1968 "Selector Assembly" (Heater Box) 'Stuck'
I am trying to remove the Selector Assembly (Heater Box) on my roadster in order to replace the Selector Actuator. the Assembly will not come loose where the upper left stud goes into the engine compartment. I have gone so far as to insert some small pry bars within an inch of that point (from the passenger compartment) and put a LOT of torque on them; the underlying firewall flexes, but the Assembly will not loosen. It feels as though I have not removed the nut but I believe I have. It is unclear if the stud is jammed or if someone applied a very strong adhesive. What might you suggest? A few details follow.
December 1967 car - Four Seasons Air Conditioning System
I removed the three large screws on the perimeter of the box (upper right, lower right and left). I removed the nut from the stud in the engine compartment (or at least I THINK I have); it is slightly below and slightly toward the driver from the windshield wiper actuator - so close that it is slightly under the actuator - and also holds a vacuum hose retainer. I removed the three smaller bolts that hold the Assembly to the middle plenum/ductwork. I removed the water hoses. Obviously to do all this I removed the right dash, the instrument panel, and some the duct work running to the dash vents.
Besides using prybars on the Assembly I reinstalled the nut on the engine side, covered it with a shortened socket and gave it a few short whacks with a hammer; there was no movement.
Dash remains in place.
If nobody has a better idea I am thinking of two options:
Here is a closeup of the point in question. It is not evident in this photo, but it looks like this segment was fractured earlier. On the horizontal section that approaches this vertical attaching tab there appears to be a misshapen crack in the Assembly. This crack does not appear to widen or change shape as I 'work' the Assembly.
December 1967 car - Four Seasons Air Conditioning System
I removed the three large screws on the perimeter of the box (upper right, lower right and left). I removed the nut from the stud in the engine compartment (or at least I THINK I have); it is slightly below and slightly toward the driver from the windshield wiper actuator - so close that it is slightly under the actuator - and also holds a vacuum hose retainer. I removed the three smaller bolts that hold the Assembly to the middle plenum/ductwork. I removed the water hoses. Obviously to do all this I removed the right dash, the instrument panel, and some the duct work running to the dash vents.
Besides using prybars on the Assembly I reinstalled the nut on the engine side, covered it with a shortened socket and gave it a few short whacks with a hammer; there was no movement.
Dash remains in place.
If nobody has a better idea I am thinking of two options:
- Get a very long drill bit and drill out the stud head - I can't imagine succeeding at this given the distance; or
- Cut through the assembly tab at the stud - I struggle to see how to do that, too. A saw will not fit. I can't pry it sufficiently to snap it because the core tubes prohibit the lift. I guess I could use a full size pry bar as a make-shift chisel OR I might be able to snap it loose with the small pry bars I have. 'Seems crazy to do this to a car I'm trying to restore.
Here is a closeup of the point in question. It is not evident in this photo, but it looks like this segment was fractured earlier. On the horizontal section that approaches this vertical attaching tab there appears to be a misshapen crack in the Assembly. This crack does not appear to widen or change shape as I 'work' the Assembly.
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