Ducting and Switch/knob question

At this point I may just cut out a third hole and go with a full AC system.  It just sounds like a lot of work to get a heat only system going so I might as well just bump it that little extra and go full AC conversion.

I don't think it is as easy as that or Dave would have done it.  But, let's let him tell the story.

And, I don't think you are as far from getting it going as you think.

That sounds like a lot of work to me as well. My 1980 F100 was heat only and the 1981 F150 is heat only although the heater core has been bypassed for the nine years that I've owned it so far. That said, they are the only ones I've seen that were heat only so I wish you luck finding the missing components.

I am not a motor guy, never built one before, never tore one down past the manifold to be honest (learning though!)....but when it comes to cutting, torching, welding, and fabbing things from steel and aluminum....that I can do.  Nothing is impossible, it is only a matter of 1. is it worth it for the time and cost incurred, and 2. gathering the necessary components

jstone4646 wrote

At this point I may just cut out a third hole and go with a full AC system.  It just sounds like a lot of work to get a heat only system going so I might as well just bump it that little extra and go full AC conversion.

Gary Lewis wrote

I don't think it is as easy as that or Dave would have done it.  But, let's let him tell the story.

And, I don't think you are as far from getting it going as you think.

It is not that easy as to cut the 3rd hole as the other holes do not line up right.
Now others say it is not hard to do as you want, cut the hole and work the others so the AC box will  bolt up and that may how I would do it if I did not have the AC firewall to pull that panel from like I did.

I don't have any pictures showing the back side of the holes not lining up but again from what others say for the average person just cut the 3rd hole and rework to fit the AC box as not everyone can do or wants to do it the way I did.

As for easy I don't do any thing easy, the fire wall for AC was just the first after replacing the floors, rockers, cab corners and the lower left inside & outside of the door.
That was a prep for the bed floor replacement and custom bumpers
Cut the hole is easier way to go if you did not go back to just heat.

BTW I cant see why a full heat only box & duct work that I have would not fit his truck?
I did not look to see if the blower switches were the same or not but I can see why it would not fit.
Dave ----

FuzzFace2 wrote

BTW I cant see why a full heat only box & duct work that I have would not fit his truck?
I did not look to see if the blower switches were the same or not but I can see why it would not fit.
Dave ----

That's why I said I don't think he's far from getting there.

There you go, every thing you need all in one place.

FuzzFace2 wrote

jstone4646 wrote

At this point I may just cut out a third hole and go with a full AC system.  It just sounds like a lot of work to get a heat only system going so I might as well just bump it that little extra and go full AC conversion.

Gary Lewis wrote

I don't think it is as easy as that or Dave would have done it.  But, let's let him tell the story.

And, I don't think you are as far from getting it going as you think.

BTW I cant see why a full heat only box & duct work that I have would not fit his truck?
I did not look to see if the blower switches were the same or not but I can see why it would not fit.
Dave ----

I am traveling for work right now so I have no update on the truck but I was reviewing the HVAC system info here on the page, and realize I basically need a whole system because I only have 3 small pieces to a much larger system!

I only have the 3 circled pieces to my heat only truck.

That's the illustration for the A/C and/or Hi-Low Vent system.  Notice the vacuum lines going to the control panel?

This is the one you should be looking at.

And, by the way, the easiest way to get something from this website is to right-click the pic, copy image address, hit Insert Image, and paste it into the entry spot where the "HTTP://" is, of course overlaying that with the URL.  No need for a screenshot in that case.

Thanks for that info, but here is the interesting thing then, I have the 18490 defrost portion you show in the picture you posted....but my vents are very specifically the ones I circled in the other picture showing the AC truck (the two piece tubular ones).  So my guess would be someone was swapping in an AC and never got it finished, or was in progress of acquiring parts, etc.  I do not have that 18471 style from the heat only truck.  I suppose this can also be confirmed because the dashboard in my truck has vents, where the heat only truck did not....so I would assume someone started an AC conversion, gathered some pieces and it fell through the cracks or they discovered the firewall difference and went all stop with it.

So you have a truck with a heater firewall and HVAC/Hi-Lo Vent ductwork. Given that, I don't think anything is going to fit right. I don't know this, but it makes sense that it wouldn't work - at least to me.

One approach is to acquire the right heater ductwork and use it, with nothing connected to your dash vents.

Another is to modify the firewall to accept the A/C underhood box.

A third is to see if you can connect the heater box with the A/C ductwork.

But if you want to have A/C, then you either need to modify the firewall or use aftermarket A/C.

Well I do have the 85 which has a full interior, ducting, engine side also, all hardware and necessary electronics....and it all works.  She is a dual tank truck but I can just leave that switch electrically disconnected...or just put the dual tanks in the 84.....options, options.  The firewall on the 84 would need to be cut and modified but I can work that out.