Amazon: Heater rebuild enquiry.........

[omc 47]

Hi all,
I'm in the fortunate position of having a 2 door Amazon which has been unmolested and sat garaged for 30 years. The implications are plain enough and engine rebuild, front suspension out etc, the list goes on BUT after respraying the bulkhead and refurbing the heater assembly (which has no rust) I've reinstalled the unit with the original foam gasket and smeared some waxoil in the chamber which catches the water, is this sufficient protection or does the foam need some soaking too?
I'm not intending to use her everyday but she will be part of my life and will be taken out in all weathers...........it's just got to be done!!
Thank you in anticipation

Andy

[Derek UK]

Don't forget to fit the drain tube in the bottom. There is a tiny plastic spreader plug fitted to the original but you don't get that with a new tube. It does help to tighten the seal to the bottom of the box. If the old tube was broken off when you removed it you may not have noticed the plastic piece when you prised the bit that was left out of the hole.

[omc 47]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

Don't forget to fit the drain tube in the bottom. There is a tiny plastic spreader plug fitted to the original but you don't get that with a new tube. It does help to tighten the seal to the bottom of the box. If the old tube was broken off when you removed it you may not have noticed the plastic piece when you prised the bit that was left out of the hole.

Hi Derek,
I knew you would be in with some advice at some point, thanks for the tip and yes I have the original tube and spreader all in tact in the base of the heater box, the rubber work on this Volvo is in very good condition.
My concern is higher up where the box tightens onto the foam gasket on the "plenum chamber".
I'm wondering if I need to soak the foam in waxoyl or equivalent to alleviate the risk of water saturating the foam gasket and running outside and to the rear of the heater assembly onto to the bulkhead when in a good downpour.
Pedantic I know but the car has lasted this long in pretty good fettle so I would like to preserve her for as long as poss as she's going to be back on the road in all weathers.

[Derek UK]

If you bought a complete sponge kit from Brookhouse you'll have had fun fitting the door seals after painting but quite a satisfying job. Fitting the inner coil to the heater valve sensor is a bit of a faff as there doesn't seem to be kink in the flanges to stop it from being possibly crushed when you tighten up the local screws. You find this out after painting. The small barbed clips that hold the control wires on also tend to go missing.
The thick bulkhead sponge is compressed rather than squashed and should be fine for another 25 years without treatment. It is closed cell so shouldn't soak up water. The cut off rounded rubber ends from wheel valves that you can find on the floor of any tyre shop make good washers for the long retaining bolt at the top inside the engine bay.

[omc 47]

Thanks Derek,
I have'nt bought a new heater gasket kit as all the original seals etc seem ok even the half round top bolt rubbers are fine but that's a good tip and when I was bolting in the heater I did think they reminded me of something.
I may next year remove the heater assembly and regasket everything and check on general condition after it's been used for a few months but at the moment I'm trying to get nearer to MOT time without too much in depth work. I've removed all underseal and replaced with 2 pack resin also both rear lower valance panels which were the only rusty panels on the car although the undereal does tend to hide a multitude of sins to the uninitiated.