New owner of a '69 NCO with a few questions. (and answers)

[wyo george]

Howdy from Wyoming and a happy Thanksgiving to you folks.

I recently picked up this 1969 NCO 8' from a friend and while it has some hail damage, it doesn't leak and is in pretty decent shape for it's age. Over the course of the winter I'll be going through it and getting it ready to enjoy and have a few questions.

We'll start with the question that somehow resulted in my being banned from the Alaskan Facebook Page: (no clue what happed on facebook, but it's no loss really)

Does anyone know how I would go about removing the vent handles to drop the screen on this vent? At first glance I thought it was a flathead screwdriver slot, but that's just a parting line in the casting. I really don't want to break the ancient plastic here so I'm being quite gentle with it.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I don’t have a clue about how to remove that handle, but wonder if Professor Google or his friend YouTube might have some info on the make and model.

Humor -> What’s Facebook? …other than something to avoid.

Congrats on the NCO, I hope you document your rebuild.

 

[wyo george]

I don’t have a clue about how to remove that handle, but wonder if Professor Google or his friend YouTube might have some info on the make and model.

Humor -> What’s Facebook? …other than something to avoid.

Congrats on the NCO, I hope you document your rebuild.

I used up all my google coupons and my youtube is in the shop at the moment

Seriously though, I tried searching a bit before posting and come up empty. I'll get it figured out and yes, I'll certainly document the build. My side job (formerly full time) is restoring antique cars and trucks and this is my first time restoring a camper, but I've built a few in the past so I'm comfortable with digging in. I will probably document this build well enough for my Youtube channel, but I'll save that for later as I have no intent on coming here to spam it up.

 

[wyo george]

Update with an answer for anyone else working on one:

The short answer is that they pull off! They don't come off super easy so gentle pressure while wiggling and use enough patience that you don't break the old plastic and it'll come off.

The good folks over at Vintage Trailer Supply have a resource section and I found it in there. I must have been using the wrong terms on my Google search, but they call them Hehr Vents and have an original manual on their site: How to Maintain and Repair a Hehr Vent from 1950s and 1960s Travel Trailers - Vintage Trailer Supply

 

[wyo george]

My next decision is to keep and repair the original vent or upgrade to a modern one with a fan. I like the idea of a fan, but I also like the idea of keeping the older style. Had this hail hit a modern plastic vent it would have broke the plastic and came on through, but the aluminum cover took the beating without compromising the ability to keep the water out!

Well, that's about it for today. I tend to get chatty and it's time to help my wife prepare for family who will be here in a few hours.