47-55.1 Cowl Vent Vent

[Father&son56project]

Yes, you read that right! On my list of things to do this winter on Project Fargolet is an improvement to the cowl vent system. The truck does not have A/C or any other vents, so that cowl vent is a godsend on hot days. Even on the worst days, it keeps my wife and I comfortably cool. We are in a rural area, so there really is no such thing as “being stuck in traffic” so continuing on without A/C is fine by me.

There is however one drawback, and that is noise. All that air that comes shooting in through that vent has gotta go somewhere, and that somewhere is either door or window seals as everything else is perfectly sealed off. There is a big difference in interior noise once that vent opens, and of course the whistle and racket of the escaping air is right beside us. I was thinking about fabbing up some sort of hinged flap under the seat that I could open up when I want cool air and some peace & quiet. My exhaust exits at the far rear of the truck, and the rest of the exhaust system is new & leak free, so I am not too worried about that. It’s also a “sunny day” vehicle, so I am not worried about water spray under the cab. So my questions are:

-Has anybody done something like this?
-Is there some basic thing that I have not thought about (I don’t wan’t to fab something that is stupid or dangerous (or both!)

Any thoughts out there?