Topic: Heater box clips

[Oz390]

Restoring an early '65 heater box w/3 wire motor and no rheostat (Oct '64 ink stamp).  Have a bag of clips, and there are 3 distinct types. 

I believe that the small thin ones are early '65.  I am unsure what the two larger are, an original for "later" 65 - 68 and a repro, or if the wider clip had two factory variants over time...

[Oz390]

? Anyone.....

[J_Speegle]

Sorry no  collection of boxes to compare and have not payed attention to the detail (though I do recall two different styles) so can't help with the change over point.

But this is how everything gets answers....first you identify a need to look into the subject

[FunStang65]

I remember when I was restoring my April 17, 1964 coupe a long time ago I had to grind down the repro clips I was using at the time to make them fit the clip slot and match the other clips on the heater box. That heater box was missing a couple of clips and I was replacing the missing ones at the time. I no longer have that car unfortunately. My September 21, 1964 K convertible has the wider clips on its box which are all original so that sets a window at least, albiet a pretty wide one.

[66RavenGTCoupe]

My original Dec 65 build 66 had the smaller ones and the heater box was definately un-opened. NJ car. Hope this helps.

[Oz390]

Hmmm, this is an Oct or later box (I only have the box, not the car it came from!) and the Sept noted is wide clips.... odd.....

Would there have been multiple manufacturers of the boxes, maybe plant specific for a change over?  Or would they be similar to convertible tops, which I beleive all came from a single source and assembled in Utica and shipped to the plants...?

I am pretty sure 68's used the wider, flatter ones.  All 4 of my 68's have mostly those style.  And think the higher wide one is a service replacement or repro.

[66RavenGTCoupe]

I remember when I reconditioned mine that when I took the clips off they left a slight dirt/rust stain. This would confirm the width. As for the height, the clip sat just over the join where the two parts met to give a nice tight grip. I would imagine that if the inside of the clip and the box had some sort of gap between them that the clips may be in the way of something else because they would be sticking out. Hope this eliminates the wrong ones for you.