72 Satellite - Progress on the Interior changes

[72 Satellite]

AC/Heater Box out. Received the complete rebuild kit for it. Found a few good guides on this, but any tips/tricks to know or look out for are greatly appreciated.



Inside look at the Cowl/Plenum rust-through. I noticed the Drain Tube was missing when removing the box. Since it was an AZ car and the AC was used frequently, I imagine the moisture buildup was pretty bad, leading to this damage. Using a length of 1/2" Tygon Tubing, fastened to my Shop Vac, I was able to remove the rust debris prior to applying POR-15 to the area. Unfortunately, my arm isn't as cooperative as the tubing, so getting in the nooks and crannies with a brush proved impossible. Is as good as I can get it. I'm going to apply some fiberglass patch, activated with a UV light, to the inside of the plenum as well. Anyone have experience with these patches?




Priming & Painting Dash.




POR-15 the Firewall & Wheel Wheel Relief Cuts

 

[72 Satellite]

Couldn't fit this one on the previous page, only 10 pics per page I guess.

 

[furious70]

Never used those patches but I know at least one body guy who's gluing panels all the time now rather than weld

 

[72 Satellite]

Never used those patches but I know at least one body guy who's gluing panels all the time now rather than weld

Interesting indeed. I'm curious to see if they are as solid as advertised.

 

[72 Satellite]

Cleaned up the HVAC Controller, Light Switch, and Wiper Switch, and was looking forward to mounting them to my aftermarket Gauge Cluster Panel, made by Thunder Road/Classic Dash.

I couldn't believe my eyes upon attempting to install the HVAC Controller to the new panel! A little tweaking for better fitment wouldn't have surprised me, afterall it's "aftermarket". Calling and speaking with the "Technical" rep for Classic Dash, I only became more infuriated! It was essentially like trying to mount a rectangle to a basketball, I **** you not. He acknowledged that some "trimming" of the mounting posts might be required.
I informed him that

#1.) I'm not a complete idiot.
#2.) The width of the opening is 1/16th too small all the way around...
#3.) I paid over $1100.00 for this setup, including the gauges, and wasn't real comfortable opening the hole that much without damaging the finish.
#4.) The undersized opening was only the tip of the iceberg concerning the overall fitment issue. .

I was getting no where with this individual, and I was becoming unglued in the process, which is never a good thing.

So I spent the past 2+ hours trying to make a rectangle fit to a basketball, instead of moving on to the many other tasks involved in this project.

Also, I was surprised I couldn't find any reviews or stories from others that may have encountered a similar experience...maybe someone can point me in the right direction.

I'll include pics once I settle down a bit.

 

[72 Satellite]

After spending 2 hours on the phone with Classic Industries, half that time on hold, we worked out a reasonable solution to the fitment issue with the OEM HVAC controller. They agreed to send me a new dash panel for $99.00, in case I ruined the current one trying to modify it to fit the controller. So onward with the mods; Heat Gun, Dremel, Gorilla Glue, lots of swearing...it's getting closer, but nowhere near perfect, I'll have to live with it. The new panel arrives tomorrow and I'm curious to see if it has the same fitment issues.

"As found" opening for HVAC Controller. The difference in height between the top and bottom of the opening is at least 1/2", which is where the heat gun was needed. The opening was 1/16" smaller all the way around, compared to the original Gauge Panel. The mounting holes didn't line up, and were too high as well.



During Modification process.



Starting to look a little better.



With the new pad, at least that fit pretty well.



With the Strato-Vent, the Emblem is just two-way taped for perspective. Can't decide if I should paint the Vent Blue. If I do, I was also considering painting the "face" of the Emblems Red, carrying on the Satellite Red, White & Blue theme.

 

[72 Satellite]

Harness Refurb. Aside from 50 years of grime was in pretty decent shape, only a couple "Hacks".

 

[72 Satellite]

Moving the battery from the trunk back to it's rightful place under the hood should have been pretty straightforward. I won't go into detail here, it is documented in another thread called "Starter Relay removal with MSD upgrade?", from a few weeks back. The fiasco set my progress back weeks, but at least I have all new electrical harnesses, and MSD components installed.



https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopa...moval-with-msd-upgrade.217573/#post-911885411

 

[72 Satellite]

HVAC Box rebuild.

 

[72 Satellite]

Sound Deadener, Shoddy Pad, HVAC Insulation install. The HushMat kit that was supposed to do the entire cab, came up short, that's why you see the "Sound Shield" mixed in. Turns out I liked the Sound Shield much better, easier to work with and not messy like the HushMat. Like everything else on this interior work, it's my first attempt, so go easy on my "Craftsmanship".




Fiber Patch and JB Weld repair for hole in Cowl/HVAC intake. Amazing how fast that patch got rock hard once the UV light hit it. Stuff smells awful though, would have wore a mask or half face had I known.

 

[72 Satellite]

Everything that follows transpired between Wednesday the 7th and Saturday the 10th.

Carpet & Dash Install. Got the idea from someone on this site, to Burn the holes for Seatbelts etc. by laying under the car and using a Solder Gun, worked well. Previous owner's shifter installation needs improvement. I ordered a correct mounting bracket/plate for the Trans Tunnel. I'll also move it closer to center.

 

[72 Satellite]

Seat & Steering Column Installation. Might make it to Carlisle after all!!!

 

[72 Satellite]

Carlisle Bound Saturday afternoon. Better late than never!

Don't pay any mind to the Speedo, as I didn't have time to Calibrate it, was in a rush to get there. Used the Tach and my Phone to calculate my speed. Was able to calibrate it later that day. Speedo still jumps around, pretty sure it has the wrong gear...just ordered a 31 tooth green gear, should be close.

 

[72 Satellite]

The 3 hours I spent at Carlisle on Saturday were definitely worth it. Of course I would have loved to be there for the whole weekend, but I'll take it. Was able to say hello to Hawk as he was packing up the FBBO tent! For some reason everyone was taking lots of pics of the beautiful Purple 71 GTX!

 

[72 Satellite]

More Pics

 

[Ken Milton]

Harness Refurb. Aside from 50 years of grime was in pretty decent shape, only a couple "Hacks".

View attachment 1098125 View attachment 1098126 View attachment 1098127 View attachment 1098128 View attachment 1098130

When you took out your wiring harness, what fid you use to clean up the wires

 

[72 Satellite]

When you took out your wiring harness, what fid you use to clean up the wires

Mainly Lacquer Thinner, a rag and elbow grease. As I was taking the tape off, I was amazed at how good the wires looked. I wiped the whole length of each wire, but it was the ends where they are not covered by tape that needed massaging. The lacquer thinner really did the job and softened the ends up, bringing back their original color and pliability.

 

[72 Satellite]

When you took out your wiring harness, what fid you use to clean up the wires

Also, as usual i got a lot of great information and tips from this forum under the Electrical and Ignition section.

 

[Ken Milton]

Also, as usual i got a lot of great information and tips from this forum under the Electrical and Ignition section.

Thank you for the tip. Yes I will definitely check out that section as I want to learn more about the ignition system of my 72 RR.

 

[6872n73]

How was the sound deadener vs no sound deadener after a road trip?