Anyone else have trouble reinstalling the under dash panel?

Bmachine

Bmachine

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For some reason as I try to reinstall the panel under the steering column, the right side hits the square heater exhaust unit. The left 2 screws (one near the firewall and the other right above the green button on the pic) fit just fine. The problem is just on the right side.

IMG_5099.jpeg

I already trimmed the foam part of it but I have reached the metal framing inside the foam which will require more serious alteration. It is still sticking at least 1cm too far out
(Note that I have indeed tried with it above that metal "pin" and with the brown wires pushed out of the way)

IMG_5100.jpeg

It's hitting this section here:

IMG_5101.jpeg

I'm not sure how it was before since that it was many years ago that I removed it.

Has anyone else had this issue?
 
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I might add that the heater box was rebuilt and reinstalled but I don’t see how it could have moved since it is bolted onto the firewall.

IMG_8509.jpeg
 
so did the Dynamat turn vertical on the inside of the firewall? curious if that could have pushed the heater box into the car a bit
 
The Dynamat suggestion seems like a good candidate to check.

If that route doesn't solve it, then perhaps the panel itself was deformed during storage? After all it is a foam over steel plate construction , where the steel has an almost flat section (no strengthening ribs), thus easy to bend.
 
Good thinking on both counts, guys, thank you. But the Dynamat was installed long after the heater box was so it does not play a role in this case

This panel's shape could indeed have been deformed during storage. Although I don't see how it would have affected its length on just one side by more than a centimeter.

Since this is obviously not a very visible area, I suppose I could just cut a piece of that panel off until it fits. I just don't like to fix a problem without knowing what caused it to begin with

It's almost as if either a) the shape of the heater box had changed during its refurbishment (did its shape change at some point during model years?) or b) the whole unit is not flush against the firewall. But that would seem to be difficult to achieve since it is attached to 4 existing studs welded around the square opening for the fan. On top of that it would have affected the position of several elements of the center console.
 
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Just cutting the panel untill it fits isn't a beautiful solution (which is just my personal opinion); I hope we can can come up with some better solutions for you.
(I don't even see how it would make a difference just yet, but let me ask some questions, perhaps somelse will have a bright idea from these thoughts: )

- I see you have AC, was that also prior to your rebuild?
- Is it the same heater box that was in the car before? If so, then it should fit and something is amiss.
- Deformation could possibly make the panel just fit above the outlet of the heater box, but that's just guessing from the pictures.

Can anyone with an intact car & panel post a pic of how it's supposed to be (or at least how it fits in their car?) My car is in pieces....

I've never heard that there are different shapes of heater boxes over the various model years. Although Realoem does show a 5 versions:
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interesting dilemma!
 
I would hold off on installation until you have the center console in place, you may not need to have this as far forward as you believe you should.
 
eriknetherlands said:
- I see you have AC, was that also prior to your rebuild?
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Yes. Nothing was modified under there apart from being cleaned and rebuilt
eriknetherlands said:
- Is it the same heater box that was in the car before? If so, then it should fit and something is amiss.
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Yes, it should be. The heater core was rebuilt by a radiator shop. Then the whole box was cleaned with new seals installed. It is hypothetically possible that the person who rebuilt it happened to have another one there and accidentally swapped it but that would be very unlikely. Although not theoretically impossible
eriknetherlands said:
- Deformation could possibly make the panel just fit above the outlet of the heater box, but that's just guessing from the pictures.
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Right above that hard plastic of the heater outlet is the flex tube that goes to the windshield defrost. And that sits in the same vertical plane so even if the cover panel could be moved further up, it wouldn't really make any difference
eriknetherlands said:
I've never heard that there are different shapes of heater boxes over the various model years. Although Realoem does show a 5 versions:
View attachment 189875

interesting dilemma!
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Yes. You expect a few fitting issues when reassembling a 50-year-old car. But this is about 1.5 cm off which is more than just old parts that need to be convinced to play nice with each other

At this point the only thing that would make sense is the idea that I accidentally received a slightly different heater box from the guy who rebuilt it. But that seems pretty unlikely. I will have to try and contact him
 
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bavbob said:
I would hold off on installation until you have the center console in place, you may not need to have this as far forward as you believe you should.
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The center console and everything else under there is already reinstalled. The only thing I have temporarily taken off is the hard plastic cover under the steering column just to see if that would make any difference
 
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