(Multiple pictures
below)
Since 2012,
I have sold several heater delete sets for board members here. This was
possible thanks to VAM cars not being required by the government to have the
heater installed from the factory unlike AMCs in the US and Canada. Having the
heater as standard equipment in its products was VAM’s own internal decision.
The first VAM car to have the heater as standard equipment was the 1969 VAM
Javelin, the second being the 1972 Classic Brougham (Matador hardtop), the
third being both VAM versions of the Matador coupe in 1974 (Classic AMX and
Brougham).
Since 1975,
practically all VAM cars came with the heater as standard equipment; the only
exceptions being the base 1975-1979 Americans (Hornets and Concords) with
manual transmissions, the base 1975-1979 Gremlins (Gremlins and Spirit sedans)
with manual transmissions and some Classic DPL (Matador sedan) units, mainly
fleet ones. From 1980 onward these versions were also equipped with the heater,
marking the end of heater-free VAM cars.
Mostly
Original 1968 VAM Javelin without heater.
1968 VAM
Javelin interior, notice the cancelled out heater controls hollow.
Close up
of the heater controls outer delete plate.
Passenger’s
side underdash and firewall picture, notice the missing heater and part of the
fan motor block-off plate.
Outer
firewall picture with original fan motor and hoses delete plates.
Other than
the Hornets, Concords and to some extent the Gremlins, the rest of the
heaterless VAM cars were produced in very small numbers (specially 1960s
models). Also, regardless of the lists of factory standard and optional
equipment in VAM cars there was another factor to take into account, VAM’s
sales department, which determined most models to have some percentage of
optional equipment installed from the factory trying to anticipate customer
preference and at the same time, reducing and easing the processes of the
company’s manufacturing department. In the base models’ case, this included the
heater, thus reducing the amount of available units without it.
In this
forum I have been requested several times for one or more heater delete
sets by different members, and some of them have taken me years to obtain due
to how extremely hard to find they have become. Finding a set is one thing,
finding it in decent shape is another, since some parts like the
cowl-ventilation-hollow delete plate has a high tendency to rust to pieces due
to the accumulation of leaves and debris mixed with rainwater through the
years. Also finding a complete set is another issue, since most of the
cars I have found these sets from either no longer have a dashboard, long sold
off or very damaged overall (under the Mexican sun), or the heater controls
delete plate being cut-off in a way that can be described as vandalized, that
so an aftermarket accessory can be installed in the hollow (like a radio or
equalizer for example). The heater hoses plate is frequently gone too as the
hollow is used to pass cables through for a top-end sound system or second
battery among other accessories.
BEFORE:
Fan motor and cowl plates in “junkyard” condition. Notice the rusted out cowl
plate due to water and junk.
AFTER:
All plates restored. The cowl plate in these two pictures is a Hornet/Gremlin
unit that carries a flip-open vent in the rectangular hollow. The unit used in
the Javelin/AMX/66-69 American models does not have the rectangular hollow,
being totally smooth.
One final
aspect to take into account is that all parts of the heater delete set (except
the dashboard ones) from 1965 through 1978 were made of metal. In the 1979
model year cowl plate and fan motor plate were no longer made of metal; both
were changed into fiber-glass units. The heater core hoses one was still made
of metal that year. The positive side of this is that the cowl one was no
longer threatened by rust due to accumulation of dirt and water during rains.
1979
version, fiberglass instead of metal.
And
finally, after finding a set and finding the condition it’s in you also have
to cope with the junkyard owner and the mood he’s in. Regardless if
the part is decent or near-garbage, the guy in most cases charges a price as if
the parts were gold, completely ignoring the condition of the part. Taking into
account how scarcer and scarcer pre-1990 cars have become in Mexican junkyards,
these guys know what they have and don’t let it go that easily. We’re no longer
in the times in which people went to junkyards to find parts just for the regular
car maintenance of their daily driver; they know we look for parts for either
collector cars or project cars that are far from being daily drivers.
If there
is something I could contribute to the AMC hobby from my small trench all the
way here south of the border, I would try as much as possible to have these
heater delete sets reproduced and to most of the extent I have achieved it
so far. As some members have seen, I announced some heater delete sets for
1968-1970 Javelins and AMXs and I really appreciate the response I got from
everyone who left a message in the thread, sent me private message just asking
for additional information or bought a full set in the end.
Having
those sets made wasn’t easy; the best way to go would be by using the originals
as base or template. That creates the first problem; find a complete set in
good or passable shape to use as base. If all you find is a set in damaged form
you have to restore it before it can be used, investing additional time, money
and materials.
Now here
goes the second problem. The only parts I could get a hold of after looking for
some time were the cowl plate, the hoses plate and fan motor plate. As for the
dashboard controls plate, which consists of two different parts, I just
couldn’t find it anywhere. Only the 1968 VAM Javelin had it, heater in place of
it on the 1969 and 1970 models. In the end, after finding zero success in
buying one from junkyards, I had to draw upon BORROWING one from a private
car to complete the would-be set.
That
creates the third problem. Ask a car collector for a part from his/her car to
make a replica out of it. The logical and immediate reaction is this: He’s
going to remove and take away a part from my car; that creates risk of loss or
robbery. If that happens I’m stuck dead, where am I going to get that part
from???
More than
once I got less than friendly responses from private car owners when I
made them the request, and that includes VAMer friends whom I already have
their trust. I had to be as sincere and convincing as possible to have them
allow me to take the part with me. This takes time and effort that is not as
easy as it sounds, taking this path creates a responsibility you have to cope
with. No matter how honorable you are, unexpected things can happen.
