HI - in the process of stripping for restoration of my car I have just removed the heater box and am a bit puzzled by the fact that it doesn't resemble any of the photos I have seen, or the drawings in the parts manual or workshop manual. Photos of the box are attached - yes, I know it looks like something that has been retrieved from the wreck of the Titanic. Please can anyone offer any advice? I'm wondering if there were different versions fitted - this car is a 1977. What is the appendage (circled red) on the left hand side, and why is it smothered in some kind of molten black goo - any ideas? Is this something that should be there, or just further evidence of molestation? Appreciate any feedback. Cheers - Dave.Heater box.jpg
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Did you manage to confirm whether it had air con at sometime in its life in Aus?Just a guess, perhaps it cools as well as heats the air passing through and the black gunge is old insulation to keep the pipes cold. With a bit of luck someone from a hotter climate will be along to give a better answer.John.
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OK A/C heater is Nothing like that,
My guess is that someone has retrofitted an evaporator into the heater, Neat job! is there a drain? A/C causes a lot of water as its other function is a dehumidifier, The goo is normal and is to prevent condensation when the pipes are cold.
Mine is pictured below, the TXV valve is not installed yet but it goes on the pipes to the left.
heater2.JPGLast edited by trunt; 26 November 2019, 15:16.Terry Hunt, Wilmington Delaware
www.terryhunt.co.uk
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Thanks guys - you are probably on to it as there appears to be other evidence of some kind of a/c having been fitted at some time in the car's life - earlier in the stripping I had come across a mystery relay/switch, whose purpose seems to have been to control a compressor. Link to thread is below. There are a couple of stubs underneath the front of the unit, either side of the control panel - there were pipes attached to these though they were perished and brittle, and fell off when I was pulling the box out, so if they were drains I'm not sure where they went to. I will have a look and see if I can figure it out. I guess more will be revealed when I get to pulling the box apart. May be worth preserving this added equipment for if I want to add a/c later?
Hi - please can anybody tell me what this is? I have tried to figure it out from the wiring but like many of the "improvements" to this car, it doesn't appear to have been installed professionally. Thanks. Relay box.jpeg
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It would be interesting to see if its a very late Aussie factory install or a retrofit..
As I said the one thing I would be concerned about is making sure there is provision to collect and drain the condensate that will drip from it so check that..
TerryTerry Hunt, Wilmington Delaware
www.terryhunt.co.uk
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Yes, there do appear to be drain holes - one either side of the tunnel, approximately coinciding with the position of the pipes that came down from under the box. The holes have some proper-looking grommets in them - looks like it may have been a professionally-installed aftermarket system, though only partially still remaining.
AC drain holes.JPG
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So today I got this thing on the bench and pulled it apart to see what's inside - the pic attached shows the major parts separated, having had a quick clean to remove a load of dried Australian bush. The car has clearly been running with a/c for some of it's life, though the box doesn't look like any a/c unit in the manuals, or like Terry's pic. above. The bottom part, housing the heater matrix, appears standard, but the blower motor housing has the additional chamber containing the a/c evaporator grafted on to it. I'm guessing that this may have been some after-market kit that was available in Aus. at some stage, custom-fitted to the existing box. Or is it from another car altogether?
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Looks like when the a/c system was "decommissioned" it was done without ceremony, judging by the next pic. Perhaps during the car's transition from being a cherished possession to an object of molestation...
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Operation of the heater control valve has also been butchered and appeared to be relying upon the end of the cable being bent at 90 degrees into the off-set hole in the pic. below - goodness knows if it was functioning(?). I guess I will need to replace the valve (is it correct that if I find a screw to fit the centre hole I should be able to pull it out?). I will also need to source the correct parts to reinstate correct operation.
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A post on the Triumph Car Owners Australia FaceBook group page brought a referral to a company in Sydney who have had a long association with Triumphs. I contacted them and they confirmed that what I have is the remnants of an after-market a/c system which had been available in Sydney back in the day. Just have to decide whether I want to source all of the components to restore it, or revert to a standard heater box...
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What I did was test the evaporator and then filled it with nitrogen and sealed it up, should I ever decide to go with A/C in the future it’s ready to go and eliminates the worst part of the job, I.e. taking the heater out.
The other difficulty would be mounting the compressor, if you are going to use a modern one (sanden?) its going to need a mounting fabricated, i was considering using one of those brackets for moving the alternator as a basis. Other than that it’s not rocket science.. just money!
terry
Terry Hunt, Wilmington Delaware
www.terryhunt.co.uk
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