Does anyone have pictures of a heater box rebuild on a AC ebody heater box? I can't find my camera I used to take pictures of the disassemble. There are instructions but there not the best. I bought a rebuild kit from Detroit
Wish I could hep, but I'm pretty much useless when it comes it AC. :sorry:
Quote from: Cuda Cody on February 10, 2017, 12:47:25 PM
Wish I could hep, but I'm pretty much useless when it comes it AC. :sorry:
That's ok you make up for it in other areas
I rebuilt this one, but I didn't take too many pics - I'll see if I can find more
I recently restored two, but I didn't slow down to take pictures... :pullinghair:
Do you remember what clip is used here. I had them bagged and numbered but I'm missing one
I have quite a few pics on this topic if I remember to come back and post them later when I have time.
Hopefully someone will post some pics for you, I don't have an a/c E-body at the moment or I would. But rest assured, once done them your find your camera. :fingerscrossed:
Good luck.
Any find pictures. I got a free day coming up and would like to tackle it
OK, let's see what I can scrounge up...
Here's some disassembly pictures of the AC box.
This first one shows the metal strap that holds the box installed with the round end up and the square end down.
You can see some of the cowl insulation there too. The factory glues that stuff on, just like inside the roof.
That insulation is called shoddy pad, and it's available through Detroit Muscle Technologies, along with all the gaskets and stuff to rebuild your AC box.
Here it is fresh out of the car. First time out as far as I could tell. (lots of crud inside) you can see where the fiberglass insulation was glued on. My drain is missing a chunk. (Why is that ALWAYS broke?!)
This AC box uses the square ended firewall studs, and has screws to hold the two halves together.
Not all AC boxes are that way. Some have pointy firewall studs, and some use big spring clips to hold the halves together.
Of the ones that use spring clips, some are marked like the boxes with screws, and some have a completely smooth lip.
It's just changes that were made to the box as production progressed. Any of them will work in any car, it's just a matter of how date correct you want to be.
Maybe I'll go into this more in depth later if anyone is interested.
Blower motor resistor. Take it out and have a look. As long as the wire isn't corroded or broken anywhere, it's just fine. Usually there's nothing wrong with them.
It's hard to see, but there's a spring here that helps this door to function. This is a common problem area on the boxes I've seen. The spring could be missing, or bent, or the box is damaged around the spring hole so that it doesn't function properly.
Now for some pics of the vacuum pods & hoses. The hoses are color coded, here's where they should go.
Here's how this vacuum pod is supposed to go...
Here's how this door is supposed to go inside the box. Wouldn't want to put it on backwards, that wouldn't work right.
(multiple pics of the same thing)
It's important to note that in order to avoid extreme difficulty, it's easiest by far to install the AC or heater box before the Dash, and install the Dash before the windshield.
The blower motor seal is shaped to clip onto the blower motor.
Here's a restored box
More pics of the restored box
Make sure to test your vacuum pods.
The diaphragm inside is usually alright, but sometimes the shaft seal dries up and leaks air. There's some kind of seal conditioner you can put on it which is supposed to help it seal again. (sorry, I don't remember what the seal condition is called.)
Wow thank you thank you thank you!!! This is what I needed. How did you get the metal piece so clean? Did you paint the box or black plastic pieces?
I still have one of the Wiper Motors he did for me. Haven't been able to bring myself to use it yet. It sits on display in his honor. He is missed by many people in the hobby. :( thank you for saving those photos and sharing them now. It helps keep his memory alive! :clapping:
Quote from: cataclysm80 on February 13, 2017, 10:26:49 AM
Quote from: Cuda Cody on February 13, 2017, 08:36:12 AM
:worship: :unbelievable: :worship: @cataclysm80 (http://forum.e-bodies.org/index.php?action=profile;u=127) you did an amazing job!!!! You should really think about doing that full time. Really top notch work. :clapping:
The unrestored box is all mine, but I can't take credit for that restored box. It was done by Jules, and I saved the pictures for reference. Jules passed away many years ago now. He did amazing work.
