Heater Box Restoration

[340Challman]

I've got everything associated with the box restored/replaced and am now ready for reassembly. My question is regarding the riveting. What method did you guys use to rivet things back together? Some of the rivets have a fairly deep access, so just curious what your work around was. Any pitfalls I need to be aware of and of course what you learned that you can share. Thanks.

[Skdmark]

This might be a handy article.
The tubular rivets ars also used on the gauge cluster light bar lenses.

https://moparconnectionmagazine.com/comeback-cuda-heater-box-reboot-rebuilding-an-e-body-non-a-c-heater-box/

[Dakota]

If your heater box has a broken drain pipe like mine did, see the attached post for a simple repair:

 https://forum.e-bodies.org/interior/6/heater-box-drain-tube-repair/3942/msg57160#msg57160


It's been a few years, but I was very happy with the work that Glen-Ray did on rebuilding my heater core.

I used Rust-Oleum "Universal" Oil Rubbed Bronze paint to cover the outside of my heater box.   It was pretty close to the color of the original fiberglass on the inside of the box.

As with almost anything else on a restoration, take lots of pictures, especially around which vacuum hose goes to which actuator (adding masking tape tags to the hoses will help).   To some degree, the hoses really only fit one way but it's good to have the reference.

You indicated you already had the parts, but in case you need them DMT (Detroit Muscle Technologies) was my primary source for foam parts for the box rebuild.

Good luck with your rebuild.   Personally, I found the heater box was good to work on in terms of feeling like I actually got something "completed" while still surrounded by a pile of parts for the rest of the car.

[340Challman]

If your heater box has a broken drain pipe like mine did, see the attached post for a simple repair:

 https://forum.e-bodies.org/interior/6/heater-box-drain-tube-repair/3942/msg57160#msg57160


It's been a few years, but I was very happy with the work that Glen-Ray did on rebuilding my heater core.

I used Rust-Oleum "Universal" Oil Rubbed Bronze paint to cover the outside of my heater box.   It was pretty close to the color of the original fiberglass on the inside of the box.

As with almost anything else on a restoration, take lots of pictures, especially around which vacuum hose goes to which actuator (adding masking tape tags to the hoses will help).   To some degree, the hoses really only fit one way but it's good to have the reference.

You indicated you already had the parts, but in case you need them DMT (Detroit Muscle Technologies) was my primary source for foam parts for the box rebuild.

Good luck with your rebuild.   Personally, I found the heater box was good to work on in terms of feeling like I actually got something "completed" while still surrounded by a pile of parts for the rest of the car.

Very innovative Dakota. I like your thinking. Just to clear up some confusion though, I have a non-A/C heater box. In this thread I was wondering what method everyone used to re-rivet the two housings and the metal brackets all back together. I ended up buying rivets and a clincher from Hanson Rivet. The clincher was a little pricey, especially since I don't see any other use for it right now, but I'll have it if I ever do need one later.

[jumper34]

I had the exact same issue with mine.  I tried everything I could to get the two pieces to align, but no such luck. 

When restorting mine, I learned some valuable lessons though, which might be good to share.  I assume if yours was like mine, the foam parts essentially crumbled to pieces when you took them apart and you bought a restoration kit.

The problem with the restoration kits are the size of the foam which attempt to seal the units when switching the vents.  This poses a great problem when you eventually install the unit back in our car, as the cables and mounting screws aren't strong enough to to withstand the pressure when you open and close the heater and vent doors.  This will cause your cables to break at the heater control unit and you'll be purchasing or having to find the right part again.  The solution is to trim the foam back so that it isn't as tight and the doors can move easily back and forth.

The unit I restored had been somewhat worked over during a previous restoration an caused some of the problem, which I attempted to correct, as they put screws in the place where rivets were supposed to go and broke the housing so I glued it and then put rivets back in place so the pieces would align better, but as you can see from the first photo, nothing I did could ever bring the pieces to join together.  However, nobody is going to see this or know how much work you put into restoring it, so doing your best will suffice.  These units aren't air tight like todays cars and they only shift the air flow. 

Good luck on your restoration, I'm sure it will come out great.   

[340Challman]

I had the exact same issue with mine.  I tried everything I could to get the two pieces to align, but no such luck. 

When restorting mine, I learned some valuable lessons though, which might be good to share.  I assume if yours was like mine, the foam parts essentially crumbled to pieces when you took them apart and you bought a restoration kit.

