kramttocs Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Question for you guys that have serviced/disassembled these units. Can the face plate be removed safely? Can I simply grind away the white plugs and then the face plate can be removed? Did you use screws to re-attach it? Yes - that is actually how some of the dealer ac faceplates worked so they could just swap them out per application. Those used 4 little clips with dimples that snap around the face place and main unit, with the dimples catching in the holes. I ground the white melted plugs away on mine and then used some of those clips I found in the jy. I don't see why button head bolts or screws wouldn't work. Clearance shouldn't be an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Yes - that is actually how some of the dealer ac faceplates worked so they could just swap them out per application. Those used 4 little clips with dimples that snap around the face place and main unit, with the dimples catching in the holes. I ground the white melted plugs away on mine and then used some of those clips I found in the jy. I don't see why button head bolts or screws wouldn't work. Clearance shouldn't be an issue. Scott, Thanks for the quick reply. I thought you were one of the people that had taken one of these apart, but I wasn't sure where to find the info. I checked the fitment up against the center/radio bezel and there's lots of room for some button heads...a good 1/4" gap there I'd say. I want to take the face plate off and see if I can clean/polish it so that it looks a little better. I also need to experiment with covering the dual fuel tank text and switch and see how good (or bad) it looks. I'm sure I can put some black tape over it but I think it will bother me even if nobody else notices it...lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Yes - that is actually how some of the dealer ac faceplates worked so they could just swap them out per application. Those used 4 little clips with dimples that snap around the face place and main unit, with the dimples catching in the holes. I ground the white melted plugs away on mine and then used some of those clips I found in the jy. I don't see why button head bolts or screws wouldn't work. Clearance shouldn't be an issue. Scott, Thanks for the quick reply. I thought you were one of the people that had taken one of these apart, but I wasn't sure where to find the info. I checked the fitment up against the center/radio bezel and there's lots of room for some button heads...a good 1/4" gap there I'd say. I want to take the face plate off and see if I can clean/polish it so that it looks a little better. I also need to experiment with covering the dual fuel tank text and switch and see how good (or bad) it looks. I'm sure I can put some black tape over it but I think it will bother me even if nobody else notices it...lol. Looking forward to see how the polishing goes. Hmm yeah not sure about how to hide the fuel tank switch. Fortunately it seems like the early 'blocky temp' style held up better against fading so if you need to find a replacement it shouldn't be too hard finding a good one. Shame it's not easy to scrape off the text or you could repurposed that switch for some accessory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Looking forward to see how the polishing goes. Hmm yeah not sure about how to hide the fuel tank switch. Fortunately it seems like the early 'blocky temp' style held up better against fading so if you need to find a replacement it shouldn't be too hard finding a good one. Shame it's not easy to scrape off the text or you could repurposed that switch for some accessory. An overlay might be an option. When you get into their FAQ, apparently they will make them in black if requested (and for a fee, of course). I have asked the question, so will just wait now and see what the reply is. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1980-1986-Ford-F150-F250-F350-Truck-White-Heater-Control-Switch-Overlay-HVAC/401144834057?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 An overlay might be an option. When you get into their FAQ, apparently they will make them in black if requested (and for a fee, of course). I have asked the question, so will just wait now and see what the reply is. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1980-1986-Ford-F150-F250-F350-Truck-White-Heater-Control-Switch-Overlay-HVAC/401144834057?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 Dug up an email from last year. Here is the response I got. I asked what the min quantity would be but doesn't look like I heard back. Their white quality looks nice. "I was asking about quantity because we have a minimum on custom work like this. I think your best option would be to get a used one off of eBay. You can get a pretty new one that isn't too expensive." Maybe things have changed though and now there is more demand 🤞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taskswap Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 Dug up an email from last year. Here is the response I got. I asked what the min quantity would be but doesn't look like I heard back. Their white quality looks nice. "I was asking about quantity because we have a minimum on custom work like this. I think your best option would be to get a used one off of eBay. You can get a pretty new one that isn't too expensive." Maybe things have changed though and now there is more demand 🤞 Resurrecting an old thread, would anybody be interested in a new front plate for their 80-87 vehicle? Mine is cracked and probably not recoverable so I'm getting quotes on having it laser-cut. I can't just buy a replacement because I apparently have an aftermarket unit with an unusual layout: But all of these plates have the same approximate dimensions. Rather than using the wrong plate, or one of those aftermarket ones that don't give you the same "look", I thought the important thing is to have the panel itself. Given that and a color laser printer, you could print the design you need on a transparency sheet or heavy-weight paper and get a pretty nice look in the end. If anybody is interested let me know. I'm going to do this for myself anyway, but if I know others might want them, I might have some quantity of these cut as a batch. I'm not looking to make a buck here, just figuring out if I should order 1-2... or 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 Resurrecting an old thread, would anybody be interested in a new front plate for their 80-87 vehicle? Mine is cracked and probably not recoverable so I'm getting quotes on having it laser-cut. I can't just buy a replacement because I apparently have an aftermarket unit with an unusual layout: But all of these plates have the same approximate dimensions. Rather than using the wrong plate, or one of those aftermarket ones that don't give you the same "look", I thought the important thing is to have the panel itself. Given that and a color laser printer, you could print the design you need on a transparency sheet or heavy-weight paper and get a pretty nice look in the end. If anybody is interested let me know. I'm going to do this for myself anyway, but if I know others might want them, I might have some quantity of these cut as a batch. I'm not looking to make a buck here, just figuring out if I should order 1-2... or 20. That's really neat! Due to how these fade I bet you'd have some takers (myself included). Would be best if you can get one made and post some photos so people will know what to expect. There were a few variations based on truck options as well as the dealer HVAC. They even changed the order of the selections (like vent, mix, etc) in 83 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Whitstone Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 I also need to experiment with covering the dual fuel tank text and switch and see how good (or bad) it looks. I'm sure I can put some black tape over it but I think it will bother me even if nobody else notices it...lol. I had the same issue, I needed to replace the whole HVAC head unit, it looks like for the same reason you need to - the place where the cable mounts was snapped off. When I went to find a new one, I could only find one with the fuel switch. So I was going to swap the faceplate to my original (no fuel switch) but then I realized that the order of things on one of the sliders was not the same (def, AC, floor, etc). So I kept the switch and faceplate, and now I'm trying to think of some clever use for it. Like, stealth kill switch, or if I get a CB, using it to toggle the speakers between stereo and CB. That one's kind of unlikely, but you get the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 Like, stealth kill switch... If you use it to ground the tach signal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taskswap Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Like, stealth kill switch... If you use it to ground the tach signal... One thing that would be super helpful is knowing the dimensions of the various panels. Given the dash/trim sizes I suspect they were a common size just with different stencils on them. My whole thought process here is that the "hard part" is getting the acrylic panels laser cut. If they're all one size that's a lot easier. Mine is 7.59" x 2.09". Strange numbers that don't quite work out to metric either. I suspect they were originally a more nominal size, but there was some loss from a kerf when they were cut out. Or maybe they're just deliberately under-sized from 7-5/8 x 2-1/8 to allow some spacing when installed in a trim hole of that size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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