12 Bolt diff - vent hose

[69z27z87]

I have never seen another car with a vent hose on the rear diff like mine.... It is the original 12 bolt... pic below.

The top of the vent hose attached to a fitting on the underside of the trunk. I sent the car off to the body shop as a roller with the rear end still attached. There we removed the rear suspension and put the body on a cart. I was hoping to just replace the lower part of the trunk but the rust was too bad and we did a total trunk pan replacement. I never documented what the vent was attached to! Now I cannot find anything in the AIM or in my past pics that shows it. I remember it being stretched when the rear end was lowered....

Anyone else have this and can document it?

My car is a 69 SS396.. 10C '69 build.

(I actually drove around all summer with the hose just hanging like that so its on pretty good...)

[69Z28-RS]

That appears to be someone's 'fix' for a damaged or plugged up vent... no idea what they may have hooked it to, maybe just suspended it to a point higher than the rear end itself, since the vent's purpose is to 'vent' gases, but not fluid.

Appears to be the original rear for your car also...

[Mike S]

Maybe a past owner had flooding issues where they lived and wanted to prevent water from entering the housing.

Mike

[bcmiller]

Yes axle does appear to be original. 99 percent sure the vent hose isn’t. Vent may have been damaged or maybe car was driven into water occasionally.

[bertfam]

Yes axle does appear to be original. 99 percent sure the vent hose isn’t.

I'm 100 percent sure!

Ed

[X33RS]

Did the car ever have a hitch on it?

I've seen a few cars like this before, where the owner would move the vent high, towing a little boat they would routinely back the car into the water on the boat ramps. 

[68camaroz28]

Did the car ever have a hitch on it?

I've seen a few cars like this before, where the owner would move the vent high, towing a little boat they would routinely back the car into the water on the boat ramps. 

Yea, that seems very logical or something like that but agree with Ed it did not come from the factory with that set-up. Man, I think of some of the stuff we did back then as it was just a car.

[69z27z87]

The car never had a hitch... what it was originally attached to looked factory but I could be wrong....wish I had a pic... this is a low mile car that was drag raced a lot... not sure if that had anything to do with it.... sounds like I should just remove the hose...

There was a bracket spot welded to the underside of the trunk at one time with a fitting this hose connected to with a spring clamp..... I'll have to see what is under the hose.... guess this may have been someone's fix for something... car seems to have lived in PA and Syracuse NY for most of its life but my history is incomplete.

The rear end codes perfectly to the car so I am quite sure its original.... still has the original drums on it too....

[bcmiller]

Yes axle does appear to be original. 99 percent sure the vent hose isn’t.

I'm 100 percent sure!

Ed

[X33RS]

Did the car ever have a hitch on it?

I've seen a few cars like this before, where the owner would move the vent high, towing a little boat they would routinely back the car into the water on the boat ramps. 

Yea, that seems very logical or something like that but agree with Ed it did not come from the factory with that set-up. Man, I think of some of the stuff we did back then as it was just a car.

Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I meant it was factory.  Just that I've seen stuff like this added by owners, usually for the reason I mentioned.  Yeah funny to think back now what we used these cars for when new.  Big block Camaro would actually make a decent multi purpose family and tow vehicle for a small fishing boat.   My neighbor has an SCJ Torino he bought new, and used it to tow a camper back in the day.  He ordered the drag pack for the rear gears and oil cooler, makes a nice tow vehicle (he says)  LOL   It's still sitting in the garage with a hitch on it.

[BULLITT65]

Not to hijack this thread, but the 65 Mustang Fastback I purchased from my uncle had a boat hitch on it for many years, as it was used as a tow vehicle for a small fishing boat. I have since hauled lumber in it, with the seat folded down and lumber sticking out the trunk. I have had many guys look at me like I was crazy to do such a thing. ( Its not like I am strapping it onto the roof )

I used the lumber on the job I was on, and then cruised the car home the scenic way.

My cars are still multi purpose, I pick up my kids from school in them, and still run errands, and get jobs done. But I guess I don't consider them "show cars". If someone else owned them, maybe they would have nicer paint jobs and only haul car show placards?

Thats just not my style....

[Kelley W King]

Wow, a new use for a Mustang. Mine has 6 strings on it.

[X33RS]

Not to hijack this thread, but the 65 Mustang Fastback I purchased from my uncle had a boat hitch on it for many years, as it was used as a tow vehicle for a small fishing boat. I have since hauled lumber in it, with the seat folded down and lumber sticking out the trunk. I have had many guys look at me like I was crazy to do such a thing. ( Its not like I am strapping it onto the roof )

I used the lumber on the job I was on, and then cruised the car home the scenic way.

My cars are still multi purpose, I pick up my kids from school in them, and still run errands, and get jobs done. But I guess I don't consider them "show cars". If someone else owned them, maybe they would have nicer paint jobs and only haul car show placards?

Thats just not my style....

Funny stuff.  These are all we drive so we do the same, and get funny looks sometimes.  Just the other day I was at Home Depot with the Z and decided to buy some 8 foot long light bulbs for the shop.  They won't fit the trunk so I rolled down the window, stuck them in the back seat and had them poking out the passenger side of the car, lol.     Couple months back I had the trunk loaded down with 6 50 pound bags of mulch, it squats pretty good    Grocery shop in it every week.

[BULLITT65]

Larry you know what I am talking about then...

I was at Costco the other day loading up and a guy stopped dead in his tracks, and couldn't believe I was loading my white Z, with all of it. He asked comically/rhetorically if it was a grocery getter.
My parents only had 60's cars for the longest time, (actually they never sold them), so for my sister and I we just grew accustomed to them being regular cars. My kids kinda take them for granted sometimes as well, since they ride around in them often. We get a thumbs up here or there, or someone will ask about the car we drove, as we are getting out. The kids just roll there eyes, they don't want to hear any conversations about old cars.
Funny enough though, they have a good eye for spotting them on the road, and each have there favorites. My oldest 2 (12 & 10) have moved on from legos, and have now started building the plastic car models. My son is just about finished with his "69Z", and my daughter is just starting her 67 Nova SS, we will see where this will take them....

[X33RS]

That's fantastic Austin, getting the kids involved.  Sounds like they are heading in the right direction 

There aren't many car enthusiasts out there like us.  Funny I've gotten the same thing when shopping at Sams or Costco from people.   And buying that stuff in bulk makes it a real challenge to pack it all into that little trunk with a full size spare.  Sometimes a few items wind up in the back seat if we buy a lot.  But being so used to this type of thing, and growing up with it myself, it's just not a big deal really.
   My wife has been driving this thing back and forth to work for the past year and I'm really starting to think she's never letting go of it.   She's put more miles on it than I thought she would, and after that expensive rebuild I'm half tempted to pull that back out and save it, and shove something else in for the time being, lol.   I'm most definitely doing a TKO swap in it soon to cut down on some of the wear and tear.