kick panel removal (ventend or unvented)

[p7387]

i purchased a donor interior from a 87 without AC and the driver side kick panel (with vent) was an absolute nightmare to remove, is this normal or am i missing something?

additionally-
my 87 with AC has no kick panel vent but the donor 87 with no AC did have them. is this because of the AC or was this an option? also even though my 87 does not have them can i install the kick panel vents now or is there some special sort of duct work that is needed?
if it matters my intent is to remove the AC as the compressor is shot anyway.

thanks

[VileZambonie]

These trucks were designed to keep fresh air moving through the cabin. You'll see the vents in the doors, in the kick panels and some had manual fresh air doors. The blower motors on early models were designed to always run also with the ignition switched on. Replacing the kick panel vents isn't an issue and you shouldn't have too much of a hard time changing them. What was the problem?

[Captkaos]

The AC version only has a vent on one side that is controlled by the AC system.  You can interchange them however you like.  To get them out you have to lift it up and turn it to get it out of the hole.

[84chevysilverado]

just a quick question here. my 84 silverado swb has a manual vent on the drivers side and a another vent on the passenger side looks like its controlled with vacume is this true? truck has factory AC to. Im asking because I cant get the passenger side vent to open. its not siezed either. Thanks Marc

[hotrod24]

 yep that is the best way i found that out working on my 78 one day

The AC version only has a vent on one side that is controlled by the AC system.  You can interchange them however you like.  To get them out you have to lift it up and turn it to get it out of the hole.

[VileZambonie]

just a quick question here. my 84 silverado swb has a manual vent on the drivers side and a another vent on the passenger side looks like its controlled with vacume is this true? truck has factory AC to. Im asking because I cant get the passenger side vent to open. its not siezed either. Thanks Marc

You should be able to just push it open. It is vacuum controlled.

[84chevysilverado]

but if its vacume controlled how does it open?d it doesnt matter if i put it on AC, heat, or cold it never opens. where does it get its suction from? is it from the intake? 

[VileZambonie]

You should have a vacuum reserve canister under the hood. It should have a vacuum hose going to the intake or carb and should have a vacuum line going through the firewall.

[p7387]

the donor vents i picked up are totally manual, were some manual and some vac controlled?

also-still not sure, can i use the manual vents even though my 87 came w/o vents or do i need to have additional ducts in place? will the fact that i did have AC prohibit me from using/proper operation of the manual vents?

thanks

[VileZambonie]

The cabs are the same. They draw the air in from the cowl area. If you have an 81-up model make sure you are using the hood hinge seals or water will come inside. You can use whatever kick panel vents you want really or none at all.

[84chevysilverado]

o okay so when should the vent open when i put the AC on or  just the cold air?