Heater Box Restoration

[Shakey]

Start off with a thanks to those who told me how simple it was to remove the heater box and offered their tips.  Not being sarcastic either, it was not difficult whatsoever.  Which makes me wonder why whoever did the bodywork on my car didn't take the time to remove it prior to sandblasting the body before priming and painting.  You can the mess I was dealing with.  Anyways....

Who here has restored their heater box?  Anyone have some advice they'd like to share?

Looking at the casing I see that it is made of fibreglass and that it is hidden pretty good under the dash.  Has anyone taken the time to sand it lightly and apply a fresh coat of paint?

I have the core here at work getting pressure tested and cleaned up.  I plan on lightly sandblasting all the metal pieces and painting them.

What about the insulation pad that mounts between the heater box & firewall?  Are they being reproduced correctly?

Please share some photos & tips.

Thanks in advance.

[ScottW]

Here's a Mopar Muscle article that may be of interest to you - it's for an A/C system but still has some good info.

As pointed out below, I forgot the link.   

http://moparmusclemagazine.com/techarticles/34500/

[doctorpimp]

Here's a Mopar Muscle article that may be of interest to you - it's for an A/C system but still has some good info.

You forgot the link.

[Dennis K]

If you want to restore the heater box, here's some parts you will need. Almost everyone sells the firewall insulation. Year One, Paddock, Harding's, Jack's, etc. http://www.restorick.com/products.asp

[Shakey]

Thanks for the links folks.

[nh_mopar_fan]

I'm about to tackle this myself on the wife's Valiant. Thanks for the info.

One question, the article mentions "dumb dumb" strips. Where do I buy those?

[ScottW]

I'm about to tackle this myself on the wife's Valiant. Thanks for the info.

One question, the article mentions "dumb dumb" strips. Where do I buy those?

It looks like RestoRick carriers that as well - look for heater box caulk on page 4 of the above link.

[nh_mopar_fan]

Excellent. Thanks.

The front half (the firewall side) of my box is still mounted in the car. I'm hoping to leave it that way and replacing the core and the back side which is missing.

[doctorpimp]

Thanks

[terrible one]

Great info guys

[grek]

I took my ac/ heater box apart and noticed there is insulation on the heater side (core) of the box and thin slabs of styro foam on the ac side (condensor).  I acquired some thin pieces of styro foam that will work great for replacing the old however what type of insulation should be used for the heater core side.

Thank you for all of the great info mentioned above.

Grek

[runningman]

I bought this kit from www.restorationfullcircle.com  but haven't used it yet.  Supposed to refinish the fiberglass

[runningman]

Also I have been using www.safestrustremover.com , this stuff is pretty cool.  If you have enough you could dip the whole unit inside and it would remove rust from the metal parts.  You could then use some clearcoat on them.  I just did my brake pedal assy, I will try to get some pics posted this week of the before and after.   

[defiance]

Curse you all!  You convinced me to pull out my box and check it out, now I find I've got a LOT of work to do!!

(Actually, I'm VERY grateful for the info and inspiration!  If I didn't do this now, I would've had to pull it apart later when something came apart or started leaking or just didn't work)...

[Dodge Don]

Good info. I'm doing mine soon.

[terrible one]

Shakey, have you progressed on yours any? I think I speak for all of us when I say I would love some more pics

[ScottW]

Shakey, have you progressed on yours any? I think I speak for all of us when I say I would love some more pics

I second that motion!   

[Shakey]

Hi Fellas,

I didn't do anything this past weekend as I was on a golfing trip with some of my buddies.  I did however do some work last weekend, the 13-14th. 

My heater core was NFG so I got a new one from YO.  My heater motor is OK, I have taken the air chuck and blown out some of the debris / sand and will apply a few drops of oil prior to installing it.  The wire wound resistor is NFG, I am having the electrical engineers here at work repair it for me, lucky me. 

As far as the box itself, I have taken it completely apart and my plan was to sand and paint everything.  Well, the sheet metal pieces were relatively easy.  Just light surface rust that was sanded with a somewhat fine sandpaper.  Thinking back, it was whatever was handy.  Some 400, maybe a bit of 800.   Just clean it up the best you can and get the majority of the surface rust off of the sheet metal.  Once it looks OK, clean it prior to priming it.  I use a lot of Eastwood's products.  I used PRE to clean it all before applying  the self-etching primer.

The sheet metal looks like it was just bare metal from the factory so I used Detail Gray from Eastwood.  I did make a mistake, as I painted all of the sheet metal the same gray colour when in fact one of the pieces, the one that holds the resistor in place and can be seen from inside the car on the passenger side is supposed to be black.  Not a big deal as I can cover the gray with black but just not thinking clearly while working on the car.

