1964 & 65 Climate Box Info

[BillGrissom]

I stripped and restored two 1964 and one 1965 climate boxes (heat only) for my 64 & 65 A's. Actually, the spare might have been 1963 (identical to 1964?), since I recall picking a 1963 A at PicNPull years ago. Photos and notes which might help someone shopping for parts on ebay. In the parts photos, the odd one out is the 1965. The climate doors and locations varied.

I spent much time wire-brushing and sanding off rust, using phosphoric acid, then primed and painted all metal. I repaired the composite housings using fiberglass-epoxy. For the degraded paperboard cover at the rear, I cut new material out of foamboard from JoAnn's Fabrics. I relined the doors with foam, using the white packaging foam in the background. I also took the motors apart and re-lubed inside and painted purty. I tested all the heater cores w/ air pressure (bike pump) under water. Sorry, no photos of the finished boxes.

Labelling:

1964 Heater Box
engine side: W-3 2485254
cabin side: W-3 2 277510

1965 Heater Box
engine side: W-3 2485967
cabin side: Model 734 2, PN 2277510, W 2

Resistors
1964 no numbers
1965 2521409

 

[Keith Mopar]

Wow great info. I'm just in the middle of rebuilding my heater box from a 65 Barracuda.

 

[Bob Jasinski]

Bill, I'm doing my non AC '65 Barracuda heater box right now. The only way to remove the small metal flap that I can see, is to drill out all the factory rivets to separate the metal plate that hold the motor and fan wheel. Assuming that you did drill out the rivets, how did you re-fasten the motor plate to the fiberglass? Secondly, how did you disassemble the motor? I tried and gave up due to concerns about damaging it. I know you can remove the nut and long bolts, but separating the two halves is not easy. Finding a new motor is tough too.

 

[BillGrissom]

... drill out all the factory rivets to separate the metal plate that hold the motor and fan wheel. ...
Secondly, how did you disassemble the motor? ...

I didn't drill any rivets. I recall leaving the square motor plate attached to the composite case. Been a while since I was in-there, probably last Dec and took a while before I posted the photos. Probably should have taken more, but once you are rolling, you forget. As I recall, once you remove the 4 nuts, you can just pull the motor and fan off the 4 long studs. Might need to wiggle it. The factory might have put thin push nut retainers on before the main nuts. The fan attaches to the motor shaft with one set-screw, which you access between the blades.

The 2 long bolts are all that secure the 2 motor halves. If they won't separate easy, there might be rust inside. The case shell fits fairly tight against the iron core. Mine separated fairly easily, with a little tapping and perhaps one half chucked in a vise. It is a bit fussy pushing the brushes in and working the temporary brush retainer on to hold the brushes in during re-assembly. Main value-added I did was cleaning and lubing the shaft bearings.

I bought a new cabin blower motor on RockAuto maybe 10 years ago for $17. Can't recall if for my A's or C. Amazing what you find there sometimes. Once I got a booster w/ MC for $70. Brand new and came in a dusty box. If you have PN's, search occasionally on ebay as stuff shows up as people clean-up garages and estates.

 

[65 Cuda 340]

If you don't want to make your own gaskets, a kit is available to restore heater boxes. The one for a 65 non-air Barracuda is here: Mopar A Body 63-66 BASIC NON AC Heater Box Rebuild Restoration Seal Gasket Kit

Looks like this:

 

[Bob Jasinski]

I didn't drill any rivets. I recall leaving the square motor plate attached to the composite case. Been a while since I was in-there, probably last Dec and took a while before I posted the photos. Probably should have taken more, but once you are rolling, you forget. As I recall, once you remove the 4 nuts, you can just pull the motor and fan off the 4 long studs. Might need to wiggle it. The factory might have put thin push nut retainers on before the main nuts. The fan attaches to the motor shaft with one set-screw, which you access between the blades.

The 2 long bolts are all that secure the 2 motor halves. If they won't separate easy, there might be rust inside. The case shell fits fairly tight against the iron core. Mine separated fairly easily, with a little tapping and perhaps one half chucked in a vise. It is a bit fussy pushing the brushes in and working the temporary brush retainer on to hold the brushes in during re-assembly. Main value-added I did was cleaning and lubing the shaft bearings.

I bought a new cabin blower motor on RockAuto maybe 10 years ago for $17. Can't recall if for my A's or C. Amazing what you find there sometimes. Once I got a booster w/ MC for $70. Brand new and came in a dusty box. If you have PN's, search occasionally on ebay as stuff shows up as people clean-up garages and estates.

*EDIT* I took another look at it and a spare heater box I have. The box pictured has a tinnerman nut, but the other box had a small clip like what fastens the cardboard in place. I slipped off the clip, and was able to remove the small flap by slightly raising the sheet metal on one end and pulled it out without removing any rivets or damaging the fiberglass! Someone put that tinnerman nut there at some point in place of the small clip.

 

[BillGrissom]

Someone put that tinnerman nut there at some point in place of the small clip.

Yes, that appears a retrofit, but "fixed 'er". Having a spare box is nice when you need a little clip or such. I probably also had to pry the sheet-metal out to slip that door rod out in the 1965 box. The 1964 box has that rod closer to the corner so probably wasn't under the sheet-metal and those doors differ.

 

[BillGrissom]

If you don't want to make your own gaskets.

Thanks for posting. I had seen those, but didn't seem like much value-added since I didn't have much trouble cutting new foam out of some electronics packaging poly bags. Those bags seem to last vs the correct open-cell foam w/ sticky tape which seems to degrade. I recall using E6000 glue, which many hobbyists like (similar to old Duco Cement). At the top of the round cowl openings, I used thick black weatherstrip foam (MD, Ace or Home Depot). The foamboard I used for the outlet cover was white, but isn't visible against the firewall. It seems more rugged than the OE cardboard. Black ABS sheet would be even better.

My duct fabric hoses were falling apart. I used new plastic duct from ebay. I recall adding a PVC fitting in between to match 2 sizes of duct since the diameter at the dash vents and at the climate box differ, at least on 1 outlet. The hardest part was mounting the under-dash knee-knocker AC unit so it cleared the factory heater box, didn't protrude too much, block the driver's accelerator pedal, or bother the passenger. Would have been easier to use a new retrofit climate box ($550+) but then the cute climate knobs on my 1964 Valiant wouldn't be active. I haven't fit those parts into my 1965 Dart yet.

While the climate boxes are out is a chance to do the best you can to clean, remove rust and paint the inside of the cowl. You can reach fairly far up thru the lower holes and work a foam brush on a rod. Work also from the cowl openings in the engine bay. I installed fine-mesh stainless screen under the cowl slots in my 1964 Valiant, which wasn't easy. I rolled screen to act as long springs to push the flat screen up against the top and ran thin beads of E6000 from above to glue it to the slots. That will hopefully keep tree crud out. But, my newer vehicles have screens on the cowl vents and still get tree debris past. At least those cowls are removable. Mopar designers stiffed us with a welded cowl, whereas others in the 1960's have removable tops. For 1960's Mustangs, one can buy flat magnetic cowl covers in various colors and logos to keep stuff out. You could cut your own.

 

[Bob Jasinski]

Has anyone found a suitable "matching" spray paint to use for spot repairs to the fiberglass?