Help identifying heater box part

[DAVEN1256]

Can someone tell me what the purpose of this part is inside the heater box. There are two of them. They are made of fairly stiff rubber. The part of it you see exposed behind where the heater core goes is the smaller part of it. The larger part is hidden in the cold air passageway behind the heater core housing. My guess is that they helps control the airflow through the cold air passageway or maybe is some sort of damper between the heater core housing and the outside of the heater box.

The reason I am asking is that I destroyed one of these while cleaning my heater box. I don't see these in any of the catalogs and assume they are unavailable. I am going to make something similar to replace it and it would help if I knew what it was supposed to do.

Thanks...............Dave

( I hope Paulmanta doesn't mind me using the picture of his heater box for this )

[69Z28]

Hi Dave...maybe some kind of cushion to keep vibration/rattle noise down? or some support for the heater core weight? See where the thumb and finger is holding it? it looks like SOMETHING has compressed it. Just a guess on my end.

[Mike S]

 Looking at the extended end-to-end length of the rubber inside the cold air passage side it looks to make contact with one folded edge closest to the heater box, hence a seal. I think the rubber is there to act as a top and bottom air dam to keep pressurized cool air away from the hot air door top and bottom edges for various heat settings to force air around the door flap back. The internal stamping of the box is very rigid so the rubber may be acting as a secondary benefit of support but that may be debatable.

Mike

[Krateness]

Bringing back this older thread cause I am now in the same predicament. I messed one up in the process of removal and have not been able to find anything like it since. I have tried every search term that I could come up with to try and locate a replacement or even check if someone could cut them out of a bad box and sell them to me. Needless to say, the heater box reinstall is getting closer with still no viable solution in hand.

Just wondering if since this post was brought up, if anyone found any worthy replacement.

[DAVEN1256]

I was the original poster on this. I was never able to find that part anywhere.

What I did was just to cut a piece of rubber that was about the same size as this part. The same size of the section of it that is the actual seal, not the part that goes through the slot to lock it into place. Just a rectangular piece of rubber big enough to block the airflow the same as the original piece did. Then using double sided tape, I stuck it over the slot. I wish I had a picture to show you but I don't. it doesn't have to look like the original part,  it just has to do the same job.

My heater works fine with no problems and no one is ever going to know you don't have an original part in there.

Dave

[Krateness]

I was the original poster on this. I was never able to find that part anywhere.

What I did was just to cut a piece of rubber that was about the same size as this part. The same size of the section of it that is the actual seal, not the part that goes through the slot to lock it into place. Just a rectangular piece of rubber big enough to block the airflow the same as the original piece did. Then using double sided tape, I stuck it over the slot. I wish I had a picture to show you but I don't. it doesn't have to look like the original part,  it just has to do the same job.

My heater works fine with no problems and no one is ever going to know you don't have an original part in there.

Thanks for the reply. I just wanted to make sure something was put in its place so it could function as needed. I’ll probably go the route you did. Figured I’d see if there was something that could be bought but doesn’t look like much has changed in 8 years lol

Dave

[David K]

I won’t tell the show judge if you won’t….just slide me a Jackson and we’re good.

[rocco376]

You're a cheap date David

[MO]

LOL!