I'm gonna make it as an exact replacement. Retooling for a fixed vent would make the fixed vent even more expensive. I may design a gauge pod based around the vent body if the mood strikes me, though.
I've decided I'm probably going to go with 3D printing for 2, maybe 3, of the parts, but I'm going to cast the rest. Because of how some of the parts actuate, I'm going to need the flexibility of ABS or PLA more than the structural rigidity of urethane.
The one thing I'm not sure about yet is the center slat- it's made of metal. I don't know if urethane will be strong enough for it.
I do know, it's the only slat that didn't break when I was tearing the vent down. Fortunately, two of the broken slats were easily repaired, and I only really need one for casting reasons- the 4 slats around the main slat are identical.
I'm trying to come up with the best plan for casting this main vent body. I also need to get my hands on a driver right vent. I believe all the parts will be identical other than the body itself, which will drive the price of casting it down.
In the meantime, enjoy some images:
Post Merge
I made some more modeling progress today. This is mostly for mockup purposes, though I do intend to 3D print the slider and vertical slats, once I get some tighter measurements.
A big challenge I have yet to address is the central horizontal slat. I call this the master slat, because it drives the other 4 slave slats up and down, and it's made of metal in the stock application. Nissan obviously recognized it would encounter the greatest force. I don't know if urethane will be sufficient for it, though I don't believe I can make it out of any stronger material on my own. And I can't be the only one with a completely missing vent, so it doesn't make sense to not include it in the finished product. I'll need to do some testing.
At this stage, I've gathered that the two driver-side vents are the only real items with any popular demand, but I think I'm still going to move forward with replicating the rear quarter window latches, because those will be very simple castings. I'm also probably going to make a gauge pod for the driver right vent, once I get a good casting for that vent body made up.