Media blast cost? Heater box and firewall issue

[Cuda Cody]

Lets take this one step at a time.  The AC box.  What parts do you need?  You can get a new blower motor for around $30 on Rock Auto.  A new Heater Core is $55.  Not bad.  You can rebuild you AC box with new heater core and blower motor for under $150 (and that's with all new gaskets [ebay]361681413208[/ebay]) That will seal your firewall up really nice and leave you in a good spot in the future.  Finding the ducting is not hard either,  I think I have some AC ducting pieces and parts that I'll never use.  So if you do all the under dash stuff you can leave it discontented until you want to hook it up later in the engine bay.  But that will keep the firewall hole looking good and you're ready to finish the AC at a later time.  Easy.  I've not done any AC cars, but I'm guessing there just a few cables and maybe a few hoses that go between the controls and box?  Nothing to hard.

As for using the Vintage Air, this was just posted on the E-Bodies.org Facebook group today....

"Bought unit from Vintage Air, measurements in instructions put the holes to drill on top of pinchweld
on the firewall and holes for pipes don't line up.
Called tech support. Gave a few suggestions. Just wondering if anyone else has this unit. If so,any comments on your install? Thanks."

"I fought with my Vintage Air unit here recently for quite awhile, however I did not use their brackets that went through the firewall, which may have added to the complexity. Part of the problem is they want you to tighten all of the fittings before putting the unit back in the car, which makes for an alignment challenge. I did end up bending some of the tubes slightly to get it to line up.
I was quite disappointed with how the unit goes in the car, it's very cumbersome."

" I installed a Vintage Air kit on a 69 Charger and *NOTHING* fit the car. It could have been a kit for a 23 T-bucket for all I could tell. I did make it fit, but everything was custom fit."

The Vintage Air system has a nifty control panel designed just for E bodies, to replace the stock control panel.
I was considering a Vintage Air system in a factory air car, but after seeing a local shop install one in person, I didn't care for the way it looked inside the engine compartment, and also wasn't sure about getting that flexible ductwork hooked up to the factory vents.

I cant afford setting up an AC on this car.  I dont drive it enough, cant justify spending more money on that, plus a potential new radiator.  HOWEVER, I dont want a big ol hole on firewall.  So just to confirm, if I get an OEM AC control panel I can use it with my OEM AC box?  I have no ducting, no blower motor, heater core is cut up, dont know what an evaporator is, missing everything between the box and control panel, have nothing between the box and front of the engine, vacuum pods...no clue.

I do have an AC dash, its has the ABS core and it is warping so I was planning on buying a dash from UR when they come to the spring fling in Van Nuys.

All this being said and obviously not knowing much, as stupid as it sounds, sealing up the fire wall and wearing a coat in the winter sounds like my best option.

Not sure why I am so intimidated, but its one of my last major issues I wanted resolved before stripping the car and I am running out of steam.

Thanks

Neil

[anlauto]

You're "running out of steam" ?
You're just getting started......

I say if you con't want AC, get rid of it altogether and convert the car to a factory non-AC car. Change everything, make it look correct and nobody will know.

[Cuda Cody]

@nsmall  if you're having a hard time deciding what you want to do, smooth the firewall out and you can always cut it out later like Alan suggested.  Here's some photos I found on google that might help you see what it would look like.  Also, post some photos of your engine bay and we'll see if we can help you figure out any other holes that might need to be welded up.   

[anlauto]

  Oh my gosh.....look at all the holes they didn't fill

[Cuda Cody]

   I thought the same thing!  Go to all the work to make the heater hole look good, but then leave the extra holes.  If Neil wants to share some photos of the engine bay we can help him not make the same mistake.   

Oh my gosh.....look at all the holes they didn't fill

[nsmall]

I WANT TO PLUG MY HOLES!!!!

I'm not a body guy.

Any idea what a body guy would charge to fill in let's say 20 holes the size of a dime and let's say one gigantic hole the size of an OEM AC heater box?

