Decided to fabricate my heater/blower under the dash.
No wet electrical, more firewall space under the hood.
Drawing air from the ankle vent port that goes through the fender well beside the right fender kick panel and around the firewall for air source. I have it so I can block it off and recirculate warm inside air for the winter.
Bought a new OEM core and used it inside my custom bent and riveted plenum.
Blower sticks out close to the stock hunk of plastic duct did, without all the crap and flippers and vacuum systems. It's all gone. Single pull switch, no temperature controls or routing of air.
Simple.
Used a small diameter tire tube to run as a duct between my custom housing and the stock plastic air duct to the defrosters.
There's a small diameter hole with a metal slide cover over the front side now, that can be opened or closed to send warm air to the passenger's side, (not in the pictures).
Usually get by with 1400 gram thermal insulated boots and use it for the windshield, most of the winter.
Installed a 5/8 inch ball valve in the hose coming from the cylinder head/manifold port, so the water does not circulate with hot water during the summer, into the cab or defogger/defroster/heater.
Just cabin air during the warmer months for a clear windshield. Works OK. No issues.
The blower snail is from an old famous wood stove company, that had a blown electric motor.
Carved out the same shape as the GM Blower from my truck and mounted it to run off the hot heater relay with a fuse, same as normal. Centered over the intake housing, equal spaced for good flow.
The heater resistor coils had to go, so located a semi-truck dash pull switch with a single resister coil mounted in the switch. It has Off/Hi/Off. Very simple. It required extra electrical tape to cover the exposed wiring, however, you cannot wrap the resistor coil. It gets hot.
It's loud from the volume of air it moves and cleans the snow and ice in a few minutes while the truck warms up. Usually have to open the windows with winter clothes on, so I don't sweat to death with it running.
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Here's where it meets with the plastic defroster duct:
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Here's the dash, (every gauge was bought slightly blem for less than 1/2 price or lower. Took a long time to collect them all at an extreme discount):
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The empty hole in the switch panel got the pull switch.
Eventually it will all get aluminum down below and then carefully covered in oiled Elk Skin up top and screwed panels below.
Same with the door panels.
Stainless plate where the plastic plate/door pull used to be, over padded/oiled Elk Skin custom panels.
Not as classy as a restoration job.
It works and it's all made from scrap and stock parts, except the switch and the new core.
If you look close you'll see the small rubber tubing that cools the motor by drawing cold air from the front of the snail case, before it gets hot from the core.
2nd picture down, to the right of the snail box is directly pointed to the fresh air intake, where the passenger ankle vent used to have a flapper and a pull lever under the dash.
The flipper still works. Put small square screen mesh over the intake so small critters and cat toys don't get pulled into the Vortex. The Bat Cat rides beside me a lot.
The blower squirrel cage is the same one from either unit that works for your application.
Re-used the GM cage, so I had to bend the intake custom with a peen hammer to feed the cage and create a strong vortex.
At the right angle, there's plenty of leg room.
If you don't like the conversation coming from the passenger seat, it's easy to run it and keep saying HUH?
What you say?
The fat zip tie over the top of the blower is holding the core to a 1/4" inner tube rubber vibration damper.
All the gaskets to the blower and motor are made from used inner tube, as well.
It's glued to the metal, holding the core from rubbing or breaking loose.
The inner tube duct is ugly.
Could have bought two 3 inch aluminum duct flex hoses and used the inner tube up under the dash at the transition, to make it look nicer. It's a work in motion.
If it requires changing out, it's just 6 rivets through the firewall to drill out and slip the latch on the fat zip tie to install a new core.
Proper coolant and de-ionized water, should be good for another 37 years?
Lot less complicated.
There was no way I was spending $380.00 on the factory resto units or the flimsy under the dash aftermarket stuff I looked at. Plastic housing and flimsy dual squirrel cages with cheap ball bearings.
The really nice stuff in the picture from the gentleman's post, is sweet and above my pay grade.
After having no heater for 1/2 a winter, it sure was nice to have it working again.
