The kick panel vent on the driver’s side of my '70 opens fully and closes without undue effort. On the passenger side the action is restricted. After taking the kick panel off I can see that the vent on that side only opens about 3/4" being hindered by the inner fender skirt(?). Is this typical, or evidence of possible previous impact? The chute is not creased, smooth lines, but does not follow the contour of the vent butterfly. I saw elsewhere that the assembly can be removed without dropping the dash but it does not appear to be so without brute force and I’m trying to be abnormally gentle. Do I need to hammer out the chute?
The seal becomes stuck over the years. Gently pry around the edges and it should come out. Being it is deformed may also be the problem. You should be able to see if that area is damaged by opening up the door and looking forward. You might also use an inspection mirror to look at that area,
Thanks. I can free the bucket up with the seal, just can’t quite weasel it past the lower mount of the dash. I can see up the “chute”, like I said it’s not “crinkled”, but definitely “blipped”. I’ll have to compare it to the driver’s side.
I forgot the dash is in the way. Drivers side also has the E-brake assembly in the way of removing it. I have removed them from parts cars and at this time they are out of my 70 CJ Cougar.
I did pop the kick panel off the driver’s side yesterday and it is evident that that “chute” is perfectly cylindrical; unlike the one on the passenger side. I’m not sure how I’m going to straighten it out, but it can certainly wait until I’m ready to drop the dash. Thanks.
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