Well, my car will be street car, but I live on FL so I don't need heat, and I was never a big fan of a/c so I just drive with the windows down. Sinch the a/c and heater are gone, I made some patch panels to cover the holes in the firewall. I decided to mount my MSD Pro Blaster HVC coil there and ran into some problems with mounting it due to the heater box being in the way. Anyway, I am in the process of taking out the dashboard to get all the ductwork out plus the heater core itself, covers, boxes. etc. Will I have any problems wth rattles? I would figure that by removing all of this stuff there are less things to rattle. Plus I can use the old HVAC control panel area to mount some cool autometer gauges!!!(I'm a gauge ***** remember!) As always, any opinion/suggestions are welcome. Thanks, Paul Moore

 

I can't help (yet), but that's something I plan on doing, too. Let us know how it goes!
ops32

 

I recently took an entire dash and HVAC system out of my parts car. As best as I recall, the dash isn't actually attached to the HVAC system at any point. You should have no problems with removing it and having the dash mount just as well as before. If you have rattles, I'd suggest using an insulator such as dynomat wherever the plastic dash contacts the body. I'd do the same as you if I weren't in the Northeast where I want to have access to heat and the defroster in the beginning and end of the warm season

 

Well the dash is out now and I started to remove the old HVAC pieces. It's not really that bad once you know how to do it. There are so many little screws and stuff that you forget about taking off and your like why isn't this coming out? Well, once I got all the bolts and stuff out for the heater control box and tried to pull it out and it wouldn't budge. I figured that I forgot a bolt so I double checked and surely they were all out. So just for S&G I looked at my patch panel and the location of the rivets and sure enough I found the problem. I drilled through the backside of the box, and when I put in the rivet I not only riveted the panel to the firewall, but riveted the heater box as well. So with a 'little' persuasion, I got the heater box out, took the old rivet out, put a new rivet and, and repainted the panel from when I scratched it. Now all I have to do is wait for the paint to dry, then install my coil to the panel and put the dash back together.

 

way to go! post up some pics of the engine compartment side if you haven't done so in another thread already

 

I can try to take a pic for you but all I hve is a crappy a$$ AOL Digicam and the pictures come out all blurry. Even after I play with the editing software for an hour for each pic it still looks like a$$!!! I just need to bite the bullet and get a good digital camera.

 

Ok guys, the dash is back in and WOW! there is sooooo much room behind the dash to work on anything. It's a good thing I took it out when I did because of where I installed the 6AL box. I mounted it over the patch panel where the blower motor sat, and when I drilled the holes for the vibration mounts, I would never have been able to access them. I had to take out the little flapper vent that allows air to enter the ductwork from the blower motor. It was held on by 4 10mm bolts. After that was out, I was able to stick my big *** hand into the little 'pocket' where the vibration mounts protruded through the firewall to secure them. I then mounted the box to the mounts and it was done. Looking at the car, you wouldn't even know that all of the heater/ac stuff was gone behind the dash (until you pull the lower hush panels out that is!!) And believe me there were ALOT of little bolts and screws that hold the ducts to the backs of the vents so I feel very confident that I have eliminated a large amount of rattles from this area. I would recomment doing this to anyone who has the time and tools to do so, and can live without heat or ac. Just wanted to give you guys an update. Paul Moore

 

might be a little late, but with all that room there, why dont you mount the 6AL INSIDE the car, under the dash?

 

Because I have been in a car that has had the MSD box mounted inside the passenger compartment and it is loud. You can hear the box operating. It kinda sounds like a whirring sound that increases with engine rpm. Now I don't know if the ignition was installed incorrectly, or if the box just makes that much noise. It was in a Mustang and mounted behind the dash on the passenger side. Plus at the time that I was getting ready to install it, I never thought that I was going to be taking out the dash in the first place so on the firewall was my main choice. I used the wiring connectors so if I have to disconnect it, I simply unplug the connectors and out she comes.

 

the box itself doesnt make any noise..

now if you route your stereo wires right next to it, you'll hear that noise thru the speakers...........

 

i prefer to keep my heat but would like to know if there is anything a/c related behind the actual dash?

 

Well, the only part of the a/c system that is behind the dash are the duct that go to the back of the vents. But the heater, and the box that it is in also control the blend doors and whether or not it pulls air from outside, or recirculates the air already inside the car.

 

Thanks for the update on removing the stuff. I'll be doing the same when I can work on my car again.
ops32

 

Living in FL myself, I see a problem with removing all the HVAC. Does this car get driven daily? If so, what are you gonna do about windows fogging? Also, what are you gonna do when the every afternoon rains from May thru October come? Driving with the windows down at that point will destroy the interior. I too like to drive with the windows down, but find it dificult to handle the hot air in July during the rain with the windows up!!!

 

Well, I have ac in my daily driver sunbird, and the only time that I use the ac is when it is raining outside. Yeah the defrost is nice for when the windows fog up, but leaving the windows open for a short amout of time will clear it up. If worst comes to worst, I can always install some vent shade window visors that run along the top of the windows, and keep my wondows down about an inch to keep air circulating, but still keep rain and stuff from getting in.

 

no go on the vent shade dealies.... without a window frame, they don't work

 

Sorry to bring back such an old post, but I did get a new digital camera for Christmas so I figured that you guys might still want some pics so here they are

 

And a not so good pic of the coil....
You can see where I used the connector to attatch the MSD box to the coil. I figured that it is a watertight seal plus it just looks cleaner.