Rebuilding heater/defroster unit of a Challenger

Jules can restore the heater blower motor to perfection.

Th gap was intentional. As the air blows from the lower duct to the upper duct it pulls cabin air in via that gap to mix the heated air with cabin air.

You may find some of the diagrams at the link below useful as well.

http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/ServiceHighlights/1970PassengerCarHighlights03.shtml

As mentionned above.
excellent gasket kits from 71T/A or Detroit Muscle Tech.
http://detroitmuscletechnologies.com/
I can rebuild your motor to near new.
Jules
gdaddio@videotron.ca

2

The kits and cardboard WERE rare when I pulled MY 71 Challenger heater box about 6 years ago now. Mine looked like yours. I cleaned it all up and thought I'd just Google a heater box restoration kit. NOT. If I had a Camaro or Moostang I there were some crappy kits available but NOTHING for Mopar. Now I make all the Mopar heater box restoratiion kits in A/C and Non A/C from 63-76. Don't have the 69-7X C bodies though.

Funny, many people ask me about that "gap". In fact some have told me I don't know what I'm taking about when I tell them there is NOTHING that goes in that gap

PS I just had new clips sets made for the heater boxes too. It's amazing how much is being remade or can be restored by artisans like Jules above!

You can buy a heater core at rockauto.com

That's apart from the half hour it will take to get it to fit right.
The brackets are no where near close to fit out of the box.
Jules

What do you think about this motor:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...RK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

Vented? The old one died cause of rust...

Mounting studs too long. They will touch the squirrel cage ( fan).Need to be cut.
Opening in the side will let in dirt, water and other bugs and stuff.
Wiring is too short to reach the contact points on top of the box.
No savings with all the mods and problems you will incur.
Jules

I'd like to report the follow-up.

I've got the exciting kit from james fillmore - it's one of the finest i've ever seen: Not only everything fits perfectly but he adds a very helpful documentation. I've got the heater core from summit racing. And I did rebuild the blower motor just with some ellbow grease

It's not to difficult - i'll give you some pics:

Uuups: How to start - first brake anything to make it more demanding... (Jim wrote in his documentation: clean it CAREFUL). But it's plastic and can be glued again

Then: gave the doors a coat with zync-paint and glued the foam gaskets on as Jim described. Fixed the black plastic hump with pop rivets...

To build in the defroster door is a bit tricky - it's not exactly symmetrical and it took me a while to figure out which turn around it will fit.

So this is the backside of the box with everything attached including the new cardboard (also from Jim) and the new clips (dito). Jim also includes the gasket to the firewall - in 2 versions...

Now the front half - and the caulk- thing. Btw: to remove the air-vent door from this half it's necessary to drill out 2 rivets it's fixed with. Can be refixed with pop rivets...

Now both halfs are ready. Front half has the core attached with 4 screws - sealed with caulk. Temperature door is lied into it's groove. Rear half needs also some caulk.

To put the halfes together was the most difficult step. Slide in the air-vent door in its hole and keep everything on its place... needs some ingeniousness and patience.

So here it is - back in live. To attach the thick D-shaped gasket on the top it takes some weatherstripe glue. And now is a good time to test the fan and the resistor - if it runs in 2 speeds. On this pic I forgot to attach the ground wire of the fan to the metal backside plate...but I remembered later.

I didn't had this hook in the car - it was missing. I found in the shop manual, how it works and bent a stud to do the job.

Welcome back. Since the blower motor is grounded via the metal plate on the backside of the unit, it's important to make sure that at least one of the three nuts that fix it to the firewall allows electrical contact (just in case you painted the firewall in the meantime - as I did).

When testing with the upper ducts in place I found that "the gap" causes quite some air to be blown under the dash...

I assume that the upper ducts may have warped a little (or were assembled without care 40 years ago). Just in front this part is to close to the heaterbox, on both sides it's okay and no air goes the wrong way.

Since I don't like the idea to heat the inside of the dash, I fixed a stripe of alu sheetmetal.

Wow it looks real nice, great work.

That gap between the box and defrosters is supposed to be there. It mixes air for the defrosters, Pretty sure.

Can someone help out with this part of my heater box rebuild/resto?
I am missing the hook that is shown in the picture. Unfortunately, I don't have a shop manual to reference, and need to know more specifics on the size, length, and where it attaches up in the cowl vent, etc. Can someone help? Thanks.

This is the actual part (J-Hook) I'm in need of. Thanks.

I might see if I can have these hooks made. Sure it wouldn't be a huge seller but would compliment my product line.

I would have bought it, if it were available!

I can remember that it was quite a pain to get this hook attaching to the cowl. Mine was straight (I didn't know better) but that corner in it will help a lot.

Anyway - my car is still not back on the road

To many cool things to do - including too many other things to do at that car to make it a bit more perfect. Well, the engine runs, it has brakes and exhaust, even a carpet is in. May be adding wheels, including steering wheel and seats would make it more to be nearly finished...

Ouch.

I thought I'd share an update on the heater box J-hook. I purchased an A-body hook on ebay for $14.00 total (see 1st photo). Using the photos and measurements that C O D Y provided, http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=91192.0 , and additional photos of other E-Body J-hooks, I fashioned one from the A-body hook. I think it came out pretty good. I believe the measurements and angles are close enough to be a working E-body heater box J-hook.

*** The last two photos are a couple of reference photos I used.

Thanks for all the help.