into a sliding piece to keep all the
> >vanes pointed in the same direction. You can remove the vanes simply
> >by bending them slightly in the middle. So I pulled 'em all out, used
> >an unbusted one as a template, and inserted a piece of wire in the
> >busted ones. I just drilled a hole in the end where the little
> >plastic nib was broken off - I think I used a #52 or #51 drill bit, I
> >forget, and a pin vise - and inserted a piece of 14AWG copper wire.
> >Then I snipped the piece of copper off just a little longer than it
> >needed to be and finished with a flat bastard file. Reassembled et
> >voila, un-ghettofied vent assemblies, all for the cost of some scrap
> >wire that I was going to throw out anyway.
>
> >I'd keep them lubed up well with silicone or other non-greasy lube,
> >because I can't remember the last time I saw a truck that didn't have
> >at least one broken vane...
>
> >nate
>
> Many vehicles vents become broken , not just f150's , many times the
> cause is from spraying cleaners/polishes and these seep into the pivoit
> points of the vanes and dry there nearly glueing them in place.- Hide
quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
You could be onto something there. Most people I know with the vents
all messed up are regular smokers (of one leaf or another). They
(especially those prone to the black market smoke) often spray those
air freshening sprays into the vents to that it's blown throughout the
car to mask the smell.
Then again, my 98 Ranger's previous owner was a smoker, stoner
methinks, and all my vents are intact. Sticky, but intact. Maybe he
just never moved them? I should take them out and clean them before
one of them breaks.
|
