Removing Automatic Climate control from a 68 Wildcat

Discussion in 'The Big Chill' started by 68 Wildcat, Mar 31, 2018.

  1. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    Hi all, I plan to remove the factory Auto Climate Control from my Wildcat and have found a 67 Wildcat as a donor for the non A/C parts. I'm reading up on the procedure to remove the non A/C components and in one place (on page 12-13) it says to remove the rt. front fender. Could the engineering really be that bad? Tell me it isn't so. The parts car is a total rust bucket, so nothing has to be saved. I assume the fender removal is to reach a lower mounting bolt or something? The manual doesn't show the underhood heater assy in relation to the rest of the body. Reading about the job on a Skylark in past posts, it seems a hole can be made in an inner fender. Is this the same situation on a Wildcat? I'll be doing this outside in a muddy field and would not like to remove the fender if I can avoid it. I have a chop saw, but no nearby outlet and no generator. I will save all the A/C parts if anyone needs anything, but this is a rare A/C option 1 year only, so I don't think much will be of use as it won't work with the standard A/C option.

    Gary
     

    Attached Files:

  2. JoeBlog

    JoeBlog Platinum Level Contributor

    The blower motor on the 67 should be easy enough to get to. Maybe the lower outer bolt holding it on needs better access, but I took mine out using a swivel socket. Perhaps the A/C conversion requires using the heater box from the 67. I can believe it’d be a lot more easily removed with the fender out of the way.
     
  3. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    I know the fan comes out easily enough, but I need everything on both sides of the firewall for the conversion. would you happen to remember the socket size? I have to travel 6 .5 hrs to the car and don't want to forget any tools at home.
     
  4. Briz

    Briz Founders Club Member

    You do not have to remove the fender to do that change over( on a riv ) only have to replace the part of the enclosure that hold the damper. The control panel in the dash and re route some of the vac lines.
     
  5. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    I'm hoping to do away with all the vac lines. According to the manual, a non A/C 68 Wildcat seems to be only cable controlled which was my goal. I think Rivs are a little more sophisticated, A/c or non A/C. Below is the non A/C setup for my car. I will have to run some additional wiring as the car will now have a 3 speed fan switch and resistor. Just looked in the manual. My car is a 46000 series (no vac hoses) without A/C. The Riviera is a 49000 series car and even the non A/C version has vac hoses.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Apr 1, 2018
  6. JoeBlog

    JoeBlog Platinum Level Contributor

    Whenever I have to travel any distance to work on a car, I bring every wrench, socket, ratchet, extension and adapter I would remotely expect to need, along with screwdrivers of every species and a cold 6-pack. It's worked out pretty good for many years that way.
     
  7. bostoncat68

    bostoncat68 Platinum Level Contributor

    Bring a small torch and some Pb blaster. You'll likely need both. It's all about getting the two bolts out that are under the front fender. They are devilish. Removing the inner fender well does make it easier to get to them. The torch is a great tool as warming the rusted nuts might prevent something breaking. When you arrive spray everything with pb blaster. If it's close go there a few days ahead and soak everything.
     
  8. Briz

    Briz Founders Club Member

    I have a face plate decal for that control if you need it.
     
  9. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    Thanks, guys, I plan to load up on every extension, swivel, ratchet and socket I own. good advice about the PB Blaster.
     
  10. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    I should be o.k. for the decal as the part I bought is NOS, but the ad said it's peeling a bit on the corners. If I can't glue it back, I'll get in touch.

    Thanks, Gary
     
  11. telriv

    telriv Founders Club Member

    Just another thought. As most have not mentioned this most times cars that have A/C have a larger hole in the firewall than non A/C cars. You might have to cover up the hole & start over or also remove the potion of the firewall on the non A/C car. You will more than likely find out when removing the parts from the parts car.
     
    68 Wildcat likes this.
  12. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    I had not thought of that! I think you're absolutely right. I will have to get a hold of some tin snips or a jig saw with a metal blade and remove some or all of the firewall area after liberating the heater core housing. This is turning into more of an adventure than I first thought it would be. I still want to go ahead with the project as I hate the look of a disconnected A/C housing on the firewall when the rest has been removed. On the up side, the interior and dashboard have been removed from the parts donor, so that should save some time.
     
  13. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    I have to decide real soon if I'm going to remove a complete non A/C system from a 67 wildcat for my non A/C conversion. Before I do all the work of removing the non A/C parts, I would like to be sure this will all fit. While there are a lot of similarities between '67 and 68 Wildcats, the dash isn't one of them as my '68 has the later style dash. While I'm confident the under hood stuff will fit my car (once I deal with making the firewall opening the correct size) as they share the same firewall, I'm less sure the behind the dash part will work with my dash/defrost and floor vents as they are in completely different locations on both dashes. Below is the configuration of my heating system (without A/C), does anyone have the equivalent illustration for a 1967 Wildcat in the '67 Chassis service manual so I can compare before spending hours removing a system that may not fit?
     

    Attached Files:

  14. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    Just got into Bracebridge Ontario (6.5 hr’s from home) in order to remove the heating system and a large chunk of the firewall from a ‘67 Cat sitting in a field tomorrow morning. After days of sunshine,it’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow and the black flies are out already. Wish me luck
     
  15. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    Just back home. The parts car was so rusty that it actually broke in half over the winter from weight of the snow on the trunk lid! Started to try and remove the heater assembly, but the bottom of the housing in the engine bay was so badly rusted away that I could spin the heater fan thru the holes. There was also the transmission laying on the seat which made it real tight to get to the inside portion of the heater. Not a total bust as I now have the Lf wheel opening trim, the remaining console parts I needed (except the linkage), rear defrost fan and rear side interior lights and I met a nice guy. Here's some pics of his 67 Cat and the dead parts car.

    P5190007.JPG

    P5190008.JPG

    P5190005.JPG

    P5190006.JPG
     

Share This Page