Smugglers A/C how out?

OldTee · 03-26-2004, 07:27 AM

79SC, trying to remove the blower in the smugglers hole in front. I have removed all the screws and disconnected the lines. Now what? It wiggles and feels like it is attached from below but I cannot figure out how, or do I remove the impossible to reconnect clips around the sides of the motor housing? Please provided some advice before I break something and must call the mortgage company for $ for parts!

Wil Ferch · 03-26-2004, 07:32 AM

Blower removal requires you to remove the clips that hold the two-piece palstic housing together. Do a search here on this BBS.
--Wil Ferch

unimog · 03-26-2004, 07:33 AM

Pull the clips from the plastic housing,this will allow you to remove the top of the box with the motor giving you more wiggle room. And you will have access the 'guts' at the time. Just two bolts (at least my '87) one forward and one aft and out it will come. The lines will be very tight even after disconnecting the nuts, so wiggle and work on them.

jwetering · jwetering's Garage

This got me a few times - I kept on forgetting.

The trick is that there is an air return port which connects the smugglers box with the passenger compartment. There is a plastic duct thing that goes through the firewall and into the blower box which keeps you from lifting it up.

To get it out - go into the passenger compartment, under the floorboard on the passeneger side. Unscrew the duct from the firewall and remove it. The whole kit and kaboodle will then lift right out of the smugglers box.

hope hat helps.

Jeff Alton · 03-26-2004, 09:10 AM

Jasper is right. When I took mine out I did not have to seperate the the upper and lower halves of the box. It came out in one piece.

Jeff

dwightp · 03-26-2004, 09:28 AM

I second that opinion. Access to attach points in passenger compartment is needed for smooth removal.

OldTee · 03-26-2004, 11:58 AM

I thank you. My wife thanks you too. She did not want to hear all those special words reserved for mechanical problems!

Par911 · 12:10 PM

I'm in the process of ripping my A/C components out of the smugglers box, how does this come out?

Tyson Schmidt · 03-26-2004, 12:32 PM

Unscrew the 4 perimeter screws, and pull it out. Easy as that.

Par911 · 03:25 PM

Thanks Tyson, I guess it was in there tight. A couple hard yanks and it popped right out. Can I just start unbolting all of it in the smugglers box and rip it out?

Gordo2 · Gordo2's Garage

I found (after pulling at the thing until I thought my arms were stretched) that you need to wiggle the evaporator toward the front of the car first to get it off the ducts that run to the cabin. Then you can pull it out. I didn't remove the top panel, guess it could have made it a little easier, but not sure.

There is a top duct that is held on with a hose clamp (the top duct in Par911's pic). This thing has a very tight fit and will need to be held out of the way with something (I wedged a screwdriver between the duct and the fitting).

It's a bear to get out of there.

Good luck. Gordo

Hetmann · 03-27-2004, 05:06 AM

So far I've taken all the A/C off except the smugglers box stuff. I like the fan to bring fresh air into the cabin. What can go and still leave the fan to move the air? Is it a bear to get it back in there?

Par911 · 12:45 PM

Thanks Gordo, Chris helped me out to fabricate a little plate to cover up the hole where the duct was in the passenger compartment. Thanks Chris. Here's the smugglers box without the A/C blower.

What the ....., bird seed??

Damn rodents!! You know, you try to be an animal lover, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

So Marc, what works, mouse traps?