Hello everyone new member here

[Tk tech]

If you have factory ac, are the left and right vent knobs "dummy" knobs? Or was the ac added to my car.  The cable is there on the left side, just no indication there is any kind of vent tubing.  Also on the right side the ac hoses were ran through the vent opening in the right side kick panel.  The vent grill was removed to allow the hoses through then the rest of the hole was covered with a folgers coffee can lid and some black duct tape .  The vent hose that comes off the air box is gone also, so vent air is just being blown into the inside of the fender well.   My grandad just recently purchased this car, so we are trying to work out the querks.  Any help is greatly appreciated.  By the way it is a 57 sunliner.

[Ford Blue blood]

Factory air cars had no vents.  The holes for the vent cables had blanks in them.  The vent outlet on the cowl had covers on them.  The glove box is a little thing because of the huge size of the factory evaporator assembly.  The windshield garnish moulding was an outlet for the A/C.  It has a row of vents and two levers to open and close the vents.  Get the electrical assembly manual, it has great details on factory and dealer installed A/C systems.  The under dash evaporator is a dealer installed item.

[RICH MUISE]

Welcome to both you and your grandad....great when it's a family thing.  Rich Koberski has the windshild moulding air vent set up ,that Bill just mentioned, in his Fairlane. If you need a pic of them maybe he could post it for you. We saw them in his car when we met in Colorado last month. It was the first time I had ever seen them...and probably would have missed it had Jon not pointed them out. I was trying to figure out what you were talking about with what you have on the side kick panel. The '57's have a flat circular panel on that side, up high, behind the cowl drain tube. On most '57's it is still solid, but I believe the cars that left the factory with Air had that circular area opened up, my guess is probably to route the hoses as your car has done. I'm pretty sure Ford wasn't using Folgers coffee can lids though....maybe Maxwell House. LOL
Without pics, it is also hard to tell if you have an aftermarket unit or a factory unit from a donor car. It's posible it is oem, but if it still has the air vent knobs, my guess is it didn't come that way from Detroit.

[Tk tech]

Thanks for the replies, the car does have the vents coming from the lower moulding strip at the base of the  windshield.  I have a book that covers fords from 54-58 and it shows a duct that is square on one end that attaches to the side of the blower box, and round on the other end with a wire mesh grill and a steel ring.  The only place I can see where the round end should go is right where the coffee lid was taped on which is where the ac hoses are running through.  I will take some pictures and post them, hopefully tonight.  Thanks guys.

[Ford Blue blood]

Couple of looks at "factory air"..

[Tk tech]

Ok i see, so the hole that looks like a ping pong racket, the "handle" of the racket is where the ac hoses are supposed to run through.  I am missing the duct that connects to the round opening.  That is what had the folgers lid taped to it.  I will post pics when I get home.

[Tk tech]

Ok so here are some pictures.  Here is the dash control select aire:


Here is where the lines are coming through the side panel, the coffee lid was taped over the large hole in the side wall where the grill is supposed to be.


A shot of the vents in the dash:


Here is what I was talking about there being "dummy" vent knobs that are still labeled L Air and R Air. 


This is a photo of the part I am missing, the black flex hose duct.


So why would there be L and R air knobs if it doesn't have vents? We're they built with vents in mind before they decided to put AC in?  Does anyone reproduce those flex ducts?

[Frankenstein57]

On all my 57's the R.air, L.air knobs were fresh air ducts which a cable opened up and dumped cowl fed air below the dash, Mark

[Tk tech]

Ok, so I pulled down the blue kick panel cover, and found that slot for the ac lines to run through.  Now I guess the hunt is for the duct,  I called jerrys classic cars, he said factory air parts are hard to locate.

[RICH MUISE]

TK...not to change the subject, but while your poking around in that area anyway....check to make sure the cowl drain tubes have been replaced. Minor $ project, but a MAJOR problem if they are bad. Do a search for cowl drain tubes..we did a number of threads on it. If you need more info , open a new thread and ask so we don't get off topic on this thread.

[Tk tech]

TK...not to change the subject, but while your poking around in that area anyway....check to make sure the cowl drain tubes have been replaced. Minor $ project, but a MAJOR problem if they are bad. Do a search for cowl drain tubes..we did a number of threads on it. If you need more info , open a new thread and ask so we don't get off topic on this thread.

will do, thanks.