As far as the heater box housing goes I have decided to simply scrub and clean it rather than sand it all down.  Waaay to much work for something that no-one will see.  I will let you know how that works out.

I also did the fresh air box from the drivers side.  Simply removed it, took it all apart and washed it really good.  Dried it and painted it black.  I taped up the rubber gasket as I didn't want to have to replace it.

Here are some photos for you.  Maybe this upcoming weekend I will get to assemble eveything.

[terrible one]

VERY nice man! Thanks for taking time to share all of the information and post pictures!

[Dodge Don]

Mike......we both tracking on the same stuff 

http://1970chargerregistry.com/70messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=3171

[Shakey]

Finally finished.

Thanks again to all who helped.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Awesome! 

[4402tuff4u]

You did a nice job Mike!! Looks fantastic!!

[tan top]

   nice job 

[694spdRT]

Looks very nice! 

I need to add that to the list of things to do someday.

[runningman]

awesome, hopefully mine will come out half as nice

[terrible one]

That looks way awesome man, congrats!

[Shakey]

Thanks guys!

[MadScientist]

what black did you user for the box?

[Shakey]

what black did you user for the box?

I used Flat Black.  Can't even remember the name brand.  Nothing fancy, just some cheap stuff at $8.00 CDN a can.  I figured it would be on a heater box that is tucked underneath and no one will see it.  I did give it about 2 - 3 coats though!

[dodgecharger-fan]

I'll bring mine up to you this afternoon, k?   

Seriously, though, that looks real good. It inspires me to get my butt in gear.
As it happens, my heater box is in my way right now. Maybe restoring it as well as you have done will earn it a spot inside the house. 

[70sixpkrt]

I just found this post. Excellent information. Those grommets/hoses on the nipples of the heater core that go thru the firewall, are those foam or rubber?

[Dodge Don]

I just found this post. Excellent information. Those grommets/hoses on the nipples of the heater core that go thru the firewall, are those foam or rubber?

Foam

[bull]

what black did you user for the box?

I used Flat Black.  Can't even remember the name brand.  Nothing fancy, just some cheap stuff at $8.00 CDN a can.  I figured it would be on a heater box that is tucked underneath and no one will see it.  I did give it about 2 - 3 coats though!

Hey Shakey, did you mask off and paint the metal brackets attached to the fiberglass box where they were or did you remove, paint and replace them?

[Shakey]

I painted them first, let them dry and then taped them up and painted the box.

[bull]

I painted them first, let them dry and then taped them up and painted the box.

Thanks. One other thing I just thought of; did you just use an ohm meter to test the resistor and what is the resistance supposed to be?

[Shakey]

I painted them first, let them dry and then taped them up and painted the box.

Thanks. One other thing I just thought of; did you just use an ohm meter to test the resistor and what is the resistance supposed to be?

No.  My resistor was NFG so I grabbed a spare during one of my salvage yard tours.  I tested the motor and made sure the wheel was balanced before I installed it.  After I installed it into the box, I tested it again.

No idea what the resistance was/is supposed to be.  Perhaps one of the electrical guys can step in tell us both.

[bull]

I painted them first, let them dry and then taped them up and painted the box.

Thanks. One other thing I just thought of; did you just use an ohm meter to test the resistor and what is the resistance supposed to be?

No.  My resistor was NFG so I grabbed a spare during one of my salvage yard tours.  I tested the motor and made sure the wheel was balanced before I installed it.  After I installed it into the box, I tested it again.

No idea what the resistance was/is supposed to be.  Perhaps one of the electrical guys can step in tell us both.

Did you just hook the motor up to a 12v source to test it? I'm thinking of just getting a new one anyway. Autozone sells them new, not rebuilt, for $20 and they carry a lifetime warranty. Of course a warranty doesn't pull the motor back out of the box and put it in for you if it fails.

[Shakey]

I painted them first, let them dry and then taped them up and painted the box.

Thanks. One other thing I just thought of; did you just use an ohm meter to test the resistor and what is the resistance supposed to be?

No.  My resistor was NFG so I grabbed a spare during one of my salvage yard tours.  I tested the motor and made sure the wheel was balanced before I installed it.  After I installed it into the box, I tested it again.

No idea what the resistance was/is supposed to be.  Perhaps one of the electrical guys can step in tell us both.

Did you just hook the motor up to a 12v source to test it? I'm thinking of just getting a new one anyway. Autozone sells them new, not rebuilt, for $20 and they carry a lifetime warranty. Of course a warranty doesn't pull the motor back out of the box and put it in for you if it fails.