Speaking of holes Cody, can I plug the two big ones above my AC hole that don't have duct tape (Alan, try not to tease) over them?  Better yet, can I just plug all the holes you see that I'm not using?

Should I start a thread on this?

[cudaragtop]

Inside and out, complete car. Doors, Hood, Deck Lid, Fenders, interior trim parts. $1200

All based on time + shop fee. This was just this past Friday.

Bare metal. My Painter will Epoxy Prime everything.

[nsmall]

Looking good. I like your roller set up. I'm assuming you should get your bare metal primed within 24 hours or what?

What's your Painter charge to prime that sexy thing?

How much should the actual primer cost me, I own a 73 Cuda?

Obviously I'm mining info so I can better avoid getting jerked around as I'm no Anlauto, I'm a rookie and Im trying avoid

Thanks

Thanks

[screamindriver]

You don't need to know every HVAC{heating,ventilation,Air conditioning} system operating procedure right this second...That's what we're all here for...There's more than enough members here to guide you through anything YOU can to do...It's not rocket science it's a 40+ year old car...{yes it can seem overwhelming but it is'nt} We're not talking about spending your money....That AC box appears to be in good shape...You'll have more time and money into converting it to a non-ac set up than you'll want to spend...And trust me on this: If you plan on driving this car on the road you'll want at least a working defroster to clear the windshield in even a rain storm...If not you might want to add a towel rack in there somewhere...

    You're not missing as much as you think to use that AC box over and as Cody has suggested if the funds are'nt there for a working AC system simply cap off the lines for a future date..
With that being said there's no wrong decision it's your vehicle we're all just trying to get you informed so you can make an educated decision on what fits your needs...

[Cuda Cody]

How long it will take will depend on your body guy.  But budget an hour or two up to 3/4 of a day.   

I WANT TO PLUG MY HOLES!!!!

I'm not a body guy.

Any idea what a body guy would charge to fill in let's say 20 holes the size of a dime and let's say one gigantic hole the size of an OEM AC heater box?

Speaking of holes Cody, can I plug the two big ones above my AC hole that don't have duct tape (Alan, try not to tease) over them?  Better yet, can I just plug all the holes you see that I'm not using?

Should I start a thread on this?

[cudaragtop]

Looking good. I like your roller set up. I'm assuming you should get your bare metal primed within 24 hours or what?

What's your Painter charge to prime that sexy thing?

How much should the actual primer cost me, I own a 73 Cuda?

Obviously I'm mining info so I can better avoid getting jerked around as I'm no Anlauto, I'm a rookie and Im trying avoid

Thanks

Thanks

My car waited inside at the blasters for almost a week after it was done so I could transport on a dry day.
There will be some metal work before the EP goes on to keep from having to remove it where welding.
Time and materials $$ ... I just dropped it off. He and I will get together next week to discuss how much it looks like. There is a fair bit of Swiss Cheese uncovered by blasting... I'm guessing well over 100 hours to get to all the sheet metal repairs, Sub-frame connectors, Torque Boxes, full R/L quarters, Full trunk floor, Trunk extensions, full new radiator support, patches for both front fenders. Epoxy primed, Undercoated with Raptor, Painted inside and out. = Lot$ of $$$
I'll bring it home with paint inside and all the jams and bottoms of deck lid and hood. Still in primer outside and engine compartment.
Lots of test fitting the G3 hemi and working on a car with all new paint is not something I want to do. 
After everything has been test fit and I'm happy with it, I'll bring it back for him to shoot the engine compartment and full outside.
Then bring it back home for final assembly.
I want to test fit pretty much everything. I'll keep the fenders off, the doors off and the hood off while working on the interior and drive train.
I'm assuming the G3 Hemi will need to go in and out at least a couple times to get it right. Exhaust, electrical, plumbing, cooling, steering...

Going aftermarket HVAC. I will need some new holes and some old holes filled.
Project photo album - https://goo.gl/photos/XjsAsx4LDo7psimU8

[Cuda Cody]

Cudaragtop, going to be fun watching you bring that car to life!

Looking good. I like your roller set up. I'm assuming you should get your bare metal primed within 24 hours or what?