Quote from: Shoooter on February 13, 2017, 09:20:10 AM
Wow thank you thank you thank you!!! This is what I needed. How did you get the metal piece so clean? Did you paint the box or black plastic pieces?
Here are some restoration notes from Jules, who did that box. All of the metal pieces were removed and replated. He used Detroit Muscle Technologies for gaskets.
"New evaporators are not available. Fixing the old one is the only way.
Rivets are available from Spaenaur Fasteners 1-800-265-8772. You will also need the tool to install them.
The exterior casing is washed thoroughly then I bead blast it with MIL-13 glass bead.
This is a very fine glass bead that does not damage the surface. I then apply a thin coat
of satin clear. It freshens it back to life. When I get a box that has damage , I painstaking
try to graft another piece from a donor box back on. If the original broken piece is still there,
I can glue it back on, sand away carefully and then blend the colors with some graphite grey finish."
Great pictures! Do you know if anyone is reproducing the correct vacuum hoses?
I've seen them listed in restoration distributor catalogs in years past, so someone made/makes them, but I've no idea what the quality is like.
My originals were fine, so I just cleaned them up.
Nice thread !! Great pics and Thanks for the link to the striped vacuum hoses I never seem to fine them when I'm looking...I grab some at the boneyard from different models when I think about it...
I have a small table top glass bead cabinet I have some super fine media in...I seal up the pods then LIGHTLY blast the pods using low pressure...Even great care will still blast them too much if you get carried away...
It's neat that those color coded hoses are available, but the reason I didn't take pictures of the control switch end of the hoses is that the factory hoses have a molded on connector end that doesn't allow you to plug them in wrong.
If you're trying to make a new hose set with those, it won't have the connector like factory, and you'll need to know which port on the switch to plug each hose on.
I suppose you could use them to patch a damaged factory hose set.
Quote from: cataclysm80 on February 13, 2017, 06:40:01 PM
It's neat that those color coded hoses are available, but the reason I didn't take pictures of the control switch end of the hoses is that the factory hoses have a molded on connector end that doesn't allow you to plug them in wrong.
If you're trying to make a new hose set with those, it won't have the connector like factory, and you'll need to know which port on the switch to plug each hose on.
I suppose you could use them to patch a damaged factory hose set.
I believe they also sell the socket adapter for the vacuum hoses. I didn't see the locking clip to secure it to the switch set though.
@cataclysm80 (http://forum.e-bodies.org/index.php?action=profile;u=127) Do you think the one in the link below is what you mentioned what @Car-nutt (http://forum.e-bodies.org/index.php?action=profile;u=86) would need?
http://www.oldairproducts.com/catalog/switches/23-0624/vacuum-socket-p-12370.html?Make=Plymouth&Model=Barracuda&Year=1970
Difficult to tell with their watermark over the image like that.
It might work.
It looks like they have a pretty good parts selection. I bet if you called them and asked, they would know or could check.
I was thinking more of vacuum lines under the hood of a 73-74 with all that pollution crap. I restored a 73 years ago and had to buy an air grabber hose kit to get the colour keyed hoses.
I have my original AC heater core and the foam strip goes on the bottom. With the new one the tab is different ( I checked 2 of them ) and they say just to put it on the bottom of the heater core. I will have to shorten the foam piece. Does this sound right?
I don't recall, but I think the idea is to seal around the heater core so that air goes THROUGH it, not AROUND it.
Test fit it into the box to see if it looks like it would seal well.
I do remember that my replacement heater core had fitment issues from the flat plate being attached crooked when it was made, and I had to trim one edge of that plate or something for a good fit.
Two heater cores and both don't fit. Hopefully the last two in Canada fit better. They soldered the tube bracket too high and it won't sit in there nice. The flat part doesn't fit well either. I might have to move the bracket to get it to fit.
I had to take the new heater core for my 70 Roadrunner to the local radiator shop and have them make some adjustments.
