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CJ Heater Box Restoration...pic heavy!!

327K views 526 replies 194 participants last post by  KCK cj 76 
#1 · (Edited)
NOTE....The McMaster-Carr foam rubber part numbers used in this restoration are as follows:

86225K53 - 1/4" foam
86225K57 - 1" foam ....(PLEASE REMEMBER THIS INFORMATION IS LOCATED HERE!!)

Now, back to the thread...

I've started a frame-off restoration. What I've done is take all the spare components that I've had in stock, and rebuild them, so that when it comes time to do the swap, it will go quicker.

This thread is the rebuild of a spare heater box that I had.

This is what I started with...





.

Here is a NAPA '73 Blazer blower motor that I bought over a year ago, for this project...



I also bought a new heater core cheap on ebay, from a private party...



Started the teardown...



Mouse condo...





Other inside stuff...









Took the flaps out...



Bead blasted them...



The rusty metal backplate...



Blasted...



Primed and painted...



I prepped the box for painting...



 
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#2 · (Edited)
...and painted it with NAPA Underhood Black...





I wanted to replace all the foam sealing pieces, so I bought a 24" square sheet of waterproof self adhesive poly foam, 1/4" thick. Here are some of the old pieces that I want to replace, and some others that were missing...



Here are the replacements...



...and glued to the primed and painted flaps...



I use a heat gun to warm up the metal parts so that the glue sticks well...



I also bought a piece of the same foam, 1" thick...



...to make the seal around the new blower...





Notice the hole in the housing. A rubber hose is meant to snap in there, and go into the heater box...got one from a salvage yard (free!).





These rubber cushions needed replacing, so I took some rubber I had and laid out the new ones. I didn't have a hole punch big enough, so I made a punch out of a piece stainless tube...









Two of the tabs that locate the end of the heater core had broken off, so they got hot glued back..



After comparing the original heater core to the aftermarket one, there's no comparison. The old one is much better quality, so it went to Dip's Radiator for a flush, and to check for leaks. That's the one going back in.

So, I cut a strip of foam to wrap around it...

 
#3 ·
Time to start re-assembly...





After the heater core and flap are in, it's time to put the sheet metal back on. There was some sort of sealant there, when I took it apart, so I put some Permatex#2 non-hardening sealer all around the lip...





It's a good idea to use some sort of sealant, because the sheet metal had gaps in it between the screws. I thought about adding a screw in between each one, but opted to push more sealant in the large spaces with my finger.

Sheet metal's back on...



My re-assembly instructions...;)...



NOTE: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THAT A '73 BLAZER MOTOR W/AC IS THE CORRECT ONE...TAKE IT FROM ME...IT DOESN'T WORK FOR EVERYONE!!:mad:

I found out the hard way that it was wrong for me, anyway. So, I called NAPA and ordered NAPA PN 655-1039, and this was the right one.

The difference...



Moving forward, once again...



After installing this flap, I didn't like the way the top of the flap sealed, so I added a foam strip along the top edge...



Now it seals nice...if you notice, I also added some extea teflon washers onto the pivot shaft, on each side of the flap to keep it centered...



There should be some sealant when attaching the vent piece, too, but I decided to cut a piece of the 1/4" foam, and make a nice, clean seal...





...and attached...



Well, it's mostly done (I ordered a new heater core seal...not here, yet). So here are some final shots...









This baby better put out some heat!!:D

Rich
 
#77 ·
NOTE: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THAT A '73 BLAZER MOTOR W/AC IS THE CORRECT ONE...TAKE IT FROM ME...IT DOESN'T WORK FOR EVERYONE!!:mad:

I found out the hard way that it was wrong for me, anyway. So, I called NAPA and ordered NAPA PN 655-1039, and this was the right one.

The difference...

So why exactly didn't the 73 Blazer w/ AC motor work for you?
The only obvious difference based on your pic is the size.
 
#10 ·
Wow...great job!! I did mine a couple weeks ago. I used RTV (put a bead on, spread it out, let it set up) to seal the box up and like the OP, added a bit extra to those areas that didn't seal so well. After all that effort, I didn't want ANY air escaping anywhere except the ducts.
 
#11 ·
I imagine y'all have heard this by now, but since RTV is acidic, it can corrode metals... The Permatex #2 seems to be a good choice, was going to use that, but I forgot it at work, so I went to Walmart and got some of that rope caulking and put a double strand around the box to seal it. When I tightened it down, I made sure there were no gaps. It was like 3/16" - 1/8" thick, so I didn't have any issue with gaps between the screws.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the kind words, guys! I take a lot of pictures for several reasons...the main one being that I need them to remember how everything goes back together!

