Power Flow Ventilation

Q: Power Flow Ventilation

1969 owners have our OWN unique problems – like finding correct blower assemblies for the Power-Flo Ventilation system option available on non-AC cars.

How does this differ from a heater only car – vendition system?? My convertible has a fan motor and a slide control to allow fresh air in. Is this the same thing??

A: No, that’s your standard heater system. There was an option offered in 1969 and 1970 full-sized (Catalina, LeSabre etc.) and mid-sized Pontiacs and Buicks (LeMans, GTO, Grand Prix, Skylark, Grand Sport), and 1969 Firebirds that had two small blowers in the upper cowling. The air came through the dash vents at the lower corners of the dash, even when the car was sitting at a stoplight. The motors were the same as the rear defogger, and the fan switch had two speeds and was marked “AIR”, “HIGH” and “LOW”. On the Pontiac, the switch looked just like the power top, power antenna or rear defogger switches, and went in one of the openings cut into the dash in that area – this is shown in the 1969 Factory Service Manual on page 15-16, figure 15-27. The reason it’s in the service manual was that in addition to it being available from the factory, it could also be had as an accessory package and could be installed by the dealer technician or anybody else crazy enough to try it.

I have 5 sets of blowers, one of which is a complete New Old Stock accessory package for a Tempest-GTO-LeMans or a Grand Prix, and its part number is a 1970 six-digit accessory package number. Other blowers I have are both this design and from some full-sized cars, but I have never seen a Firebird with this option, nor have I seen any parts supposedly from a Firebird.

Besides seeing the option listed in some production logs many years ago (before PHS) the only evidence I have that they existed is I spoke with a guy who has been selling 1969 TA and Firebird parts for many years who claimed to have a 1969 Ram Air IV convertible with the option, and I got an email a couple years ago from someone who claims to have the only 69 Trans Am equipped with the option from the factory – but I never got a chance to speak with him.

Since there were Firebirds built that were not available with AC (Ram Air IV and Sprints) this was a cheap alternative to circulating air into the car while sitting still.

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