heater box half assembly clips?

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northeastmopar

northeastmopar

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Trying to install the box back together. Installed the rope caulk and have taken pliers to the two halves to squash the rope caulk. Now I am trying to install those stupid little clips. WOW!! Has anybody got the secret answer how to install these without destroying the brittle box??
 
I hooked one side then used a screw driver in the curl of the other side and pressed the shaft against the middle of the clip. It effectively opened the clip to allow it to snap in on the other side. The only one that was tough was the one on the bottom at the door as the housing was a bit brittle there. Just went slow and careful.
 
I have been fighting those all afternoon. I can not get them on with these arthritic hands. So I came up with a temporary solution until I can find something else.

Wife thinks I am nutty
 

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Pawned said:
I have been fighting those all afternoon. I can not get them on with these arthritic hands. So I came up with a temporary solution until I can find something else.

Wife thinks I am nutty
Click to expand...

Well, I fixed it. Those clips really suck and the box is brittle as hell. I started chipping off pieces and it was not going good at all. So, seeing that I checked everything over, I said the heck with it. I took some home depot spring clamps, put some silicone on the halves and just left the spring clamps on until the next day. That baby is really together now. I suppose if I ever have to take it apart, I will have to exacto knife it but I doubt I will ever take it apart again. Those clips really suck. You are not nuts. Just silicone it and the silicone will hold the halves together while giving you a nice seal. Throw that rope seal away and use silicone glue.
 
I haven't dealt with the aftermarket rope seal or a very brittle box. I've just put a little grease under the clip and smack the top of its radius squarely with a small hammer and piece of hardwood. They jumped right on both sides at once.
 
straightlinespeed said:
I 2nd the screwdriver method. Worked well and as stated take your time.
Click to expand...

That works well, BUT what I did 1st was bend the buggers backwards to take some of the tension off of them. WAAAYYYY easier to install...FACTORY had them buggers waaayyy too tight in my opinion..(thats why boxes are always broke where the clips go)

EDIT I used the screwdriver method after bending them
 
Should have added that if you heat up the seal a tad that helps the halfs close up and the clips pop on a little easier.

Northeastmopar glad you found a solution that you are pleased with!
 
1969383S said:
Should have added that if you heat up the seal a tad that helps the halfs close up and the clips pop on a little easier.

Northeastmopar glad you found a solution that you are pleased with!
Click to expand...


Thanks, I know it is not perfect, but I did install all new gaskets and a new heater core. So I think I will be good to go for a long time. I think that is why they stopped using those clips. A real money saver for Mother Mopar, but a real pain for the person who has to service those heater boxes. Maybe it was just the condition of the box I had to work with, but that lip would break if you just looked at it the wrong way.
 
Pawned said:
I have been fighting those all afternoon. I can not get them on with these arthritic hands. So I came up with a temporary solution until I can find something else.

Wife thinks I am nutty
Click to expand...

I am thinking about drilling holes in the locations of the clips and thread a small tie wrap through it and snug it up that way.
I have done this on the evap cooler on the roof a few years ago. It come in two sections and in the past the nuts and bolts holding it together always rusted and damaged the unit. So when I installed a new unit I used tie wraps through the bolt holes. So far no rust at all and it is a stationary unit so it is working great
 
I had a couple fussy ones too. Even with bending them to make them larger, I still cracked the fiberglass on the housing. It as in a non-visible place, so I just bought a fiberglass repair kit and patched it up. Had to remount a couple of the cable mounts too because they broke off
 
I cut the little buggers in half! Twice as many clips with 1/2 the clamping force each=good seal.
 
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