When I did the 67 coupe, I bought a new fresh air vent. Looking at the one I had in the car previously, it was already a reproduction, so no point in trying to keep it. The reproductions are plastic, where the originals are metal. The 65 came with the original, which is metal, so I thought I would take a shot at cleaning it up and see how it comes out.

Parts are intact, though a bit rusty and bent out of shape. When I started, I was expecting to replace the cable assembly, but it’s half the cost of the whole vent. Ultimately, I didn’t want to wait for more parts, so I opted to re-use everything if possible.

I took the vent cover off, along with the cable assembly and the bracket on the back. I didn’t see a way to get the duct butterfly off, so I just blasted and painted it in place. Doing some reading, I found the bracket on the back is for holding the turn signal flasher. Since it was originally unpainted, I opted to paint it my favorite metal paint (cast iron).

I painted the main housing SEM Trim Black. It probably doesn’t matter because the only part that will be even remotely visible is the plastic screen. The point is that it is painted and protected from rusting a while longer.

The cable had a section of black sheathing on it between the clip and the hard end. It was splitting, so I tore it off. After blasting the cable and working some light oil into the assembly, I replaced the sheathing with shrink tubing. I don’t know the original purpose for it, but I figure Ford didn’t spend money on things without a reason.

I used the original grille, so it doesn’t look as good as the rest, but again, its not really going to be seen. It is mostly intact, so that’s good enough to not spend $100.

Next time I order parts, I will get the gasket which goes between the cowl and the vent. I also need to finish installing the EPAS steering column, and I need to make sure it clocks in a way that the vent still fits, so I’m ready.