Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

I am looking to replace my Firewall deadener/insulator on my 1937 120 4 door convertible. I assume I need to remove the heater but I am not sure how to go about it?

Has anybody replaced this and can advise on best approach?

Thoughts appreciated!
Ben

Ben,

I purchased my firewall insulator from here. Quite Ride

Thanks. Any tips to share when you went through the process? The heater looks to be the major challenge and not sure how to address.

If it is a Packard hot water heater it should be held to the firewall by nuts on the engine side. Believe that was the standard mounting method used until the 22nd series 48 models came out with fully integrated heaters. Aftermarket hot water heaters were common too so cannot offer any suggestions if it is an aftermarket unit but suspect the same mounting method. If you have something like the Southwind gasoline heater, it should mount similarly but you will also need to disconnect the small gasoline line. Doubt you would have the Kelch hot air heater and no ideas on how it mounts other than it should just be an air duct coming thru into the passenger compt.

On the Packard hot water heater, drain coolant down to below level of heater and loosen the hose clamps so you can pull the heater hoses off the tubes from the engine side. The hoses may be stuck to the tubes so try to keep any twisting or hard pulling on the tubes to a minimum. Disconnect defroster air duct hoses if so equipped and disconnect power wire(s) from the switch(es) under the dash edge. You could also cut the wires but if you do that, try to do it up under the dash so you can repair them by using a modern crimp on quick disconnect or bullet connector pair and have those out of sight. Make sure to label which wire is heater and which is defroster. When everything is disconnected remove the nuts from the studs and pull the heater straight back from the passenger side to get the tubing and studs out of the firewall holes. Have a rag handy to catch any coolant that might still be in the heater core from getting on any carpet or upholstery.

Here is a typical factory switch and wire installation from later models along with a couple of ebay photos of what is identified as a standard 37 and 38-9 heater showing the rear or engine side. Since heaters were also a dealer installed option some installs might not exactly follow Packard recommendations. The coolant tubes and about an inch of the threaded studs (circled in white) should be visible on the engine side of firewall in the location where the heater is installed.

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Ben,

I had my 31 fully torn apart even the interior for the restoration I did.

However my heater was never hooked up when I inherited the 31 from my father.

The guide Howard posted should lead you on how to remove the heater core. Thanks fpr posting Howard.

Thank you for this. Very helpful and looks straight forward. Looking to redo the wire harness and updating other items that make sense when that occurs.

Thanks again,
Ben

On my '32 901 I lined the entire inside including the top (firewall excepted) with a bubble foil insulation from Lowe's. Made patterns out of paper to cut the insulation. I used 3M spray adhesive to glue it in place.

For the firewall I opted for using a black dense cardboard material with a leather grain. I used cardboard to cut a pattern.

FYI - On my '70 Vette I lined the interior with the bubble (walls, floor, firewall & area behind the seats. I lowered the noise & heat by 50%, which is why I decided to do the interior of the '32 with it.

In addition to removing the four nuts from the heater studs in the engine bay you will also have to remove the radio and speaker, if you have one. There are also a dozen or so fasteners that attach the dash pad to the fire wall (remove from engine bay by compressing and pushing inward). If needed you can purchase new dash pad fasteners from Restoration Specialties. I purchased my firewall sound deadener insulation pad from Collectorsautosupply,Inc. excellent product and excellent fit. I suggest that you also install additional sound deadening self adhesive pads on firewall, floorboard and inside doors. I purchased mine from Eastwood. You mentioned that you may want to install a new wiring harness - I would recommend Paul Little at Harness Unlimited - excellent product.

Thanks all very helpful! Look to tackle this winter.

While you have the unit out take a few and dissassemble the blower motors and oil the bearings. My 37 aftermarket unit motor was seized when I bought the car. After dissassembling and lubing, cleaning the armature and touching up the brushes it works great at slow to high speed. Oh,, its getting cold out there and I'll be using it on my drives.