HVAC duct / color / question

That's an original one for sure. I never saw a "new original" so cannot say what was the unfaded colour, but this is definitively how they get after 40 years. I've replaced mine by black carbon fiber reinforced ones: when these ducts leak they can bring the heat from the engine bay into the cabin, and it's just like hell.

Four ducts have to be replaced, replacing the one on the driver side of the firewall is not an easy task.

 

Source?

 

A black, high-temp hose duct (with an internal wire reinforcement) from McMaster might be an option:

https://www.mcmaster.com/hose-duct

Paul -- What is the OD of the male things that the hose duct has to fit over?

 

I doubt the original engine bay left the factory with those oil filters.

 

Unfortunately, that probably will be more of a challenge to source here in the US as they tend to jump from 3" ID to 3.5" ID, and, even if you can find 3.25" ID, it still really isn't quite right (but might be "clampable"). But thanks for adding the diameter data to this thread for others (and please let us know what you wind up going with).

 

I´ve seen these ducts - presumed to be original - only made from beige cloth over a reinforcing wire helix on production cars.
Indeed I don´t remember that I ever noticed they were different in the factory brochure, which is interesting!
The ducts directly attached before and behind the silver coated housing had been replaced on my car, while the less accessible ones were still original and beige ('79 400).
Yours look to be in good shape, and they aren´t easy to get - please think of me in case you consider discarding them ...
Greetings, France

 

On the later cars the duct were different: the one for the k-jet was not cloth anymore, they used instead a "plastic" tube. I can't remember what they used for the cabin air-intake as in the 412 the ducts are partially replaced by the plastic tank of the windscreen liquid, and I never had the chance to disasemble a 412 (hard to see the tubes on the firewall unless tons of stuff is out) .

400i gen2, but could have been a "mixed bag" of new 412 plastic/ old gen1 cloth depending on what they had in the shelves, just like my late gen1 that came with bits and odds of the gen2.

It seems to me that they decided to retrofit black stuff for the "brochure" : incorrect ignition lead on the left bank and incorrect black filters for sure. Not so assertive for the duct, but I would not take this photo for granted. In any case the Owner Manual illustrations are pretty clear about the white UFI filters.

Don't get me wrong: my car has black ducts, black stealth ignition leads, black Mann filters, and I painted the firewall satin black (should be silver) so I kind of like it in black, but not original.

 

These hoses was mentioned some years ago in another thread and could be bought at www.aircraftspruce.com. CEET or CAT ducting. But as you say,they do not have the smoothed ends but looks similar to OEM. An extra cote of mat black on top would make them look like the originals.
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Im skeptical the black ducting would uniformly fade to that brown. I wonder if the inside would give a clue? Mine are also brown and in nice shape.

What I would like is the correct conveyor thats as rare as bird poop in a cuckoo clock, one of mine has the dimple and one does not.

 

Cipere in France do re-issue brown tubings of all sorts for the 2cv, including some isolated with foam inside (could be a plus in our cars) . I personnaly don't mind the regular black tubing that are widely available.

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As far as the conveyors are concerned, it is indeed sad that only one side was re-issued. This being said the original conveyor can easily be fixed with Hypalon glue, and if you don't like the look of this glue, UHU-por can also make it do.

 

I meant the inside of a the brown one or under the clamp itself. When I take cars apart to restore them the original look of perishable parts can be easily seen where they were sandwiched under another component under pressure or just under something else where two pieces of interior overlap for example. In the case of a clamp holding a duct on, the clamp should preserve the original look unless the material lightens regardless of exposure to light or oxygen.