Hooked it up to the car battery.

[lexxman]

That likes great I can't wait to do mine now.

[GF7Bee]

Can you help me with the way the vacuum lines go to each actuator? I think the mechanic I had messed them up as mine no longer goes to max a/c from a/c. Thanks.

[shovelcharger]

Over the summer i just refurbisher the heater box in my 69. I cleaned and repainted the metal parts but as for the fiberglass, it didnt have paint on it to begin with so i spent about a day cleaning the crap out of it and it looks great. Dont know how far you are into it by now but figured id throw my 2cents in.

[lexxman]

Mine is all done and waiting to go back into the car. Now I just need to finish the car.

[dodgedarren]

Finally finished.

Thanks again to all who helped.

Shakey, I did a complete resto on my non-A/C heater box but forgot how to wire it back up. Any pics or onformation would be much appreciated.

[MxRacer855]

Did you drill the rivets that are connecting the steel brackets to the fiberglass out? I'm currently giving mine a go after I saw this and have to pull it out to replace the heater core anyway. LOOKS AMAZING! I just don't know what to do with those steel brackets.

[dodgedarren]

I painted them first, let them dry and then taped them up and painted the box.

Thanks. One other thing I just thought of; did you just use an ohm meter to test the resistor and what is the resistance supposed to be?

No.  My resistor was NFG so I grabbed a spare during one of my salvage yard tours.  I tested the motor and made sure the wheel was balanced before I installed it.  After I installed it into the box, I tested it again.

No idea what the resistance was/is supposed to be.  Perhaps one of the electrical guys can step in tell us both.

Did you just hook the motor up to a 12v source to test it? I'm thinking of just getting a new one anyway. Autozone sells them new, not rebuilt, for $20 and they carry a lifetime warranty. Of course a warranty doesn't pull the motor back out of the box and put it in for you if it fails.

Hooked it up to the car battery.

Shakey, I did a complete resto on my non-A/C heater box but forgot how to wire it back up. Any pics or onformation would be much appreciated.

[Ghoste]

I don't think Shakey has been on here in over a year.

[rsw0331usmc]

I should have thought of that effort when I had mine out.

[birdsandbees]

In process of doing mine, does anyone know what these decals looked like originally??

[birdsandbees]

Anyone ? 

Also be aware that Detroit Muscle's heater box refurbishment kit does not include a blower motor rubber mounting seal. If yours is like mine you'll be needing to find, order and secure one to put the box back together. Currently working on that.

Also note in the classifieds that I'm looking for the fresh air box, passenger side, cable bracket that rivets to the fiberglass heat box assembly.

[birdsandbees]

Does anyone know where you can get the moulded rubber blower motor mounting gasket for the '69 B body heat box??? Can't find as much as even a picture of one Googling. Closest I've found is a Ford gasket from Denis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts

Also anyone on what those stickers would have been?? 

[72Charger72]

Not sure if this would help if you cant find the gasket.....just posted by b5blue
For odd ball stuff like that I use "Sugru". It's like putty that hardens to rubber.
https://sugru.com

[birdsandbees]

Thanks, fixed up what I had so I could complete the box and move onto my dash next.

[birdsandbees]

Rubbed the metal down with gun oil today. What a visual difference and shouldn't rust again in my life time. Probably should have done the inside as well, but I'm not pulling it back apart! 

[birdsandbees]

Does anyone know what these two "decals" would have been originally on the '69 heater box. Lynch Rd car...

[Charger-Bodie]

Not factory to my knowledge .

[birdsandbees]

Cars been in my family it's entire life... nobody put them there. Definitely some mfg stickers / part number or something. I media blasted them off when I restored the box. Just hoping someone has an idea what should be on a '69 box to be correct. My '70 'Bird box has a stamped part number. My '69 Bee never had same, just these stickers.

[moparnation74]

Never seen those two decals...

Both of my 69's has the PN Stamp....One had the paper "Factory OK" tag on the heat control arm on top of the box(was suppose to be removed on the assembly line)

Beautiful job on the box BTW

[birdsandbees]

Thanks, is it the same part number stamp as the '70? The one in my 'Bird is factory stamped still...

[moparnation74]

They are different......your welcome to borrow my stamp, just cover shipping....

It is 2837500

[birdsandbees]

They are different......your welcome to borrow my stamp, just cover shipping....

It is 2837500

THANKS! very much, I will keep it in mind as I work towards final assembly. Might be cheaper to have the local stationary guy make me one vs the postage from Texas to here and back, but we'll see. Again thanks for the offer!!  

