Help w/drivers side duct/vent housing

Hey guys.

Well once again I've run into a snag with bolting a stock part up to an aftermarket part. Shocker!

I ordered a Covan's Classic instrument panel. My 71 is a factory A/C car. I was bolting the driver side duct/vent to the back on the panel and it doesn't sit down or in far enough to tighten up on the vent deflector portion inside the duct housing? :confused: I contacted Covans and sent them a picture of my duct and they said it's different than what they have and used to make the panel.

So I'm wondering if the one that was in my car is not the correct one or if they're using an incorrect one on their end. Can anyone tell me if this is the correct duct for my vehicle? Or send me a picture of one?

Thanks!

Not a very good picture of just the duct/vent. I'll try and get one of just the housing removed from the panel this weekend.


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd149/haymel69/Nova/Interior/Covans2.jpg

For what its worth...that looks like mine. I am also struggling with the vents, but because I am trying to install an aftermarket AC. I have had the dash stuff apart 3 times so far and still don't have it right.:o I am about to give up and try some aftermarket vents.

Dave

I just toke a cut off wheel to mine and ground it down until it fight good and the vent was tight. Toke less time than trying to figure out what was the problem....

I installed a Covan - looks just like yours judging by the finish. Just did this in January. My 72' has factory air and purchased new vents for both sides and the center prior before starting. The hassle with the covan was it hit the steering column and would almost buckle. Covan was no help. So I got out the dremel and made the steering column loop bigger. Then the air vent. Mine didn's set right either. I got the dremel out again and re-shaped it on the backside until it did sit down. Then the screw holes didn't line up. So I drilled one new hole next to the Covan existing hole. I did all these things without the guages installed. I must have taken the covan panel in and out at least 40 times until all things lined up and fit. One more note here. The ducting foam rubber was mostly disintigrated in my Nova. So, with vents out I replaced all the foam rubber where the ducts go together. I am getting a lot more air through the vents now.

The lights in the autometer guages have that little condom looking thing to give the guages color. I choose red. Then I had to remove the AC/heat switches one more time and spray painted the bulb red so it would match the guages. Got lucky here - it matched perfectly.

The Covan was hell, but I would do it again - it does look bad ***

Sonny Beech

Sonny:

Jess don't tell me that!! If I have to modify the bottom to fit over the steering column shi~'s going to hit the fan!!

When I contacted Covans I'd agree that they're not much help. Seems the case with a lot of these aftermarket companies. Charging high prices for something you have to modify, doesn't seem right! I almost wish I would have customized my factory instrument panel to work with the Autometer gauges. I went with the cobalt gauges so my lights will be blue. Not a bad idea about painting the bulbs. I may do that with the heater control ones.

Sorry to hit you with the bad news. I even sent pictures of both instrument panels with tape measures showing the 7/8" difference in the steering wheel loop. The Covan country bumkins couldn't even figure that out. They kept saying my car must have been modified, which was bull. They kept saying they would call me back, and never did. I even explained how their own picture in the installation manual was different than the instrument panel they sold me. I finally decided I was dealing with people that were A: dishonest B: stupid C: both A and B. If they give you a bunch of bull that this never happend before, you can send me a private email and I will call you and send you the same pictures I sent them. I am almost certain I still have them, if not on my computer, still in the camera that took them. I should still have the email I sent them too. So you can shove that in their bumkin faces.

Sonny

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"Covan's Classic Instrument Panel Problems"