Everything on this site is great. The pictures are timely for me. I'm going through some ducting on my '70 and found a cracked duct from the ac box. However it doesn't look like the one in post #21. It appears to attach differently than mine. The swing door has 26995511 stamped on the swing door. Is that duct available anywhere? I'm trying to workout an answer to the cracked area.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170220/dc657986642ad9eacb1d353cc6f214d9.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170220/b65617eb7e4e0dfe031d6f59d6f1e99c.jpg)
Thanks headejm. Do you have the same number on the swing door as I do?
Yes, same p/n as you listed. :ohyeah:
Sorry to be confusing. I'm not implying 1970 only, just that the referenced part is correct for 1970.
Quote from: cataclysm80 on February 15, 2017, 11:47:56 PM
I don't recall, but I think the idea is to seal around the heater core so that air goes THROUGH it, not AROUND it.
Test fit it into the box to see if it looks like it would seal well.
I do remember that my replacement heater core had fitment issues from the flat plate being attached crooked when it was made, and I had to trim one edge of that plate or something for a good fit.
I had the same problem with my heater core, one lip did not fit flush, so I had to tweak it alittle
My 71 has the same part number on the swing piece. It also has 3441849 then 82261 2 on the main part
what style nut goes on the studs that are on the A.C. box that hold the blower motor?
Just reading through this interesting thread. I'm having my Challenger convertible's AC system restored. One thing I noticed in the thread that needs updating. Tav shared some of the late Jules notes, including one where he says new evaporators aren't available so you must have your original rebuilt. I bought a new one from Classic Auto Air this summer. It wasn't cheap though, iirc $299. Thought I'd pass that on.
Quote from: Shoooter on October 17, 2017, 01:21:28 PM
what style nut goes on the studs that are on the A.C. box that hold the blower motor?
Photos of the mounting nut for the blower and the special washer that goes underneath it. These are from a 70 Challenger a/c box. It doesn't show well in the last picture, but there's a rubber gasket/seal between the blower motor and the box. This one was cut from a 1/8" sheet of rubber purchased on eBay. The last picture shows the correct seal, but based on previous posts no one makes replacements.
These are pictures of my heater box as it was taken apart. There are probably some repeats of views already posted but these may fill in a gap or two.
A few more...
These pictures are after the clean up. The spray paint shown provides a reasonable match to what I believe the original color. For the vacuum pods, steel wool was used to brighten them and then they were hit with some clear coat. Overkill? Yes, but I was on a roll on at the time.
I'll try to fix the orientation of the pictures shortly. Never seem to get that right.
Also, the drain tube on this version needs to be shortened about an inch. It's a repair job gone wild.
that's what I needed. thank you
I have that rubber gasket between the wheel and the motor. this one came in my rebuild kit. does it replace that rubber one or go between the firewall and the motor?
That foam piece seals between the motor flange and the firewall.
Thank you
I installed the heater box and went to install my dash and I realize I don't know where the heater cable hooks up to? anyone have a picture of where it goes on the box? also is the end that hooks up to the controls held in by a plastic clip?
If you are talking about the cable that controls the temperature, it connects to the water valve that bolts to the passenger inner fender in the engine compartment.
yes that is it in sure. any pictures or know what hole it comes out of the firewall in? it doesn't seem like it is long enough to reach the passenger inner fender
Quote from: Shoooter on December 12, 2017, 09:21:49 PM
yes that is it in sure. any pictures or know what hole it comes out of the firewall in? it doesn't seem like it is long enough to reach the passenger inner fender
Check out this thread.
https://forum.e-bodies.org/engine-transmission-and-rear-end/4/70-challenger-heater-control-valve-440-with-ac/4841/msg68322#msg68322
great info on that tread. that's the cable I'm talking about! I still can't see where it comes thought the fire wall though. also does the cable go through the mount that the steering coloum is mounted to or below?
There is a drain tube right under the blower motor and if memory serves me correctly, there is a spot where the cable comes through the firewall. On later years I think it was moved to exit out the driver side and run on the outer firewall and then to the water valve. Unable to locate pictures at the moment but will keep looking. :cheers:
found this. looks like it goes on the drivers side of the steering coloum. the cable didn't look long enough to reach the passenger side. would there be a grommet in the firewall?