To edit.. just ordered a stamp online thru staples for $21 Cdn to my door. Will see how close it is to correct when I get it.. 

[birdsandbees]

What colour paint are you guys using for the stamp? Got my stamp already.. and want to give it a trial run..   

[birdsandbees]

Guess I'll just color match to the stamp on my '70 Bird box, thought someone would have a color for stamping..

[chargedup68]

Shakey, thanks for sharing the process!  Going to tackle mine after Christmas.

[chargedup68]

Took me all weekend, but I got it taken apart cleaned up and put back together.  The 50 year old fiberglass is brittle so my advice after doing this is be gentle!  I tightened down the fasteners just a little bit at a time all the way around the perimeter like I would if I was torquing a head since the new foam fits in snug.  Also, take lots of pictures as you go it will make the reassembly much easier.  I checked the fan motor and it was still good so lubed it up and put it back in.  My heater core was bad, but fortunately I had a spare so it got the fresh one.

[66FBCharger]

Guess I'll just color match to the stamp on my '70 Bird box, thought someone would have a color for stamping..

So birds and bees, Can u tell me what you used for the yellow paint for the part number stamp? A brand and part number or description would be a great help. I'm redoing my heater box now and would like to have the paint for when I'm ready to stamp the part number.
Thanks in advance for the info.

[birdsandbees]

Some can of yellow I had sitting on the shelf in the shop, I'll have to see it I wrote it down in my log.  That said I've since been kicking my ass as I asked many if they'd ever seen a paper sticker like mine had on the cover and everyone said no. I have since learned that this was a QC sticker and the part number may have been printed on the longer label and not stamped. Oh well.. it looks purdy!  

[69bfan]

In reading the various post on this subject in regards to the two paper tags, the A12 guys may have some input on the actual contents of what was printed on the tags.  Personally, I do not recall seeing them before.  They could very well be as you state some sort of quality control check.  Very interesting piece of history to be further researched.

[66FBCharger]

Some can of yellow I had sitting on the shelf in the shop, I'll have to see it I wrote it down in my log.  That said I've since been kicking my ass as I asked many if they'd ever seen a paper sticker like mine had on the cover and everyone said no. I have since learned that this was a QC sticker and the part number may have been printed on the longer label and not stamped. Oh well.. it looks purdy! 

Thanks birdsandbees. I want to match the yellow before I strip the paint off. if you could find any info on the yellow you used for the stamp, it would be greatly appreciated.
John

[birdsandbees]

I'm not going to certify that the colour is OE correct, but I held my test stamp (on black headliner material) up against my super birds heater box stamp and it's damn close, especially allowing 49 years for fade!

Krylon Fusion for plastic. Sunbeam 42330. I sprayed it out of the can onto a piece of cardboard, dipped the stamp and did a few test stamps to get it wet, Then new spray, dip.. stamp box.

[rikubot]

I know this is a pretty old thread but I thought the answer to my question might add some good information to it.

What kind of rivets do I used to replace the ones I'm going to drill out? I'm fairly certain that they are called "semi-hollow truss rivets" but I am not sure what size and what tool to use and where to get the rivets.
Thanks in advance.

[rikubot]

I also noticed that the rivets are steel, not aluminum. Do I need to use stainless steel rivets?

[Texasdoc]

https://www.detroitmuscletechnologies.com/mopar-b-body-66-70-72-93-dodge-truck-non-ac-heater-blower-motor-gasket/

https://www.detroitmuscletechnologies.com/69-charger/

https://www.detroitmuscletechnologies.com/

[Texasdoc]

Guess I'll just color match to the stamp on my '70 Bird box, thought someone would have a color for stamping..

So birds and bees, Can u tell me what you used for the yellow paint for the part number stamp? A brand and part number or description would be a great help. I'm redoing my heater box now and would like to have the paint for when I'm ready to stamp the part number.
Thanks in advance for the info.

https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Stencils-Craft-Paints/Acrylic-Craft-Paints/FolkArt-Acrylic-Paint/p/192

[66FBCharger]

Guess I'll just color match to the stamp on my '70 Bird box, thought someone would have a color for stamping..

So birds and bees, Can u tell me what you used for the yellow paint for the part number stamp? A brand and part number or description would be a great help. I'm redoing my heater box now and would like to have the paint for when I'm ready to stamp the part number.
Thanks in advance for the info.

https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Stencils-Craft-Paints/Acrylic-Craft-Paints/FolkArt-Acrylic-Paint/p/192

Thanks Texasdoc!