The problem with the restoration kits are the size of the foam which attempt to seal the units when switching the vents.  This poses a great problem when you eventually install the unit back in our car, as the cables and mounting screws aren't strong enough to to withstand the pressure when you open and close the heater and vent doors.  This will cause your cables to break at the heater control unit and you'll be purchasing or having to find the right part again.  The solution is to trim the foam back so that it isn't as tight and the doors can move easily back and forth.

The unit I restored had been somewhat worked over during a previous restoration an caused some of the problem, which I attempted to correct, as they put screws in the place where rivets were supposed to go and broke the housing so I glued it and then put rivets back in place so the pieces would align better, but as you can see from the first photo, nothing I did could ever bring the pieces to join together.  However, nobody is going to see this or know how much work you put into restoring it, so doing your best will suffice.  These units aren't air tight like todays cars and they only shift the air flow. 

Good luck on your restoration, I'm sure it will come out great.   

I learned the same thing J @jumper34. I trimmed all of the new foam to fit the dimension of the metal doors they were going on. They may be a little loose now, but maybe from the distortion I have, it would be closer when opened or closer when closed so I couldn't make them fit good for both open and closed. I see you still have your hook in the vent area. Mine is gone. How critical is that going to be not having it. It seems like it is going to put a lot of stress on the blower motor area.
I also see you have insulation up above the heater box. I have the firewall insulation, but not the above. Where did you get it?
Thanks.

[mtull]

J @jumper34, @340Challman
Thank you both for sharing words of advice, much needed and appreciated.

[jumper34]

I had the exact same issue with mine.  I tried everything I could to get the two pieces to align, but no such luck. 

When restorting mine, I learned some valuable lessons though, which might be good to share.  I assume if yours was like mine, the foam parts essentially crumbled to pieces when you took them apart and you bought a restoration kit.

The problem with the restoration kits are the size of the foam which attempt to seal the units when switching the vents.  This poses a great problem when you eventually install the unit back in our car, as the cables and mounting screws aren't strong enough to to withstand the pressure when you open and close the heater and vent doors.  This will cause your cables to break at the heater control unit and you'll be purchasing or having to find the right part again.  The solution is to trim the foam back so that it isn't as tight and the doors can move easily back and forth.

The unit I restored had been somewhat worked over during a previous restoration an caused some of the problem, which I attempted to correct, as they put screws in the place where rivets were supposed to go and broke the housing so I glued it and then put rivets back in place so the pieces would align better, but as you can see from the first photo, nothing I did could ever bring the pieces to join together.  However, nobody is going to see this or know how much work you put into restoring it, so doing your best will suffice.  These units aren't air tight like todays cars and they only shift the air flow. 

Good luck on your restoration, I'm sure it will come out great.   

I learned the same thing J @jumper34. I trimmed all of the new foam to fit the dimension of the metal doors they were going on. They may be a little loose now, but maybe from the distortion I have, it would be closer when opened or closer when closed so I couldn't make them fit good for both open and closed. I see you still have your hook in the vent area. Mine is gone. How critical is that going to be not having it. It seems like it is going to put a lot of stress on the blower motor area.
I also see you have insulation up above the heater box. I have the firewall insulation, but not the above. Where did you get it?
Thanks.

I got the jute at https://www.rosevillemoparts.com/product/under-dash-insulation-1970-74-e-body/

Not sure if I would get it again, or go with another product.  The jute doesn't fit too well, so using one of the other sticky sound deadening mats would be a preferable choice, as you can cut it to fit.  When wrestling around installing the heater box, I put it up and then had to trim back the jute to allow the heater box to align and fit.  As noted above, installing the heater box with the hook is a bear, so after getting it aligned and finding out I had to trim the jute and take the unit out again was a head scratcher.

I would get the hook, as it ensures a tight seal for the top vent.  It's a bear getting it back in, but you hopefully have time and patience.  There are hooks on eBay, I see one for around $25.

And, if you're anything like me, I had to take out the dash 4 different times to correct mistakes I made, so I became a pro at dash removal.  And, here's a pro tip-when installing the dash, you have 4 screws you have to put into the defrost vents that secure the dash to the car.  If your windshield is installed, use a flexible socket extension, then put a piece of toilet paper on your socket and push the screw in the socket so that it fits tight and won't fall out, then align the holes and it goes right in.  You can see the holes from below, so you can get an idea of whether your alignment is right before screwing the dash into place.  In mine, I was only able to get 3 of the 4 screws in.  For some reason, the tabs didn't align with the 4th screw and I didn't have a metal stretcher. 

