Interior Vent Kick Panel Water Coming In

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

Dave - I just put slider vents on Big Blue, which is an A/C truck. Did it ‘cause everyone says they give a lot more air on cool days.

They do work very well. I use mine all the time. They work best with an exit for the incoming air, like having the sliding rear window cracked open a bit.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Maybe I need to investigate this.
My truck was ordered with no AC.
I usually just open the vent windows and the slider.

[salans7]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Maybe I need to investigate this.
My truck was ordered with no AC.
I usually just open the vent windows and the slider.

I can't speak for your 1987 since I have a 1990 cab, but there's no way you can put a vent on the driver's side of my 1990 cab because the computer is in the way and the whole panel is shaped differently there for that reason. Maybe yours is different since you don't have a computer, or maybe you do?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Nope, no computer.
But the cover plate is way up beside the parking brake assembly, and I don't know if a Bullnose kick panel will even fit in my truck...

[FuzzFace2]

Gary Lewis wrote

Dave - I just put slider vents on Big Blue, which is an A/C truck. Did it ‘cause everyone says they give a lot more air on cool days.

I also have vents in my non-factory or is it factory AC truck
The only thing I wished is they have a knob on the dash so you can open & close them when behind the wheel.
Right now you have to open/close the right side before you get in and the left side you have to take the seat belt off to reach the slide.

Yes it is an easy "up grade" to a truck that does not have them,
You just need the slider panels, remove the non-slider panels, remove the 4 screws holding the metal cover over the opening and fit the slider panels in place.

Why I brought it up is the OP said he had factory AC but sliders that the water was coming out of Factory AC did not have sliders but I guess someone could have done what we have done.
Dave ----

[ArdWrknTrk]

Dave, did dealer air trucks have their kick panels blocked off as part of the upfit, or did they just leave it as the truck rolled off the line.

Sorry to ask so many questions.
There's a lot to be learned here!

[salans7]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Nope, no computer.
But the cover plate is way up beside the parking brake assembly, and I don't know if a Bullnose kick panel will even fit in my truck...

Not if your cab is like mine, that whole area is shaped differently as it's recessed for the computer. That and I think the holes for the christmas tree clips are in different spots due to the lower dash mounting bolts being on that pillar.

[kramttocs]

Not Dave  but they left them there. Both styles of dealer ac did this. The add on fan is open to the cabin right there by the vent so I guess leave it open and you get AC, closed and you get Max AC?

[ArdWrknTrk]

So that's just recirculation V once through the evaporator?

I'm sorry I'm so ignorant about how the AC ductwork actually operates.
My non-AC truck has:

            Outside Air
        |-----------------|
  Vent Heat             Off

Everything is operated by cable, except the vacuum motor by the passenger hood hinge.
While it would be nice to have a breeze in the footwell on a hot day, as Gary said 'winter is coming' and I don't like the thought of freezing cold air circulating behind the plastic kick panel.

[kramttocs]

The vents do have gaskets on them to seal the sliding door but assuming they are still present, you are still talking about a very thin plate of plastic separating outside and inside. If closed though, aside from whatever leaks are present in the vent door, will there be that much movement or circulation inside the vent/cowl trough? .

Still speaking purely of dealer ac - my grandfather's 85 with the Integrated Controls (IC) and my 80 with the Cubby Controls (CC) both have the fans close enough to the passenger vent to draw fresh air from the kick panel vent. I feel like I've heard the two styles called Deluxe and Economy but the Deluxe wording is confusing since a heat system also had that name. I may be recalling that incorrectly though....but I digress.

The IC unit has the fan opening facing the firewall whereas the CC fan open is almost directly facing the kick panel. I don't know if this is form or function. The IC unit does look cleaner in this regard and is safer or more kid friendly.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

So that's just recirculation V once through the evaporator?

I guess the answer would be yes to that. It's similar to the Integral AC with how it can draw fresh air or cabin air (max ac) based on the recirc door position. The difference is that the dealer ac fan will always pull some cabin air since there is a gap between the fan and the vent.

*note* This whole fresh air/recirc with the dealer ac is based on observation. I haven't read any dealer ac official documentation on how the operation or usage is outlined by Ford. While the fan and vent are in close proximity to make this seem plausible, there also isn't really anywhere else Ford could have easily put the fan.
I am looking for the doc packet that came with the 85 to see if it has a pamphlet for the IC.

Some dealer a/c photos: http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/Dealer-Aftermarket-AC-Photos-td44293.html

[kramttocs]

Found the doc packet (window sticker, transport ticket, those little keyring coins and all).
The manual for the dealer ac is there but it's a generic manual so not Bullnose specific.

I was actually in the shop that did the install a couple months ago.