My ‘37 had an elliptical stamped metal plug that snapped into the defroster outlet hole. It will take some digging in the Master Parts List to find the number.
My 1937 Chevy had a heater & defroster installed by the dealer when new. When I bought it the metal cover for the vent hole was in the dash, so I'm quite sure it was installed at the factory and removed when a defroster was added.
My cover is not for sale, but for reference, here are pictures.
You are correct. There is only one defroster opening for the driver’s side of the windshield in a ‘37. There were defroster outlets for both sides in 1938.
The part in Headlighter’s post looks like the block-off plate that was in my ‘37.
The really rare part is the single defroster duct for a 1937 car.
That is WAY different from the 38. You can't even see them in a 38 unless you remove the windshield garnish molding or crawl under the dash. Interesting to see Chevy evolution in action.
VCCA Member 43216 Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. 1938 HB Business Coupe 1953 210 Sedan
The reason for asking the part name is I would like to sell the one I have. When I bought my 37 coup it had A 38 interior windshield frame with the louvers, so I cut slots to use them for the defroster when I installed the heating and air-condition. The original defrost hole has been closed.
Headlighter, That is different than what is in my 37. It is in the same place but yours looks fancier than mine. I have a Master, is yours a Master Deluxe?
The 1937 defroster deflector was part of the heater defroster accessory kit and was the same for all 1937 passenger cars. The Haster Delux dash did have more chrome trim than a Master, The Master was stripped down economy line.
The 1938 dual defrosters had slots in the lower partof the garnish mouldings and if defrosters were installed ducts were added under the dash - but all cars had the slots from the factory.
Ed, Interesting - can you post a picture of your vent? Does your car have an original style 1937 Chevrolet heater and defroster?
Mine is a Master Deluxe, but I'm quite sure that the vent in my car was part of the original dealer installed accessory kit that Gene confirmed was used for all 1937 Chevrolet cars.
If you have a copy of the book "A Pictorial History of Chevrolet 1929-1939", look on page 202 for a picture of a 1937 interior that shows the vent with it's distinctive shape. The pictures are from the GM media archives and I expect they may not be reproduced without permission, so I don't want to break any rules by posting the picture.
I'm not good at posting pictures on this site. I believe the heater in my car is a newer style than 1937, possibly a '41. It has 3 horizontal doors. The defroster outlet is more flat than yours and resembles a "clam shell" there is no chrome on it. The base where it attaches to the dash looks just like yours.