How does this heater box retainer rod (J-hook) work?

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1969VADart

1969VADart

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Another member of FABO sent me a heater box retainer rod (J-hook) for my 69 Dart. You can see the J-hook at the bottom of this picture. I am not sure exactly how this attaches to the car to hold the passenger side fresh air box and heater box up to the cowl. It does not have a threaded end to seemingly tighten up. I assume it must just twist onto the cowl somehow. Based on the way the bottom of the box is made, the larger flat hooked in pulls up from the underside of the box. Any pictures that show how it works or an explanation would be greatly appreciated.

 
I have never seen a J hook like yours but they are supposed to have a nut and can be accessed by opening the fresh air door. The J hooks goes through the eyelet and grabs on to the cowl to hold the assembly up.
 

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The j-part of the hook catches on the inside of the opening in the cowl where it mounts, then use the screw at the bottom to set it up/down.
 
After you bolt the case to the firewall, open the right side fresh air door. Install the rod through the opening. The hook end goes up and hooks on the edge of the round cowl opening. Before you install the box look at the bottom of the right side below that right fresh air door. Locate the hole in the bottom of the box. That will tell you where the rod must be located. If your rod is flat on the bottom with a threaded hole then a screw goes up from the bottom of the box on the outside and through the hole in the rod to secure it. It takes less time to do it than it took me to type this.
 
I have both types of heater box attachments and as stated by Rustedwrench that is the way to attach the is type of hook, it attaches from inside the fresh air vent and then attaches to the bottom by a screw in from the bottom of the fresh air vent.
 
Okay, so the rod is clearly not threaded. The bottom of the box also does not appear to have any thread mechanism. There was also no bracket inside the box. Here are a couple of pictures of the inside and outside of the box with the J-hook. I had to repair the box with some JB Weld. There were two guides (almost like small walls) inside the box on each side of the hole.



Here is the hole on the outside of the box where I also had to repair it. I then fed the hook through and it just so happens that the longer, flatter hook end conforms to the bend towards the firewall side of the box.






Here is a picture of the rod coming up through the box. The more curled end of the hook just barely sticks up above the top lip of the box with the foam seal on the box.



So is it safe to assume that there should be a spot where that curled end of the hook attaches up under the cowl?
 
As stated, the hook end of the rod goes up. It goes up through the round cowl opening and hooks on the edge of the hole. The bottom of the rod should be bent at a right angle with a flat bottom. The flat bottom of the rod goes between the ribs in the bottom of the box to prevent it from turning when you tighten the attaching bolt that goes up from the bottom on the outside of the box. The flat bottom of the rod should have a hole that is threaded to accept the bolt.
 
Rustedwrench said:
As stated, the hook end of the rod goes up. It goes up through the round cowl opening and hooks on the edge of the hole. The bottom of the rod should be bent at a right angle with a flat bottom. The flat bottom of the rod goes between the ribs in the bottom of the box to prevent it from turning when you tighten the attaching bolt that goes up from the bottom on the outside of the box. The flat bottom of the rod should have a hole that is threaded to accept the bolt.
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I understand what you are saying, but the rod that I have has no hole and no threads. It is just a metal rod with a right angle bend at one end and a curled end at the other. There is no way to tighten or draw up the rod tighter. Would appreciate a picture of how you are explaining it if you have any. Thanks.
 
It sounds like the rod you have is not like the one I am thinking of.
 

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Looks lime some lazy *** made a hash job of it to save getting the right part fo the job. Hence you are now left with a part thats not a real part probably someone's old coat hanger cut up.
 
What it appears to me is a pretty good attempt to seal the cowl to box, after the lower screw tore through the bottom of the box. All the repairguy would have needed is a wedge shaped stick of wood to finish the job.After the box is hung and the hanger installed, just slide the stick of wood through that lower loop until it tensions the box against the foam seal at the top. Then its business as usual. It would have saved the owner a considerable amount of cash VS a box replacement or repair.
 
Rustedwrench said:
It sounds like the rod you have is not like the one I am thinking of.
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Your pictures seem to clear up my questions. So my next question is does anyone have the correct rod set up that I would need for this box? Will it be workable with this situation that I have or could I even rig up something that would work appropriately? To be fair, a FABO member sent me the retainer rod that I have free, so I can't complain about that. Now I just want to get the right part to make this work. Thanks for all of the information.
 
FYI you used to be able to buy J bolts from "real" parts stores for battery hold downs. Maybe one of those would work. We used to stock several sizes when I was "in that previous life"
 
1969VADart said:
Your pictures seem to clear up my questions. So my next question is does anyone have the correct rod set up that I would need for this box? Will it be workable with this situation that I have or could I even rig up something that would work appropriately? To be fair, a FABO member sent me the retainer rod that I have free, so I can't complain about that. Now I just want to get the right part to make this work. Thanks for all of the information.
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----I have one.-----+I replaced mine after losing it, then found it later. Don`t remember what I paid the guy for it tho.+
 
Yeah I just ficked one up from a FABO member. My heater box had the area with the J hook hole missing, I repaired it with fiberglass resin and mesh, I am wondering if the j hook is going to break through my reapair at this point, I am not sure but that area looks "reinforced" from the factory. Obviously didnt last forever though beecause alot of heater boxes are blown out in that J hook hole area.
 
If you get your car going over 30 MPH and pull the e-brake lever between the seats while cranking the steering wheel to the side and swing the back of the car around, that's called a j-hook....
 
most of our old cars have been "worked" on thru the decades on one waay or another, to find a 50 yr old car that has "survived" getting hacked, screwed up, mutilated, violated, and just plain F---- up is rare! all this reminds me of the "low mile" speedo that is correct BS I read all the time!? ha
 
I know I woke this thread up, but I am going through the J hook part of my resto. Its funny, when I was younger I would be in a hurry and just run the car without it, but being older, and more patient, it would bother me to run the car with that air sneaking in through the gap that is created by not using the J hook. The heater box doesnt seal, and I spent the $$ on the new seals ya know. I just want to do the car right to get an idea of how it must have been when new LOL!
 
Dartswinger70 said:
Yeah I just ficked one up from a FABO member. My heater box had the area with the J hook hole missing, I repaired it with fiberglass resin and mesh, I am wondering if the j hook is going to break through my reapair at this point, I am not sure but that area looks "reinforced" from the factory. Obviously didnt last forever though beecause alot of heater boxes are blown out in that J hook hole area.
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I repaired the inside and outside of my heater box with JB Weld. That has held up great. I believe I used a large washer to distribute the pressure from the J hook on the bottom. I also used a couple of washers to reinforce where the heater box attaches to that part of the box.
 
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