VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Defroster cover 38 Master Deluxe

I'am looking for the little defroster cover located on top of the dash in front of the steering wheel on a 1938 Master Deluxe coupe.
Anybody out there got one?

38hugger,The 1938 does not use and external cover or deflector for the defroster.The defroster slot is built into the lower windshield moulding (a slot) and if a defroster is installed a flat funnel type outlet is installed under the dash to direct hot air thru the slot.In 1938 just a left defroster could be had or one could be installed on the right side also if desired.A "Y" was installed in the hose for this use. The outlet fits from 1938-1940.The 1937 used the external little scoop that mounted on top of the dash-left only.

Chevnut,

The defroster blower and motor housing has two outlets, a left and a right, and did not come with the car as standard equipment. To my knowledge there is no method for just installing one of the vents although you could plug one of the outlets. I think you are thinking of the windshield wipers, which came with a drivers side only and the passenger side was an option.

I have seen a deflector that is stuck into the window frame hole that deflects the defroster air more at the base of the window but they are very rare for originals and may not be made as a repoductions. I don't think they were GM accessories. It looked like a curved piece of metal.

Brian

The left side outlet from the defroster came directly out of the defroster housing ,via a hose,to the windshield.The defroster "y" was added at the motor housingif a right defroster was needed.The basic set up when the defroster motor was added to the top of the heater was a single hose to the left side.When Y was added it could split off to right side.This is as per 1938 accessory book and Engineering Features also..Heated air came thru the slots in the garnish moulding.This was the first year to have this modern feature. My 1939 uses the same set up only from '39 and up all had dual defrosters only. The thing that stuck up under the wind shield that you are refering to was used from 1935-37 .In 1937 a hole was furnished in the top of the dash with a cover that was removed if a defroster was to be installed.This was not on a '38 dash as the garnish moulding slots were less noticable . ........sorry...the Y that I was refering to was what I added to my '39 when I installed the accessory fresh air attachment.You are correct-the defroster housing has the dual outlets.I would assume that one outlet would have been plugged when only the left defroster was used.This same defroster set-up was used up into the 40s when the firewall heater was used.When I bought my '39 it had a heater and no defroster and I removed the defroster from a 1940 Pontiac in a junk yard.

Well....Now I'am not sure what's going on. My 38 has both the window defrosters and the hole in the top of the dash just in front of the steering wheel. I wonder if someone has previously installed a 37 dash. What other differences are there between the 37 and 38 dash boards?

Out side of the color very little.37s were a dark brown and '38s a tan.That is easy to change.The instrument cluster was different though.The '37 Master DeLuxe has a chrome band around the glass and the '38 a slightly wider painted frame with a wide horizontal ribbed moulding on the bottom.Molding (matching) also on glove box door.Speedometer on 37 was half of a circle and 38 more of a half moon-longer that is . Some one may have installed a "left over" 37 unit in your car.The accessory mentions doing this on a 36 so a defroster could be installed.Indicates the need to drill holes in dash t do this.The 37 had a pre stamped hole with cover.

Could the dash be a "carry over" stamping from '37? What are the numbers off the ID plate of your car? My '37 was an early December '36 built car and it has the 1936 style jack. From my experience in auto plants, they didn't (and still don't) throw parts away. Just food for thought.
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Bow Tie Bob-Does that mean that you have the screw type jack rather than the ratcheting type???? ..............I believe that there other changes to the 37 to 38 dashes.Such as for mounting trim and instrument cluster so they would not easily interchange but anything is possible..especially after over 60 years.

Bow Tie Bob-Does that mean that you have the screw type jack rather than the ratcheting type???? ..............I believe that there other changes to the 37 to 38 dashes.Such as for mounting trim and instrument cluster so they would not easily interchange but anything is possible..especially after over 60 years.

38Hugger-

It could be that the windshield garnish molding was replaced with one from a 38, rather than the dash replaced with one from a 37. It may be that your car started out as a 37 to begin with. Do you know much of the history of your car?

SPEEDLINE

First let me say that the car is a street rod! But it's a really nice one. However, there have been many mods,including new white face VDO gauges. So It's hard to identfy the year.

I purchased it about 3 months ago. The hole I need to cover is on the left side of the dash in the top center right in front of the steering wheel. It's about 4 inches long and about 1/2 wide with a screw hole at each end.

Another problem I have is the ID plate has been removed from the cowl. Anybody know where else I might be able to locate the ID #

Chevnut-Sorry for the delay. I disagree. The defroster sits on top of the heater. The defroster has two outlets on top, one pointing left the other right, and the inlet is on the bottom through the heater, i.e. hot air. If you buy the kit to install the defroster in the dash it comes with two hoses and two diffusers that mount under the dash below the two holes in the window frame, there is no "Y" anywhere in that circuit. That is directly from the accessory brochure for '38.

The only thing I can think of is this "Y" setup may have been a feature on pre '38 but it was, without a doubt, not an accessory in '38.

38Hugger - sounds like you have a custom dash or a very chewed up original dash. There should not be a hole that shape behind the steering wheel. Try looking at the dash from the back side with a mirror. That might show you if there are any fresh welds, paint, etc. that would indicate how the dash was modified.

Brian

BgBth,You are correct in your description and I did make a correction in an earlier post.Yes,its necessary to remove the glove box to install the defroster on top of the heater.I was thinking back to when I installed the accessory fresh air intake unit on my "39.That had the Y.The '37 defroster had only one outlet-just to the left side............My guess is that 38huggers car has a 1937 body if the dash has a stamped(not drilled) defroster hole.If its modifyed it will be difficult to determine as the hood,grille and grille shell could be switched easily.The only major body difference beyween the two years would be the spacing between the rear wheel housings as the '38 had a wider wheel tread-more space between-and slightly wider rear fenders .His body may be a combination of more than one car.