Could I ask for advice on improving #50's heater?

[robroy]

Good morning!

In an effort to avoid flushing debris out of the heater core in to the water jacket of my new engine, I figured it would be a good time to replace the heater core.

I hadn't replaced it since owning the truck (about twelve years) and the truck has spent lots of multi-year periods totally idle. I expected the old core to be thoroughly crusty!

Following the manual, I removed the nuts from the studs in the engine compartment.




Then I removed the glove box.





I took the door off for good measure.



Then removed the air ducts and control rods.



You can see the funky tape I put on here as a teenager.



And here's what the firewall looked like with the heater box freshly removed.


http://www.robroygregg.com/Number50/IMG_3832s.JPG

The cavity in the kick panel didn't look so hot, although I didn't see any actual holes in it.




And the beast is out at last!


http://www.robroygregg.com/Number50/IMG_3840s.JPG

The big rubber boot's shot; I'll have to see if this is available from one of the vendors.



I'll also check on this big, thick, rectangular gasket. It was quite stuck to the surface of the kick panel and I had to mangle it with a putty knife to get it free.



The other side of the big monster.


http://www.robroygregg.com/Number50/IMG_3848s.JPG

Next, I used a 5/16" wrench to remove the screws that hold the heater core cover on.




And lifted the cover off.


http://www.robroygregg.com/Number50/IMG_3855s.JPG

Much to my displeasure, the old heater core looked very good! Its outside appearance actually looked BETTER than my replacement (a Proliance from NPD)!

The old one:



The old one and the new one next to one another. The new one has significantly more smashed fins, but is probably cleaner inside nonetheless.



Since I'm trying to get this thing back together as quickly as possible, I'll probably do the Eastwood rattle can Rust Converter, Rust Encapsulator, and Under Hood Black combo on the sheet metal pieces. But I'll try to replace all the rubber parts that I can buy, since it's a pain to get to this stuff.

Questions:

1. What specific things should I replace, now that I have the area open (considering that it's a pain to access later)?
2. Am I correct in assuming that my old heater core has certainly been replaced before? It looks too good to be original.

Thanks very much for the superb advice!!!
Robroy

[fordman]

replace the foam on the doors inside of the case. those are usually worn or disengrated. soemone said a hobby store had the same foam and they used spray glue to glue it on. i have seen similar foam for house window air conditioners. but it wasnt very good for this use. it was more of a open cell foam. it is used as a filter not a sealer foam.

[fitzwell]

I think you're spot on about replacing the rubber boot...should be available thru LMC, or the like. I'd replace the blower resistor while you have things apart as well. Check the blower motor, might want to give it a small shot of oil around the shaft of the motor...kind of a pre-emptive strike.

[robroy]

Hey Fordman and Fitzwell, thanks very much for replying!

replace the foam on the doors inside of the case. those are usually worn or disengrated. soemone said a hobby store had the same foam and they used spray glue to glue it on. i have seen similar foam for house window air conditioners. but it wasnt very good for this use. it was more of a open cell foam. it is used as a filter not a sealer foam.

Okay, I'll look in to this! I think I remember seeing that post also, so I'll see if I can dig it up. I checked out the foam on my flaps and it's just like you predicted--they look like severely dehydrated llama tongues.

I think you're spot on about replacing the rubber boot...should be available thru LMC, or the like. I'd replace the blower resistor while you have things apart as well. Check the blower motor, might want to give it a small shot of oil around the shaft of the motor...kind of a pre-emptive strike.

Okay, these things I will do!

I'll also check the price on the blower motor, and search the forum for any clues on possible upgrades. I'm sure the motor that's in there is very old, so it wouldn't hurt to put a fresh one in while I'm at it. Of course, that depends on the price of new ones!

Fordman and Fitzwell, thank you again for the great replies!
Robroy

[SteveC]

here is something i interesting i remember reading http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 95#p391795

[fireguywtc]

I rebuilt mine Robory, I replaced my foam pads on the plates to quite them and make it all look good, painted and reassembled. Here is my project thread where I posted it: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... &sk=t&sd=a

[67F110]

I'm not familiar with the F100 heater box (yet), but it does resemble the one in my '75 Bronco. There is a swap that involves a chevy motor and squirrel cage fan. It's well documented on several sites. I tried to search on my favorite www.broncofix.com, but couldn't find it. The other game in town is www.classicbroncos.com. I know it's there as well, but the site seems to be down at the moment. If you do a google search I think it will go right to the thread. As I recall, it's a $30 swap if you order parts from your local auto parts store. Cheaper if you scavenge from the U-Pull. Those who have done the swap claim amazing difference in the heat. It's on my list for the Bronco.

[67F110]

the thread on CB: http://www.classicbroncos.com/forums...t=chevy+heater

sorry... they are a long winded bunch over there.

Apologies... that link didn't work. Admin or moderator, I can't seem to delete this post, only edit. Can you?

