Since AC delete boxes are practically impossible to find these days, I decided to try one of the cheap plastic boxes off amazon

Behold what $33 will buy



First thing first, it's $33. Don't expect miracles
It's pretty thin non reinforced plastic

First up, I drilled all the holes to 5/16" and trimmed a bit around one of the heater core fittings



Next up:
Fabricate a vent bung
Trim down the squirrel cage
Cut a hole for the resistor
Modify the wiring (optional)

AC vs non AC blowers have different height fans. You can see the height difference here. I opted to mount the resistor on the bottom. Originally, they were mounted to the dead center of the front which looks dumb


Fabricating the vent bung is pretty simple. This is a piece of scrap 1/2" electrical conduit. Cut some tabs, use pliers to flare them open and hammer flat. Cut it about 1" long




I used masking tape to estimate how much to cut off the fan cage. Cutoff wheel did the job well


Ready to install. I havent decided if I'll paint the box or leave it bare plastic. Add some 1/2" x 1/8" adhesive backed foam to seal against the firewall



Wiring modified to run under the box. Relay mounted to the body out of sight. This is optional


That took about an hour

Time will tell if the box holds up. Hope that helps someone

 

Looks very nice and clean.

 

Although more expensive, this box allows you to use your deeper original AC blower fan.

1982 -1992. Third gen Camaro, Firebird, Trans Am AC delete heater Box | eBay

• allows use of FACTORY AC fan and mounting hardware
• white gelcoat
• Molded in fiberglass for additional strength and stands up to heat, far better than the generic plastic covers offered. This piece also features more crisp and square lines much like the original steel heater box looked like.

 

You cut down the squirrel cage fan?
So now there is no longer an outer ring connecting the blades together?
My guess is it will come apart when you turn it on.

 

I bought one of those directly from the seller when I was visiting FL eight years ago. It's nice and strong, but it's too tall on the right end and didn't fit behind the vertical air tube on my 87. I've since removed the AIR system, and it's still a struggle to get it between the back of the engine and the firewall, even with the hole opened up so the stud can slide into it.

The factory metal box is thin at the right end, and so is the cheap plastic box Pocket is working with. They're a much better fit in the engine bay. The right end of the cheap one even tapers down thinner on the bottom corner to fit even more easily in that tight space.

Here's a picture of the fiberglass box I have, and a factory assembly I got out of a junkyard car about 20 years ago that I've cleaned up, cleaned out, sprayed out and painted. Both are ready to install, but I haven't decided yet which one I'll use. If the fiberglass box was tapered thinner on the right end like the factory box (and the cheap plastic box), then it would be ideal. Not sure why it was made so tall.

 

This thread is about the cheap plastic box, not the fiberglass version

I've cut down a bunch of fans over the years. They're plenty stiff and have never had one come apart