Restoring The Blower and Air Vent Plenums - Advice Please

[t6dpilot]

So I am thinking of putting a complete HVAC system in my lightweight. I have all the necessary parts, but the plating is a bit long in the tooth and the plastic blower housing has lost its "luster" as it were. Can anyone provide some advice and direction on the restoration of these items to make them look like new again?

What have you experienced restorers used on the plastic housing - some sort of plastic dye? From Eastwood maybe? How about the plated bits? Can they be removed and reinstalled properly? How is this accomplished and with what hardware? They look to be permanently riveted to the housings. Thanks for the help.

[t6dpilot]

No joy, eh? So, no one here has done this? Surprising... Guess it's over to the bird board.

[Tom F.]

Scott, these are pretty abundant in the used parts market. You might find it easier to shop for a nice one from a 80s car, and gain by getting a later fan, too.

[John Z Goriup]

I went through all the airbox components when I restored Ruprecht a couple of years ago.

The following components were all purchesd from Porsche, via SSF parts in the Bay area, threough Deutsche Motor Sports, the gentlemen who did a lot of the work on my car.

1. all new seals & gaskets

2. new blower motor with squirrel cage ( paid approx. $140.00 if I remember.

3. new corrugated hoses

I removed the original parts from my car, took everything apart carefully, keept everything, and sent all the clamps, hardware, brackets, rods and fasteners out be gold cad-plated. The most critical part is the four-terminal bakelite connector to the blower motor. It's NLA, very fragile and must be btreated wiyh kid-gloves. Most in the salvage yards are gone or broken.

Washed all plastic parts thoroughly in warm detergent water with a soft toothbrush, dryed and applied several coats of Product 303 on all surfaces. This is a liquid anti-UV plastic treatment and replaces some of the volatile components in plastic which are lost over the years as a result of heat ( infinitely superior to Armor-all which is gargbage).

Spent a lot of time at Jim Braezeale's EASY and at Partsheaven in the Bay area scrounging for parts to see if theirs were any better than what I took off my car when I dis-assembled it....and had quite a bit of luck. Naturally I did that before I ordered / bought new parts and sent bits out to be re-plated. Like every other aspect of refurbishing an old 911......it's mostly common sense, research and a lot of work.

Pictures of the finished air-box and completed underhood area attached.

JZG

[t6dpilot]

Tom, yes that would only be too easy right? The reality is though, that I purchased a used HVAC system shortly after I bought the car with the intent of installing it. I decided not to in order to take the lightweight theme to its extreme. Well, I think it is time to bring it back into play and I want to DIY restore what I have.

John, thank you - that is the sort of information that I was looking for. So it is possible to R & R all the hardware to have it replated. Can you give me some details on how that was accomplished? It looks to be permanently riveted. I assume that you drilled them out. What exactly did you use to reattach all the bracketry?

Also, regarding re-blacking the plastic housings, I saw that Eastwood has a plastic paint renew. Has anyone used that? I want this to look as close to OE as possible without looking painted and cheezy. Thanks.

[John Z Goriup]

Recommendation on re4storing 911 ventilation system: Phase 2

Here's what I would do....(if you don't already have it). Got Porsche North America .com and navigate to their PET Pdf file and download the longhood parts file onto your computer. It's free and immensly useful for part numbers and the hand-drawn exploded views.

Then go to Main Group 8: Body and scroll down uintil the entire ventilation system that lives under the cowl in the trunk of your car is shown in great detail.

Basically, the whole assembly consists of five major components: ( the number preceeding the description is the number assigned to that part in the above exploded view.

Part 2. Fresh Air Inlet Box.
Contains no other parts, has no moving parts and nothing other than a
thorough cleaning needs to be done to it. Replace the gasket with a
new one.

Part 6. Blower w/ engine ( their nomenclature, not mine) I suggest a new
blower motor and squireel cage. Remember the 4 post connector & save

Part 15 & 16 Control Box ( RH & LH ) not identical, these are mirror image

Parts 2, 15 & 16 are shiny black plastic need to be taken apart to gain access to the blower motor and airflaps in the control boxes. If you refer to the attached photo you will see a crudely drawn arrow pointing to a yellow-cad plated spring clip. There are several of these on these three components. You take a pair of old pliers, file or grind notches into the serrated jaws for safety, and squeeze the two straight tabs of the clips together. That expands the clip and permits careful removal from the little plastic nipples over which the clips are slipped to hold them together. I care about my eyes, so I wear eyeprotection, since these clips have been know to "sproiiiinggg" right out of the pliers and go flying. When all clips have been removed the air boxes and blower housing will come apart. They only go back together one way. I love Eastwood, but even their plastic paint will look like paint, so I wouldn't paint anything. Hell Scott, you're an aircraft type,...airplane mechanics have access to a supremely effective UV protectant ( it's a foul smelling tar like liquid that will make these plastic parts look like new.

There is no drilling and / or riveting to do on any of the parts, everything is either held in place by the springclips or fits in grooves, so no worries there.

Take all metal parts for plating, and while you are waiting for that to come back rebuild and re-store the three-lever air /hot-cold/blower controller in the center of the dash and get new Bowden cable housings from the local bicycle shop. Use lots of lithium grease on the wire cables that slide through these.

One more important thing: in each airbox is a 2-1/2" dia flapper valve which directs air ( footwell or windshield). There is a foam rubber seal sandwiched between two pieces of metal around a shaft. You will find the foam has hardened and crumbled to dust. Most hardware store will sell you a 18" x 24" sheet of 1/4 thick dense black foamrubber. Cut to original shape with an exacto blade, re-assemble flaper valves when they come back from platers and you're practically done.

I would suggest spending some time locating and for sure using the rubber boots or seals if that's what you want to call them, that seal the heater where it goes through the trunk floor or the "firewall into the car's interior. If you dont, there will be a godawful draft inside the car.

That's pretty much it. Best of luck

JZG

[robmog]

great tips john.
here's how i made the baffle gasket.
http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...ad.php?t=21879

[t6dpilot]

Awesome directions! Thank you John. I have basically already pulled everything apart (except for the bracket style pieces that hold the cables) and cleaned it up. For the flapper foam replacement, I used a similiar thickness piece of rubber material that I sourced from the hardware store. I don't remember what it is though. Thanks for the tip on Eastwood paint - I will not go that route and search out the UV protectant.

The last question I have pertains to the little brackets that the cables run into. Those are what look to be permanently affixed to the air control boxes, no? How did you get those removed for plating? Sorry for the seemingly ignorant question, but the equipment is not with me and I am going from memory. Thanks again for the help.

[Dezzmo]

great tips john.
here's how i made the baffle gasket.
http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...ad.php?t=21879

Hi Rob,

thanks for the tip on how to make the gaskets, mine need replacing but I had no idea what material to use.

[TEC69E]

If it is any help, I've got many parts from the Fresh Air Housing, Blower Housing, Blower Motor, Flappers (L/R), Paper Tubes, Hose Clamps, Little Metal Clamps on the Flappers, Foam Gasket (between Blower Motor and Fresh Air Housing, etc. The only thing I don't have is are the cables that attach to the Flappers. I restored both Vent Systems in my 69 and 73 and now this stuff is just sitting in a box in my garage. So let me know if you need something and I'd be glad to see it go (free of charge . . . you just pay shipping).

P.S. This is not an ad to sell . . . only an offer to help.