Heater box swaps?

[hutch1973]

I'm disappointed with the heater set up in my 68. The defroster doesn't seem to work very well. Checked the assembly and everything is working right, but it just seems to me that the later 70's trucks have a better system. Anyone swapped the newer set up into this model of truck?

[flyboy2610]

Check the foil hoses that go from the box to your dash. If they're all torn you won't get very efficient defrosting. They are readily available, however, so replacement shouldn't be too difficult.
My '68s defroster worked quite well.

[Ford_Doctor]

Well if you're talking about installing a '73-79 box then good luck. A good portion of the later boxes extend into the engine compartment and also there are no provisions for vent registers in our dashes. If you are really bored, adventureous, and handy with sheetmetal fabrication then it might be possible.

[hutch1973]

the hoses are good, and i have an extra set i took out of my parts truck. Just seems like it takes forever for the windows to defrost when you hit those -10 days. I'm good with sheetmetal and am going with a padless dash. It was just something I was curious about and figured if it had been done before, and was worth the effort, it would be on here.

[FORDification]

I've heard that a few people have modified the setup to include full-width defroster vents from a Dodge van, which supposedly makes all the difference in the world. That way you get heat all the way across, AND right at the base of the windshield, instead of two small vents back away from the glass as our trucks are now. Might be something to consider. I've seen some pictures of the setup before, but I'll be darned if I remember where.

[Faithful Old Road Dog]

Have you considered that your fan is just worn and weak?

[fordman]

that makes me remember a heater fan in a mobile home i used to have. the blades of the fan were caked with crud and stuff from not having a filter in the heater for so long. i cleaned the fins on the fan and it blew alot better than it did before.

[hutch1973]

The fan could be worn. When I tear the dash apart I'll check it out.

[390Nut]

Might be the heater core is clogged as well, taking longer to heat up if internal, or longer to transmit the heat if external (dust and junk in the fins).

[dotcentral]

a few people have modified the setup to include full-width defroster vents from a Dodge van, ....I'll be darned if I remember where.

Bumpsides had done that mod. http://www.bumpsides.com/cab.html

[flyboy2610]

That would be a good mod to do, but I wonder how you would go about modifying the dash pad, if you were going to use one?

[dotcentral]

Yes, that would involve some work. maybe cut new defroster holes in a pad and patch the old holes, then recover? Probably take a lot of practice or a good upholestry shop to get it to look right.

[tod-hog]

I have purchased 2 new heater cores from LMC and I'll be darned if they didn't both purge and fail within the same winter. I figure they are all manufactured at the same place (mexico?) so it matters not where you but them. Anybody got an ideas? Surely the odds of me buying 3 brand new ones and them all failing has to more than me winning the lottery, right?

[hutch1973]

I'm going to at least move the defroster vents. I looked at bumpsides and might just do the same thing. I'm going to check the cfm movements of the 68 fan vs "high output heater" of the 74 and make adjustments as needed.

[fordman]

i got a blower motor from a 78 if you want to try and use it. it is defintely different. the motor sits into the fan blades. instead of out like the regular ones do.