This would definitely help people out with future restorations. I don't think many guys tear into them this deep.

I didn't plan to go this deep, but one thing leads to another... plus, I enjoy it.

Rich
 
#109 ·
Thanks for the kind words, guys! I take a lot of pictures for several reasons...the main one being that I need them to remember how everything goes back together!

This would definitely help people out with future restorations. I don't think many guys tear into them this deep.

I didn't plan to go this deep, but one thing leads to another... plus, I enjoy it.

Rich
if i shipped you mine , how much would you do it for ? ha, ha ....seriously...:D
 
#13 ·
I just finished the same project. It was a real pain in the butt, but the results were spectacular! Sounds like I have a little tornado behind my dash, and it actually defrosts my windshild. My box had so many leaks and holes I'm suprised it ever worked. BTW: you would not believe the trash I pulled out of it! I have a Kentrol stainless cowl vent cover. To it I glued a piece of plastic screen, trimmed it around with a razor blade and installed it. No more trash in the heater box!
 
#14 ·
I have a Kentrol stainless cowl vent cover. To it I glued a piece of plastic screen, trimmed it around with a razor blade and installed it. No more trash in the heater box!
I was thinking about doing that too, just to save the crap from dropping in there..

After you resealed it all, do you still get air out the defrost when you have it on floor, and vice versa?? I think mine is only directing 70% to whichever way I put the mode selector... I even added foam to the doors to help seal..
 
#16 ·
I just got mine apart and the metal pieces all cleaned up. Where did you buy the foam and how much did it cost? Maybe you have enough to make up another rebuilt kit with all the foam pieces, blower foam and rubber isolators? I'd be willing to buy a little kit like that if you had enough left over materials.
 
#18 ·
I bought them form Mc Master-Carr. The 1/4" was $11.81 and the 1" was $25.88. Add shipping and the whole tab was $51.74.

I bought a new heater core tube seal separately. I figured that for $6.49 (plus shipping) it wasn't worth trying to make one out of the foam, only to find out that it may not be able to take the heat involved. Those tubes get hot, and the seal I bought is a denser foam.

I will sell a 16" square of the 1/4" thick, and a 12" square of the 1" thick foam, to anyone that's interested, for $20.00 plus shipping.

rixcj,

There are plenty of blower motor upgrade threads and articles out there in this forum and others one can look at, but without a doubt, yours is the NEW standard. We can throw the rest out the window. Very well done, I almost want to tear mine apart and redo it based on your thread...almost...:2thumbsup:
Thanks for the kudos!:) But, most of the other write-ups are how to do the blower motor upgrade done with everything IN the vehicle. So for most guys, that's the way to go.

It's worth it to pull the heater box out, IMO.

Rich
 
#17 ·
rixcj,

There are plenty of blower motor upgrade threads and articles out there in this forum and others one can look at, but without a doubt, yours is the NEW standard. We can throw the rest out the window. Very well done, I almost want to tear mine apart and redo it based on your thread...almost...:2thumbsup:
 
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#19 ·
rixcj,

There are plenty of blower motor upgrade threads and articles out there in this forum and others one can look at, but without a doubt, yours is the NEW standard. We can throw the rest out the window. Very well done, I almost want to tear mine apart and redo it based on your thread...almost...:2thumbsup:
DItto on the sticky..... Eddie?????
 
#23 ·
I haven't sold it yet, but after thinking about it, I'm going to need the 1/4" foam when I re-do the fresh air box.

If anyone wants me to send them a chunk of the 1" thick foam, let me know.

Rich
 
#25 ·
Great Post. Love the detailed pics. I've been thinking about doing this and now have a perfect reference to use when I decide to go for it.
:thumbsup:
I still recommend to you, or anyone else that does this project, take a lot of pictures of your own box, at different stages of dis-assembly. I didn't post EVERY picture that I took, in my thread, but I used a lot more of my pictures during re-assembly.

Rich
 
#27 ·
Very nice. There is a general lack of heater-type information.

When I got my current CJ5, all the controls were long seized, the motor was blown, and the box was full of mysterious bits of leaves/dirt/etc.

I was never able to find even a simple heater-diagram. Not even quadratec/4wd had decent diagrams, so I ended up fixing it up through trial and error.... it was a long process! I only recently discovered how the vent works....

So I saved the 1st post. It an excellent resource.
 
#30 ·
I believe that your blower motor doesn't pop through the firewall, into the engine compartment. It has to do that for the Blazer upgrade to be done.

There are others that have upgraded 76's, though. It's a different upgrade, and I'm not really sure what it consists of.

Rich
 
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