TECH: How to Chop your Vent Wings

I know im late on this, but I figured since im doing mine, I could share how I did it. Procedure may vary for each car. This chopped vent is going into my Shoebox.

Okay, here we go!

1. You must finish the door tops on your chopped doors before you start this. Its pretty much common sense why, but I thought I would throw that in before we really get started.

2. Take your vent wing assembly and lay it out.



3. Dissasemble it. You will have to grind out rivets for some parts. Dont worry, you standard Aluminum type from the local hardware store will work just fine. I like to put all my small parts in a zip lock baggie and label for later use. Helps keep the parts together. HUGE NOTE: Disassemble one side at a time so you can refer back to the other unit in case you forget how to put it back together.



4. Measure your window opening from the base of the window to the top. Be sure to measure in the area of the vertical post mounting area for your vent wing assembly.



5. Take that measurement from #4 and mark a cut line on the vertical piece. I measured from the base/bottom of the upper bracket that mounts to the top of the door sill.

.

6. Make a mark and cut. Be sure to measure twice, then cut once.

7. After you make your cut, install it and be sure it fits nice w/ a little play.



8. Now, take your outer rim of the vent wing assembly. See picture for example. This is the piece that holds the rubber.



9. Set the out rim in place to see where you have to heat and bend the piece to get it to fit.



10. I used a torch to heat it up to get the correct bend needed for fitment.



11. The picture is a little fuzzy, but I used a vice to help make the bends needed. Heat, bend, heat and bend. I used a "00" tip on my Victor torch. Quick Note: Be sure not to bend it too hard. The outer rim is a "U" channel and the sides will collapse or crease if you bend it too much.



12. Take your newly shortened/chopped outer rim and mount it to the upright. Mark the excess to cut. It is important to screw this in to the mounting holes to ensure your bend is correct and your cut line is the right.



13. Now, there is an upper tab that is mounted to the very top of the upright. A screw goes through the door top to hold this bracket at the top of the vent wing assembly in place. You can see the original curvature of the stock ventwing wont work for our newly chopped rim. Some modification will be needed before you mount it. Before and after.

BEFORE:


AFTER:


14. Install the top bracket to the upright and now mount the newly chopped outer rim. You will have to add new holes for the brackets new position. Rivet or screw in place.

15. Now, take the chrome vent wing and remove the glass if you havent already.



16. Take the chrome vent wing and heat it the same as the outer rim to get the desired shape to fit in place. Quick Note: Again, be sure not to bend too sharply, this will cause the "U" channel shape to collapse. Some of these pieces of brightwork are stainless steel, Quite a bit of heat may be needed to bend to desired shape.



17. Fit your newly "chopped" vent wing in the vent wing assembly. Once satisfied, cut desired left overs off.



18. Buff out brightwork. If it stainless, way to go. Otherwise, send it out to the chrome shop.

 

19. Install new rubber, cut to fit in place and re-assemble vent wing assembly and mount.




I hope this was helpful. It took me about 2.0 hours to complete one side. The other side should go faster.

 

very nice writeup. the amount of tech that is documented on this forum boggles my mind on the daily.

 

Thanks for the tips

 

Yeah, I think I learned that one, too. Several times...

-bill

 

Norm, that is a great job. Nice tech.

 

Hey Norm,

If you cut two pieces of Masonite to the exact shape of your vent
wing glass these can be used as a form to bend the "U" channel
around. The two piece thickness of the Masonite will aproximate
the thickness of the glass, and provide an exact shape to form to.
Tape the Masonite to the frame with 200 mile-an -hour tape and
roll the frame over your bench top to form. If you need to heat the
frame, go slow and use a wooden or plastic mallet on the thin "U"
channel.

Swankey Devils C.C.

 

Thank you... Everyone seems to think that their chop is done when the top goes down... The part you are doing is the HARD stuff.. Congrats on a job well done !

 

Thank you! That's the point I'm at on my 50. It's the details like this that seperate the really nice chops! Good post.

 

one thing to remember is
use a straight edge and make sure the the shaft (bottom pivot) is lined up directly to the top pivot

 

Right, the stock pivot points must remain or the vent wing wont open or it will bind badly.

 

Another good point was made, Use masonite for your glass pattern. Cardboard is too flimsy. Remember too to compensate your glass cut for notches to clear the brackets that are hard mounted to your channel.

 

BTTT- for Post-Tech Week viewing

 

Hey man I just wanted to say thanks for writing this and showing my dumb ass how to do it the right way! I was way, way off base trying to guess how this is done.

Thanks for your time and giving me the link to the slide show of photos for this tech
here!

It's gonna make the difference between me (hopefullly) getting these done and working or just piddling around for a couple days of frustration and throwing them on the junk pile! My shoe with a SBC gets *HOT* inside without the vent windows, so it'll be huge if I can make these babies!!!

 

Help! Ready to cut down the windows on my chopped 50 and found this - looks like a great help but where'd the pics go?

 

I second that, I could use the photos also.

 

subscribe

 

Looks like the photos are available as a slideshow:

 

All the photos are there, he just put them in a folder, and links no longer have the correct address.

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c144/chopped50ford/Chopping Vent Wing/


I'll PM him to see if he can fix the links.

Cool info.

Rich

 

I'll work on getting the links fixed, glad to hear folks refer to this for help.

Give me a bit to work it out.

Thanks

 

Pictures are up! Hope this helps

 

Thanks again for the post - I cut a template as Pimpin' paint suggested. A propane torch provided sufficient heat in bending mine.

Here's a 'before and after' on mine. They're both done now, other than the polishing and getting new glass cut. Waiting on new seals from Dennis Carpenter so I can double check the fit.

 

Nice tech.I didnt know that they made vent wings from stainless too.I have 3 pairs of them in my stash.I hope that even one pair is stainless.Does the rear vent wings work as front wings?
I have one pair of them too..

 

Doesn't bending the frame change the relative position of the upper pivot point?

 

On mine-which has a 4" chop - all of the bending was above the pivot point...

Here it is finished, with glass etc installed.

 

Another posilblity is make new ones like mine



I have them ready execept for the glas but i have forgoten to photo them after that i have made more ready

 

Thanks

 

Thanks for the tech !!!! good job n good luck on the rest of her.............YG

 

But Stefan you have alot more talent than most of us out here Nice work!

 

Thanks for the info , I got one side done on 51 Chevy truck .