'66 Chrysler Heater/AC box question & fuel sender location

[Boomer]

Back for Round 2.

Since my 300 has a leaky heater core and A/C is currently disconnected, thought I'd look for a drop in replacement with good cores, with the long term plan to rebuild the original over the winter. Think I found one but wanted to double check the fit. Are all boxes interchangeable between the 300, New Yorker, and Newport? I think they are, but am not sure.

Also curious as to where the gas sender is located in the tank. Can't see an access panel in the trunk photo anywhere, so I'm hoping for the side. Otherwise it's 'drop tank' time. Can't check the car or service manual because neither have arrived yet.

 

[fury1]

I'm pretty sure that a heater box from a Newport, newyorker, would fit... All the same firewall. As for the gas tank. The sender is in the front of the tank. Your gonna have to drop the tank to replace it.

 

[C Body Bob]

I have a good heater box with a good core. Non A/C car. Already removed. From the 65 Newport I parted

 

[commando1]

I'll go as far as saying all 65-68 Fury, Polara/Monaco, and Chrysler boxes.

 

[Wollfen]

Can you get a new heater core from Advance Auto? i know they are available in the 68's

 

[saylor]

on a 68 fury, there was PLENTY of room to R&R the sendo unit without dropping anything - i dont even think i lifted the car at all - just crawl under there and see whats doin.

somewhere is my post about fuel sending unit R&R - it may help you out

 

[stubs300]

If you need a sending unit, shoot me a PM as I still have mine I'm selling, and I have a few odd ball parts as well. See here. http://www.forcbodiesonly.com/mopar-forum/showthread.php?16688-65-6-Fuel-Sending-unit

 

[Boomer]

Wow, now THAT'S what I call service! I enjoy learning new stuff, especially when it's about something interesting like a car. I figure there's a lot of interchangeability between models but don't know for sure, so fury1 & commando1 - thanks for that. I'll still check before assuming anything, of course, because of that whole ***-u-me thing.

Bob, thanks. I actually thought about grabbing a non-AC box to swap in while I rebuild the other one(new cores etc), until this one surfaced. Especially here in NC where it can stay hot well into October, the good wife will be checking on the progress of her Tampa comfort option. The drawback is always that putting in a 'temporary' replacement ends up becoming permanent, then of course it breaks when you're a thousand miles from home.

There is one caveat on the box swap: the seller said the floor was wet because the heater core was leaking. But I also noticed a nasty crack or three in the windshield right down to the dashboard in the same area. Outside chance that it's rain water, but I'll ask him tonight when I talk if the puddle inside is water or antifreeze. He's since bypassed it.

Once the car is here I'll crawl underneath and check out the tank for accessibility to the sender. Would be great if the tank didn't need to be dropped, but it has to be fixed either way. So stubbs....you do know that the judges can't see inside your tank, right? Did you chrome that thing or do they all look like that out of the box?? I usually buy new when it comes to electrical stuff because after so many cycles, it just wears out. But in recent years I've had problems with some of the offshore re-pops. So it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other. Will message you to learn more.

Many thanks to all of you for the info. I promise to post updates and outcomes, once the S.S. 300 docks here. Will be 2-3 weeks due to some travel and work commitments. Don't know how I'll make it that long, stay busy I guess...

 

[stubs300]

So stubbs....you do know that the judges can't see inside your tank, right? Did you chrome that thing or do they all look like that out of the box?? I usually buy new when it comes to electrical stuff because after so many cycles, it just wears out. But in recent years I've had problems with some of the offshore re-pops. Will message you to learn more.
...

The sender in Restored, not RE-poped, big difference. Also, it was restored in the USA! I await your reply. Good Luck

 

[hotdog647]

Boomer re: Sending Unit Access and Installation. The sending unit is on the driver's side front of the gas tank. The easiest way to get to the unit is to have little fuel in the tank. Disconnect the ground cable from the battery. Raise the car on a lift or support the rear axle on jacks for safety. Disconnect the wiring and hoses from the unit. Use the special tool to remove the round clamp that holds the sending unit in the tank. Remember there are 2 sizes of outlets on the sending units based on engine size. Remove the sending unit from the tank. Reinstall in reverse order. If the tank has much fuel in it and you try the jack stand method, the gas may run outside the front hole onto you. Be sure to install a new gasket as well. Hope this helps.

 

[mrfury68]

The heater core & heater box assembly for non A/C cars is different than the A/C equipped ones. Only the non A/C heater cores are available from the parts stores. I believe Classic Auto Air has A/C heater cores but you will pay around $300, then the by-pass valve is around $85. Check Ebay or do a Google search. Once your heater box is out you can open it up & take the core out. The cores are big enough that they can be repaired if you have a radiator repair shop in your area. They can clean, repair & pressure check your core. As for your fuel sender, when I did mine on my 68 Fury I did not have to lower the tank. It was far enough forward that there was enough room to pull it out. Hope this info helps.

 

[Boomer]

Thanks hotdog. Very good breakdown of the process. Wonder what the 'special tool' is - C clip pliers or similar? I'm going to guess that the 383 engine would be the smaller outlet size?

stubs: I knew yours was restored, not a re-pop. Was just saying I usually buy new when it involves electrical parts, but I've had some quality problems with new stuff. So depending what was replaced, a rebuilt/restored unit could be a safer bet. Message en route...

 

[Boomer]

Thanks mrfury. Wondered about that but it's hard to tell from photos. The cores looked pretty small and packed in there, especially the dual core A/C version.

Can't imagine that there would be any big difference under the 300 vs the Fury, but you never know. Will post here what I find once the car is here.

Our old '68 Fury III with its 318 was the first car I ever drove. Loved that car.

 

[hotdog647]

Boomer, here is my best, and my all time favorite, download favorite share. And it's free. http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=109 You can download a 1966 Chrysler factory service manual-the complete big one. (NOTE: Also free download manuals for other years and models of Mopars) It has every detail you ever wanted to know about your car, including detailed instructions and pictures. My second best all time favorite share is ebay. It's free. Go punch in searches for things, in this case, for sending units , what they look like, what the lock ring looks like. Then search for a Mopar Ford Mercury Lincoln gas/fuel sending unit tool/wrench. It's amazing what you can figure out on ebay. In both cases pictures are worth a thousand words. And if you need more help someone here can help you out. Personally I like a paper copy of the Factory Service Manual (FSM). I'm old and slow and like to have the manual with me as I search for wiring circuits or tackle projects that are new to me.
[h=1][/h]

 

[Boomer]

Thanks very much for the link, hotdog. That will help out a lot. Like you, I prefer a hands-on hardcopy for most things from reading in bed to working outside. Laptops and ipads don't work so well in bright sunlight, but a digital copy is great for when you're on here trying to figure things out, like me lately.

Ebay is n excellent tool as well. Not the be all, end all for price, but it gives you a great chance to see and compare things as you say. Until you mentioned it, I had no idea a special tool was required for removing the sender. I thought special tools and proprietary hardware etc came along in the 80s-90s with rubber timing belts, plastic throttle bodies, and stuff like that.

The completed sales can give a ballpark idea on price as well, though what you find locally tends to run less than something two egos ended up fighting over. The 'best offer' feature is probably the smartest thing they've done in a long time. Got some good deals that way.

Off to do more research (and update my outdated .zip software).

Thanks again.