[cdeal28078]

Been a while since I replaced the one in my 71 F100 but sounds like you are on the right path.
I would look at replacing the ducts to the defroster also. I sure wish there was a way to improve the defrost in these old trucks. In winter my side windows always fog up on the inside no matter what I do. I always have great heat in my truck and have pretty good air flow out of the defrost vents. You might try and think of a way to transfer some of the defrost air more towards the side windows while you have it all apart
clint

[70_F100]

I checked out the foam on my flaps and it's just like you predicted--they look like severely dehydrated llama tongues.

I almost fell out of my chair on that one!!!

[Calvin Gunter]

Hey robroy,Dennis Carpenter has eveything you need to rebuild your heater box.I rebuilt mine several years ago using his parts.He even has the foam kits to replace all the foam,the rubber boot you need and the heater core.I think I may have gotten the blower motor locally be he may have it too.Give him a try if you don't find everything.May as well do it right while you have it out.Good luck,Calvin

[cdeal28078]

But any ideas about improving the defroster?
clint

[fordman]

wider vents on the dash is all i can think of.

[robroy]

Hey Bill, SteveC, Fitzwell, Fordman, 67F110, Clint, 70_F100, and Calvin, thanks for all your great replies!

here is something i interesting i remember reading http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 95#p391795

Steve, thanks for suggesting this thread! It's interesting that a Jeep motor can be adapted in like that. You know, I think my motor already has the plastic 1975 fan that's discussed in that thread--maybe that's because my truck was built in late 1972. Here's a photo:

I rebuilt mine Robory, I replaced my foam pads on the plates to quite them and make it all look good, painted and reassembled. Here is my project thread where I posted it: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... &sk=t&sd=a

Hey Bill, it looks like you did a truly great job! I like the idea of using material you already have on hand, and I'll bet those flaps will hold up for a good long time. The stuff you used actually looks a lot more durable than the factory stuff, for sure.

You drilled out the tiny rivets and replaced them with screws of some kind, right? I just noticed that I'll have to do this to get the halves apart. Here are the rivets I'm looking at:

I'm not familiar with the F100 heater box (yet), but it does resemble the one in my '75 Bronco. There is a swap that involves a chevy motor and squirrel cage fan.

Hey 67F110 thanks for pointing out this option! I could search for this method if I find my current motor wanting, but I think it's probably OK. And I'm guessing that this Chevy motor probably uses more electricity, which would mean wiring in a relay to the blower switch, which I'm not sure if I'm ready to do or not.

If I test my current motor and hear some bad noises or anything from it, I may go this route. Thanks again!

Been a while since I replaced the one in my 71 F100 but sounds like you are on the right path.
I would look at replacing the ducts to the defroster also. I sure wish there was a way to improve the defrost in these old trucks. In winter my side windows always fog up on the inside no matter what I do. I always have great heat in my truck and have pretty good air flow out of the defrost vents. You might try and think of a way to transfer some of the defrost air more towards the side windows while you have it all apart
clint

Hey Clint! I like the idea of replacing those ducts, since I'm sure they're leaking. My green duct tape job has lots of years on it by now. I don't see the ducts listed in my Dennis Carpenter catalog but I'll check with NPD also.

About improving the defroster, I probably won't go that far on this rebuild. It worked OK if I remember correctly, and I live in California anyhow. But I can definitely understand why you'd make this suggestion now that I have it all apart!

they look like severely dehydrated llama tongues.

I almost fell out of my chair on that one!!!

Thanks for appreciating my humor 70_F100!!!

Hey robroy,Dennis Carpenter has eveything you need to rebuild your heater box.I rebuilt mine several years ago using his parts.He even has the foam kits to replace all the foam,the rubber boot you need and the heater core.I think I may have gotten the blower motor locally be he may have it too.Give him a try if you don't find everything.May as well do it right while you have it out.Good luck,Calvin

Hey Calvin thanks for this tip. I see lots of stuff for this area in my Dennis Carpenter catalog, so I'll probably order most of the stuff from them. There is a new motor listed in the catalog for $90, but I'm not sure if it's worth replacing mine, since it was working OK last I checked. And if I'm not mistaken, it's easy to replace it after the heater box is back in the truck--right?

About the resistor, mine looks like it's in OK shape. I measured the resistance and came up with this:



I think I might be reading my multimeter incorrectly. I have it set on the 200 ohm range, and it's saying around 1.0 and 2.5 for the fat and skinny coils, respectively. Is that 1.0 ohms or 1.0 * Units (which is 200) = 200 ohms? I'm guessing 1.0 ohms.

Bill, SteveC, Fitzwell, Fordman, 67F110, Clint, 70_F100, and Calvin, thanks again for your truly excellent help!
Robroy

[fireguywtc]

Hey Robroy, thanks for the compliment, I tried to do my best! Plust I had plenty of time as I rebuilt the heater box while I was at work one weekend.

For those rivets, yes I had to grind them out and pull up the little tabs when I could to get those old things out. You need to be real careful here because you can obviously cause damage to the fiberglass or whatever the box is made out of. I can see in your pic its already starting to crack. I have a confession here as I broke mine off pretty good so I ended up going to a junk yard and finding another box in better condition just to get the plastic part, I was more careful with the second one. I am sure it can be fixed with some kind of a glue or resin. Good luck and hope yours comes out good too!