[340Challman]

I got the jute at https://www.rosevillemoparts.com/product/under-dash-insulation-1970-74-e-body/

Not sure if I would get it again, or go with another product.  The jute doesn't fit too well, so using one of the other sticky sound deadening mats would be a preferable choice, as you can cut it to fit.  When wrestling around installing the heater box, I put it up and then had to trim back the jute to allow the heater box to align and fit.  As noted above, installing the heater box with the hook is a bear, so after getting it aligned and finding out I had to trim the jute and take the unit out again was a head scratcher.

I would get the hook, as it ensures a tight seal for the top vent.  It's a bear getting it back in, but you hopefully have time and patience.  There are hooks on eBay, I see one for around $25.

And, if you're anything like me, I had to take out the dash 4 different times to correct mistakes I made, so I became a pro at dash removal.  And, here's a pro tip-when installing the dash, you have 4 screws you have to put into the defrost vents that secure the dash to the car.  If your windshield is installed, use a flexible socket extension, then put a piece of toilet paper on your socket and push the screw in the socket so that it fits tight and won't fall out, then align the holes and it goes right in.  You can see the holes from below, so you can get an idea of whether your alignment is right before screwing the dash into place.  In mine, I was only able to get 3 of the 4 screws in.  For some reason, the tabs didn't align with the 4th screw and I didn't have a metal stretcher. 

Thanks J @jumper34 I'll find a hook from someone.

In thinking about the way the dash and heater box go in there, it seems like it might be wiser to install the dash first and then the heater box. Initially I thought the heater box should go in first, but doesn't that make it a real bear to get to the dash studs that are up above the heater box? It seems like there is less to get to on the top of the heater box. Can't you just mount everything and let it dangle as you're putting the box up?
Thanks.

[jumper34]

I got the jute at https://www.rosevillemoparts.com/product/under-dash-insulation-1970-74-e-body/

Not sure if I would get it again, or go with another product.  The jute doesn't fit too well, so using one of the other sticky sound deadening mats would be a preferable choice, as you can cut it to fit.  When wrestling around installing the heater box, I put it up and then had to trim back the jute to allow the heater box to align and fit.  As noted above, installing the heater box with the hook is a bear, so after getting it aligned and finding out I had to trim the jute and take the unit out again was a head scratcher.

I would get the hook, as it ensures a tight seal for the top vent.  It's a bear getting it back in, but you hopefully have time and patience.  There are hooks on eBay, I see one for around $25.

And, if you're anything like me, I had to take out the dash 4 different times to correct mistakes I made, so I became a pro at dash removal.  And, here's a pro tip-when installing the dash, you have 4 screws you have to put into the defrost vents that secure the dash to the car.  If your windshield is installed, use a flexible socket extension, then put a piece of toilet paper on your socket and push the screw in the socket so that it fits tight and won't fall out, then align the holes and it goes right in.  You can see the holes from below, so you can get an idea of whether your alignment is right before screwing the dash into place.  In mine, I was only able to get 3 of the 4 screws in.  For some reason, the tabs didn't align with the 4th screw and I didn't have a metal stretcher. 

Thanks J @jumper34 I'll find a hook from someone.

In thinking about the way the dash and heater box go in there, it seems like it might be wiser to install the dash first and then the heater box. Initially I thought the heater box should go in first, but doesn't that make it a real bear to get to the dash studs that are up above the heater box? It seems like there is less to get to on the top of the heater box. Can't you just mount everything and let it dangle as you're putting the box up?
Thanks.

That was my first mistake, thinking I could put the heater box in after the dash, so had to pull the dash out again which is a bear by yourself.  I think it can be done putting the heater box in after the dash, but I found putting in the heater box first was the best way for me to do it.  Part of my problem stemmed from putting in the jute which covered a portion of the vent hole and rendered my support screw and hook too short to work as designed.

Once you get the hook in place, without tightening it, you are able to align the bolts throught the firewall, then bolt it in place (not tight) then tighten the screw/hook assembly and then the firewall bolts.  After that, the dash will go in place pretty easily.  Make sure you protect your dash and guages.  When I took it out by myself, I made a $300 mistake, as I let the dash lean down and the gearshift broke my dash guage lens. 

Also note, mistake #2 causing the removal of the dash a second time was not putting in the driver's side vent.  There's no way to put this in with the dash in place.

   

[340Challman]

Thanks J @jumper34. I'm sorry you had to learn those things the hard way, but I really appreciate you passing your knowledge along. Vans Auto sells a reproduction hook. I ordered it yesterday. As soon as that comes in, I'll be ready to put everything together.

Is your car finished and on the road? Your pictures sure look nice. Post some more.