Hi fellow listers,
Last March, I posed a question here about removing the heater core -
whether or nor
removal of the heater box would be required.
My car is a 1970 B built to European specifications.
General consensus was that it was very desirable to do so.
So, I followed your advice and removed the heater box from the car.
Given a systematic lack of spare time, this repair job has taken me
about two months.
Here are some observations:
1. A long Phillips head screwdriver is essential to remove the screws
that hold the heater unit.
Length/dia. should be 200/6 mm, equivalent to 8 / 0,25 inch
(A.o., Gedore makes them).
This screwdriver is also required to get access to the four
screws that hold the bezel behind the speaker area
(this bezel, BTW, is not depicted in my Parts Book).
2. I ordered the 'upgraded' motor/fan combo, made by a Canadian company.
The Chicagoland website mentions that a flange (supplied with
the motor, also with my order) should be used
to adapt the motor to the heater box and even then, some
adjustment is required to make it fit.
I decided that this would not be an improvement, rather a
worsening in design, since in the original situation
the motor/fan assembly has been supported by rubber grommets
(providing some means of vibration insulation)
instead of being mounted straight to the heater box (with no
vibration insulation).
Therefore, I chose to drill out the rivets and to reuse the old
motor support bracket with the rubbers,
using new aluminium rivets.
However, even in the most faraway position of the fan on the motor shaft,
this resulted in a gap between the front of the impeller and the
inlet opening of the the air box of about 1/2 inch,
giving a less than optimum efficiency and/or air flow.
Sure, it works, but I can't compare performance because I don't
have any measuring equipment for air speed and/or pressure.
(Next time I'll definitely retain the original fan and motor!).
3. The condition of the internals of the heater box is always worse
than you expect!
4. The hexagon shaft opening inside the heater (air flow) control
knob was damaged. So, I tried to order a new knob (Off - Heater - Screen)
(for a steel dash, LHD car) but these are NLA.
A similar knob for the RHD car has the same text but not in the
right sequence so it cannot be used except for in an emergency.
5. As for the reassembly of the Heater Box, the most difficult part
is the routing of the control cable.
I was inspired by the Workshop Manual when I found this method
to be working correctly:
a. Take the selector mechanism from the car's dashboard.
b. Test assemble the cable loosely when the heater box and the
selector are both out of the car, so that you will get an impesssion
as to where
the sleeve should go down at the heater flap (is that
correct English?)
c. Disassemble the cable from the selector and remove the outer
sleeve retaining bracket from the heater box end,
but keep the inner cable connected to the control flap.
d. Reassemble the heater box back into the car while rerouting
the control cable, taking care not to bend the latter item.
e. With the selector mechanism under the dash rather than in it,
refit the cable. Once again, check that everything works.
The trick is that the outer cable holding bracket at the
control flap is (only just, admittedly) accessible now for fixing the cable.
f. Refit the selector mechanism in the dashboard. Readjusting
the inner cable fitting at the selector end may be required
to prevent the inner cable from taking up any unnecessary torque.
Well, finally, it works again and the heater unit is no longer leaking,
but all in all, it was definitely the WORST job on my MGB in my 20+
years of ownership!
Thank you for your advice.
Bert
Holland
1970 MGB
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