Air Con. cover in engine bay (1960)

[bird 60]

Hi Guys,

Has anyone removed the Air Con. cover mounted on the Firewall?
I'd like to have it resprayed, but then again I don't want to open a can of worms. If anyone has done so, please advise.

Chris......From the Land Of OZ.

[840 840 840]

Yes! Unclipped it from the houseing cleaned it real well and brushed fiberglass resin all over the inside and then laid one coat of 16OZ mat and recover with resin till clear.
On the out side we just went around the lip edge to make it stronger and then painted it black.
Charley

PS-We also put three screws in the bottom of cover, just drilled holes in cover and case added 3/8 th X 1.5 inch X 1/8th flat stock, easier than clips down there.

[bird 60]

Air-Con Cover

Hi Charley,

Did you do that with the Engine in or out? My main concern is the Thermostat wire & the clips below that are not very visible. My Bird is fully restored & the Air works very good.
It's just that the finish could be better to compliment the rest of the Engine Bay.

Thank you.

Chris....From the Land of OZ.

[Howard Prout]

I'd like to do something similar Chris, but if I recall correctly, there are two clips along the bottom edge as well as clips on the sides and the top edge of the join in the plenum. Its getting the clips on the bottom edge back on that concerns me - there isn't much room between the plenum and the bellhousing and my hands are big, old and clumbsy.

[Dan Leavens]

Gentlemen as Charles and Howard have said the trick is removing the clips gently when taking the cover off. If done slowly and with the use of a light, they should match up and clip back on after cleaning and covering. If needed get a buddy with a hoist or put it on jack stands to improve the view from the bottom.

[840 840 840]

We did it with the engine in. That's the reason for the three screws in the bottom. With the cover off drilling the three holes in the lower case are easy. Just remember to drill the holes in the upper case one drill size bigger so not to bind screws, we used hex head screws so a socket could be used.
It's a weekend or two project just take your time.
Well worth the effort.
Charley

[Anders]

I did this two weeks ago, and itīs a ........challange....

I will to try to explain how I did, what I did wrong and how it shall be done. But sometimes I struggle with my English on tecnical issues, so if you just have some patience, I will give it a try.
First, I removed all the clips, and also a few srews that was holding the outer part of the cover. That didnīt help much as there was clips underneath as well. Jacked up the car, and vent under and tryed to find as many clips as possible. Still nothing came loose as there is some between the gearbox and the under side of the cover as well. Tryed to flip them off with a screwriver, with some succes though, but couldnīt imagine how I ever would be able to put it back again, without taking out the engine....

I also needed to take the fan ( to the heater ) out as the AC box is slided into the fan. ( Now thatīs a good bonus, as I will give that a nice touch-up as well now ) There are some wires to loose as well. In the end, I got the AC front cover loose, but was I able to take it out?
No.
I could only move it half an inch before it stopped on the engine.
I now got a bit desperate, and trying to look for just about anything to unscrew. I therefor started to loosen the screws that holds the whole part to the firewall, and....viola!, With some "firm-hand-movement" it all came off .
As I am about to see if I can go deep inte the AC, so I also disconected the hoses to the compressor and the radiator.
I will put on all clips and stuff before I attach it to the firewall on itīs way back.
I will go out as see if I can take a picture to show how it looks without the stuff in the car. At least, you will find where to look at your screws.....
Please have in mind that my car is a ī58, and I donīt know if it looks different in your ī60.

Edit: Back from the garage. The two first shows the empty firewall. The next two shows the AC box, and where the screvs are located. The last is just a pic of whatīs inside the box...
( Excuse my dirty Engine bay.....)
Hope this helps you a little. Good Luck!!

[bird 60]

A/C

Thanks Guys for all your advise. The reason why I initially asked the question is because I know that there is always something more to it than meets the eye. I am an X Fitter & Turner / Toolmaker by trade & also am mechanically inclined. I know that some things seem straight forward but obviously not always the case. I was under the impression that it would have been a small job, just take off, rub down smooth, undercoat & paint.

Thank you.....Chris