If you are working on a 71-74 the cable is routed through the firewall on the driver side as in your picture above and the one below. however, if a 70 it comes through the firewall next to the blower motor. Still looking for a pictures for the 70 application.
it's a 71 cuda I'm building. I wounder why the two pictures have different holes. maybe there from different years.
Most likely a revision from the designers/engineers. Updates were made all the time. The orange firewall is from Moparts and supposedly a 71 Cuda. Maybe a little research will firm up the correct hole for your application.
Here is a quick google search for 71 Challenger firewalls, both cuda and challys pictured.
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHWA_enUS600US610&biw=1366&bih=588&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=egsyWo_QAoLijwOlk7lY&q=1971+dodge+challenger+fire+wall&oq=1971+dodge+challenger+fire+wall&gs_l=psy-ab.12...281426.282267.0.284814.2.2.0.0.0.0.209.396.0j1j1.2.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.ma0-P-_NhsU#imgrc=oPKjTGqXve7VxM:
FYI, The white pictured firewall you have shown above is from a 70 Challenger. :cheers:
that's perfect. I'll check mine tomorrow. thank you again. I'll be contacting you as I have more A.C. questions and I'm searching for parts as well.
do you think there is a grommet in that small hole?
I am better versed on 70's but will help in anyway I can, even though I have 2 71's with AC. Yes, to the grommet for the cable penetration. I have seen them, but have no pictures. Without a grommet, it would slide in the bare hole, let in outside air, fumes and other unwanted issues.
As long as this has been brought up here is a picture of 1970 firewall cars with AC. You can see the grommet just to the right of the blower motor and down a few inches. It has 2 passages, one for the vacuum line and one for the temperature cable.
The grey primer Challenger firewall pic is my car.
It's a 1970 early built car, and was originally equipped with the cable that passed through the firewall under the blower motor.
The orange firewall is a 1970 'Cuda that belonged to a guy called Snoopy. I don't think his car originally had air conditioning, he labeled that picture to help other people.
The change to the cable that passed through the firewall by the brake booster is a bit of a mystery.
It happened during 1970 production, but it's not a simple change over on a certain date, both styles are found throughout the production year.
The cable is a different length depending on where it passes through the firewall.
The cable which passed through under the blower motor was longer than the other cable. This cable has not been available anywhere for many years, so if you need a cable, you'll probably have to use the only style available, which passes through by the brake booster.
The hole will already be there.
This cable passes through where one of the plastic insulation retainer pins would go.
The new cable will have the rubber grommet already on the cable. The grommet is rubber and is shaped similar to an insulation retainer pin.
The 1971 and later cars all use the cable that passed through by the brake booster.
Regarding why the two pictures have different holes, the only difference is what options each car has.
The Challenger has less holes because it's an automatic transmission. It also has a cruise control wiring hole.
The 'Cuda is a manual transmission which is a few more holes, and it also has a fog light wiring hole.
:ohyeah: That is an excellent article and video! Thanks for posting it. I have several Hot Rod articles bookmarked.
What's the best way to test the vacuum pods?
Good infromation
:popcorn:
Quote from: truckinman466 on February 10, 2019, 01:28:59 PM
What's the best way to test the vacuum pods?
Hand held vacuum pump or (seriously) just suck on the attached rubber hose and make sure the lever pulls in and the diaphragm holds a vacuum. :cheers:
Doing mine (72) now but the blower motor that came out of it is black; looks original with a green hot wire. Are thy supposed to be "silver" in color??
:wrenching:
Quote from: 6bblgt on February 10, 2017, 01:25:24 PM
I rebuilt this one, but I didn't take too many pics - I'll see if I can find more
I believe 3443 is the date code. That would be the 344th day of 1973. I suppose it could also mean 1983 if it's a factory replacement? Someone more knowledgeable then me can answer that. Either way, it doesn't look like it's original to a 72.
I'd start doing some research on A/C blower motors and see if you can find evidence that they were black.