Restoring Duct Work

[vettelang]

There are two ducts on the Aero that appear to be made of rigid, thick tar paper. These are extremely brittle. Has anyone hade experience restoring these? Do they take well to heat to be reshaped. What would you use to repair - fiberglass?, bondo, ...

Any suggestions would be wonderful.

[joefrazer]

I tried several different ideas to restore the right vent tube in my 54 Aero Eagle Custom and finally gave up. I tried several layers of door panel liner...it's oil impregnated like the duct, but the heat caused the oil to leach out and the tube fell apart. I finally did find a real nice used vent tube on a parts car.

[Aeroman]

I do not know how to fix one or make one from scratch and they are rare as can be. If you find a decent one, hang on to it. I've been using black flex tube from a clothes dryer. It's the right size and works well, but will lose points in a concours. Question: when was the last time you saw an Aero in a concours?

[vettelang]

Well maybe in 2015 at the Woodward Dream Cruise ... hope noone looks at my heater duct.

[Gordie]

There was a very nice original Aero at the 50th anniversary meet in Oregon a couple of years ago.  It was a pleasure to see one with original paint and upholstery and untouched.  They are really getting scarce at our meets.

[Thomasso]

I blew a hole in my right side paper duct with pressure washer.  Patched it with fiberglass cloth and POR15, fiberglass resin won't stick to anything.  POR 15 is also great for repairing floorboards in conjunction with fiberglass matte or cloth, makes a permanent bulletproof repair.  Spraying with a bedliner type product will give it a consistent finished look.  Tom.

[MarkH]

Unless I'm mistaken, this seems to be the correct duct.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-1-2-heater-duct-hose-correct-repro-by-the-foot-/380822244963?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item58aac64e63

Also here:
http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-529569827-duto-borracha-ar-parabrisa-rural-f75-aero-itamaraty-novo-_JM

[joefrazer]

54 and 55 Aeros with the 226 used a different style of duct for the passenger side...different enough that regular round tubing won't fit. The originals were made with...believe it or not...beeswax impregnated and layered cardboard that was formed in a press. I found a good used one for my 54, but have yet to run across NOS.