Mondial Center Air Vent Improvement Kits Now Available

One of the problems that we Mondial owners are faced with is the lack of vertical adjustability with the center air conditioning / heating vent. The original vent does not allow for enough vertical adjustment. The result is cold or hot air blowing down toward your legs.

During the past months, and with the encouragement of Hank, I have looked at developing a solution.
My goal was to develop a simple solution that is easy to install, improves air flow / velocity and is visually un-obtrusive.

After prototyping and evaluating a number of different approaches I have settled on a design that I believe achieves my goals.

The solution is two fold.
First, upon removing the OEM vent I found that the foam that seals the exchanger to the dash opening where the center vent is located has deteriorated to the point that the majority of the heated or cooled air is lost behind the dash. This results in low velocity thru the vent and lost efficiency in cooling or heating the cabin. The solution to this problem involved evaluating a number of different foam materials to replace the original foam and having the proper foam cut in the appropriate shape. I believe I have identified a foam material that is appropriate for this task and all you need to do is remove what remains of the old foam and replace it with my foam which has pressure sensitive adhesive to hold it in place. This dramatically improves the amount of air being delivered to the cabin.

The second problem is solving the adjustability problem.
My first approach involved designing and producing a new vent that could either machined or injection molded. This approach was discounted due to complexity and final cost per unit as it would of resulted in a cost that was obscene.

My second approach involved looking at re-purposing vents used by other manufactures and reworking them so that they would fit in the Mondial. After a bunch of research this too seemed unreasonable as it too would have been too expensive and ultimately would have changed the original appearance dramatically.

After stepping back and thinking about it a bit more I believe I have a simple solution that achieves my original goals.
I have developed a simple aluminum wedge that gets adhered to the back side of your existing vent assembly.
This wedge adheres to the back of the existing vent using pressure sensitive tape and when installed does not impact the original equipment look. It redirects the vent vertically another 13 degrees which allows the OEM vent to blow the air toward the occupants torsos rather than their knees. This solution is very easy to install, it appears to be original and it can be removed easily for concourse judging if desired.

This wedge is precision cut on a water jet machine out of sheet aluminum, bent using custom tooling and them powder coated low gloss black so it matches the color and texture of the vent assembly.

Assembly is very simple. It involves removing the center vent assembly which is easily done without the use of tools. All you need to do is reach under the dash at the right side of the vent and push the corner out toward the inside of the car. Then you remove the remaining old foam material and replace it with the new foam material. The final step involves peeling the paper backing off the adhesive strips on the wedge, assembling it to your existing vent and returning the assembly to your dash opening. It is just that simple.

This is what the old foam looked like:

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This is what the wedge looks like:

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And this is what it looks like when installed:
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Please note the picture taken from the drivers side is of a prototype part that was not painted properly. This is why the edge is bare. The production parts are powder coated black. They match the geometry of the vent assembly perfectly.

I haven't settled on the price yet. I hope to be able to offer it for the same cost as my toggles ($170.00) or less. I have to see my final material and tooling cost before it can be set. It will also need to be based on an estimated volume. As with my toggles, my intention is to provide a quality solution to an existing problem that we are all faced with at a very reasonable cost.

Comments?

Thanks
- Ron Frohock

 

I will take Paypal or a check.
I need to get the off tool foam pieces tomorrow and evaluate them. I also should have the tooling costs tomorrow so I can set a price.
If the foam pieces check out I will be able to ship mid-week.
Thanks for your reply.
- Ron

 

Hank,
Thanks for your kind words and support.
Per your recommendation, Ted will have the first unit with our compliments for Valenzo.
No travel or expertise needed for install.
- Ron

 

I'm anxious to get the foam prototype from the manufacturer today so I can validate it.
If all goes well I should be shipping by the end of the week. Pricing should also be set today.

I'm assuming the kit will fit each of the Mondial models - 8 - 3.2 and T. And it shouldn't matter if it is an open or closed car. All Mondial variations seem to use the same center vent assembly.

I have to say, while driving home from Tutto Italiano last weekend, the roof was up and the AC was on. There was a huge difference in the amount of AC entering the cabin and it was really nice to be able to adjust the vents up a bit more. Very noticeable improvement.

- Ron Frohock

 

Brian
I had forgotten about that link. Scary as it wasn't that long ago.....

I can't speak to closing off the rear vents as I have a Cabriolet. I also don't think I have the manually operated vents under the dash.

I can speak to the deteriorated foam that seals the air box to the vent opening. When I first removed my vent, the foam behind it was largely missing. The material that remained turned to dust when I touched it.
The foam that I am using will not fail over time. Replacing the foam and installing the wedge dramatically increases the air flow thru the vent, and provides for more vertical adjustability without changing the look of the dash.

I will be going to the foam supplier this morning to look at the prototype pieces. It has proven difficult to find someone that will provide adhesive back foam strips to the dimensions needed for a decent price.

I'll share the results later today.

Fingers crossed.

- Ron Frohock

 

Thanks all.
Im sorry I haven't provided an update.....
I've had to travel and I've found it to be more involved than originally thought to identify suitable replacement foam.

I want to provide new replacement foam for the foam surrounding the center vent and also the foam that will seal the vent to the air box.

As it turns out, they are both unique and require different densities to provide perfect seal.
I have tried four different variations and also have modified the tooling for each of the foam gaskets.

I hope to evaluate what I hope to be the final revision tomorrow. I want to get this right....

The wedges are complete and ready to go. If I accept the final revision tomorrow I hope to be shipping by the end of the week.

As for the install, as stated above, it is very easy to remove the center vent. No tools required. Once the center vent is removed you will need to remove the gasket that surrounds the opening and replace it with one of the supplied gaskets.

Once this step is completed, you will need to remove and replace the gasket that is attached to the air box.

The last step will be to adhere the wedge to the back of the center vent using the peel and stick pressure sensitive tape that will be provided and re-install the center vent.

It will take no more than ten minutes from start to finish. It is seriously very simple.

I hope tomorrows samples will be acceptable.

I'll provide an update then.

Thanks
- Ron Frohock

 

Ted,
It will be my pleasure to send you a kit with my compliments.
It will be the first to go out.
Thanks
- Ron Frohock

 

So I haven't provided an update recently but now I have some news worth sharing.
I just went to the foam vendor and picked up the samples that he made on Friday.
I feel strongly that we finally have the right durometer for both foam pieces. It only took evaluation four different materials......

I hope to be able to provide a YouTube video of the installation process tomorrow that will include removing the following simple steps:
Removal of the vent assembly
Removal of the original foam surrounding the air box and vent assembly
Applications of the new foam in both places
Installation of the Wedge, and
Installation of the vent assembly

My son has volunteered to be the videographer.

More to come tomorrow.

- Ron Frohock

 

Here is the latest information....
As mentioned above, the wedges are done.
It proved to be difficult to find a foam material that met the needs. It needed to be the correct thickness and the correct firmness and be tough enough to stand up to temperature and moisture demands.
I evaluated seven samples before selecting the final material.
I placed the order for the tooling and gasket materials three weeks ago.

The tooling company is running late. I had expected to have the parts last week so I could start shipping orders but they are now telling me that I won't have the parts until the end of next week.

I can tell you that I have had the wedge and the prototype - production intent gasket in my car for the past three weeks and they are great. The new foam dramatically improves the amount of heated or chilled air thru the vent and the wedge allows for vertical air adjustment to your torso.

The installation is very easy and does not require any tools. The most difficult part is removing the old adhesive from the old foam.

I am sorry this has taken so long. I am confident that they will be worth the wait.

Thanks
Ron Frohock