What's your Painter charge to prime that sexy thing?

How much should the actual primer cost me, I own a 73 Cuda?

Obviously I'm mining info so I can better avoid getting jerked around as I'm no Anlauto, I'm a rookie and Im trying avoid

Thanks

Thanks

My car waited inside at the blasters for almost a week after it was done so I could transport on a dry day.
There will be some metal work before the EP goes on to keep from having to remove it where welding.
Time and materials $$ ... I just dropped it off. He and I will get together next week to discuss how much it looks like. There is a fair bit of Swiss Cheese uncovered by blasting... I'm guessing well over 100 hours to get to all the sheet metal repairs, Sub-frame connectors, Torque Boxes, full R/L quarters, Full trunk floor, Trunk extensions, full new radiator support, patches for both front fenders. Epoxy primed, Undercoated with Raptor, Painted inside and out. = Lot$ of $$$
I'll bring it home with paint inside and all the jams and bottoms of deck lid and hood. Still in primer outside and engine compartment.
Lots of test fitting the G3 hemi and working on a car with all new paint is not something I want to do. 
After everything has been test fit and I'm happy with it, I'll bring it back for him to shoot the engine compartment and full outside.
Then bring it back home for final assembly.
I want to test fit pretty much everything. I'll keep the fenders off, the doors off and the hood off while working on the interior and drive train.
I'm assuming the G3 Hemi will need to go in and out at least a couple times to get it right. Exhaust, electrical, plumbing, cooling, steering...

Going aftermarket HVAC. I will need some new holes and some old holes filled.
Project photo album - https://goo.gl/photos/XjsAsx4LDo7psimU8

[nsmall]

Cudaragtop,

Thats a serious project.  I miss the PNW...born and raised up there.  Is that a father son project?  Keeping it original?   I love that green even though others dont care for it.  Good luck.

Neil

[cataclysm80]

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet.
An AC firewall has a lip that sticks out toward the engine bay all around the big hole.  This lip helps to prevent leaks.  It's similar to how the steering column hole has a lip around it.

If you have a non-AC firewall and cut holes in it that are shaped like an AC firewall, you won't have the lip around the big hole.

The same goes for having a custom flat smoothed firewall.  You won't be able to cut it after paint, in a way that looks like a factory AC firewall.
(but you could cut it to look like a non-AC firewall)

Cutting a non-AC firewall to fit a factory AC box will work (I've done it), but it will never look right and has more potential for leaks, so I don't recommend it.
The right way to convert a car to factory AC is to weld in the firewall piece from a factory AC car.


What you have is not correct for an AC car and not correct for a non-AC car.   It needs fixed and will require modifying your existing firewall.

non-AC
factory AC
aftermarket AC
custom smoothed
You can build anything you want, and we're here to help.


The cheapest easiest solution is to make it be factory non-AC.
This is a simple reliable setup that looks right in the car and you know it will fit and work.

The best performance is going to be from an aftermarket AC unit. 
It will cost more, and be a headache to install, but once you get it working, you'll have reliable cold AC and warm heat.

Factory AC is not as reliable as I would like.  The blend doors are all vacuum operated, and it can be difficult to find 47 year old vacuum pods that don't leak.  They tend to have problems around the shaft seal.  (some performance engines don't make a lot of vacuum anyway)
All of the extra parts (compressor, condenser, evaporator, water valve, drier, AC lines, etc.) make it noticeably more expensive than a factory non-AC setup.  If you really want factory AC, it can be done, but it takes some effort.

I don't recommend a fully smoothed firewall with no blower motor unless your building an all out race car.
The windshield defogger is an important part of any street driven car.  Heavy breathing will fog your windshield.



I think your best course of action will be to make a decision about what you want, and go for it.
Don't build the car in a way that you'll be unhappy with later!

If you want a factory non-AC setup, get a piece to fix your firewall and have it installed before paint.

If you want an aftermarket AC setup, get the setup in hand for test fitting, and do your metal work before paint.

[Cuda Cody]

    @cataclysm80  is right on.  Well said.