If the part(s) gets lost or damaged beyond repair, HOW do you respond to the
owner? How do you provide a replacement? You can even end up with legal
action against you for such a case.
In the end,
I after the negotiation, I was able to have the two dashboard parts borrowed to
me. In some cases I had to look for these loaners from other cities since I
couldn’t locate a private car that had them in my area or an owner willing to
loan them. Some owners wouldn’t borrow the parts to me even after I offered
them money as guarantee of return.
1968-1970
Javelin dashboard heater controls plates, front and rear, BUTCHERED due to the
need to find a space to put a button for either the horn or the starter in the
car they belong to.
After
finally having a sample of a complete set what followed was how to have
them replicated with the same appearance as the originals and with the
same quality as the originals, or at least the closest to that as possible.
The “easiest” part was the heater core hoses plate thanks to the fact that it
is flat. I could have it made by laser-cutting steel sheetmetal with the same
shape. Unfortunately, I don’t have the equipment to do it, which meant I had to
look for a person who had it and one that worked well and charged the most
reasonable price possible.
The hard
parts to replicate were one of the dashboard plates, the cowl plate and the fan
motor plate, mainly due to their indentations and angles. Since I couldn’t have
them made of steel I decided to go for poured aluminum and have them made in a
single piece without the need for sticking or welding anything. At first I was
attempting this at home by my own means, but I was quite dissatisfied with the
results aside from all the problems that arose. I decided to go for an expert
on the matter and didn’t obtain a lot of options available; I was able to
locate a craftsman to help me and negotiated the most reasonable price
possible.
In the end
I was finally able to have the three parts replicated, yet the choice of
material created an additional problem. Paint does not adhere to aluminum and
both original firewall plates are blacked-out units. The heater core hoses
plate is no problem since it’s made from steel. The fan motor plate on the
other hand was aluminum, to solve the issue I had to buy a special form of
internal layer treatment called “primer seal” that does adhere to aluminum. The
problem here is that it is lot more expensive than regular primer (also
requires an additive) and unfortunately I don’t have an air compressor with
spraying pistol to apply it. I had to take the fan motor plates to a body shop
in my area to have the primer seal applied on them with the additional cost
that represented. Once that was ready, I could finally paint them black myself
at home.
The final
part was the external dashboard heater controls plate, which is made from
plastic. I was able to reproduce it by laser-cutting the same shape in acrylic
after having the design made in a program. The external face of the original
unit was applied with a very thin metal layer coated with black texturized
vinyl. I replaced this by applying black leather in the reproduction. For sound
insulation purposes I used black foam applied over the internal face on the
part, which is in contact with the inner aluminum plate. After all this, the
last thing to do was to make gaskets from the parts that required them.
Left: original.
Right: repro.
After all
those processes the full reproduction heater delete set was ready for 1968
through 1970 Javelins and AMXs. The positive side on these parts being
reproductions is that they are brand-new, all of the originals I’ve sold
here were in used junkyard condition and had to be repainted/restored. I have
already made these processes for creating heater delete sets for several other
AMC models.
As of
today, I can reproduce heater sets for the following lines:
1.-
1966-1969 Rambler American: cowl, fan motor, hoses and
dashboard controls. Four parts in total.
2.-
1967-1970 Rebel (probably applies to 67-70 Ambassador
and 1967 Marlin too): cowl, fan motor, hoses and dashboard
(controls, clock, radio, in-instrument cluster air vent). Seven parts in total.
3.-
1968-1970 Javelin and AMX: cowl, fan
motor, hoses and dashboard (internal and external controls plates). Five parts
in total.
4.-
1970-1977 Hornet and Gremlin: cowl,
fan motor, hoses and dashboard (single piece for controls and central dashboard
air vents). Four parts in total.
5.- 1971-1973
Matador: (probably applies to 71-73 Ambassador too):
cowl, fan motor, hoses and dashboard (controls, clock, radio, in-instrument
cluster air vent). Seven parts in total.
6.-
1971-1974 Javelin and AMX: cowl, fan
motor, hoses and dashboard (internal and external controls plates). Five parts
in total.
7.-
1974-1978 Matador (probably applies to 1974 Ambassador
too): cowl, fan motor, hoses and dashboard controls. Four parts in total.
8.-
1978-1988 Concord, Spirit and Eagle
(also applies to 1978 Gremlin): cowl, fan motor, hoses and dashboard
controls. Four parts in total.
1966-1969
Rambler American full heater delete set.
1970-1977
Hornet and Gremlin full heater delete set.
1967-1973
Rebel and Matador full heater delete set (probably applicable to 67-73
Ambassador and 1967 Marlin).
1974-1978
Matador full heater delete set (probably applicable to 1974 Ambassador).
1971-1971
Javelin and AMX full heater delete set.
Right
now I’m trying to borrow parts for a possible heater delete set for 1964-1965
Rambler Americans and 1965-1966 Rambler Classics (which probably
can be shared with 1965-1966 Marlins). As of now I don’t know if I might
make a heater delete set for Pacer models.
Like I
said, I really appreciate all the feedback I’ve received from the board in
regards to this reproduction effort. However, I also reproduced five heater
delete sets for 1971-1974 Javelins and AMXs and didn’t have a single response
about them. No questions through private message, no posts on the topic,
nothing.
Making
these sets is an investment, and I cannot make an investment if there are not
going to be any takers.
What I
mentioned above in 1968-1970 sets was not the end of the story.
These parts
didn’t come out in the first run, any potential defect had to be taken into
account and corrected. I had to make several “prototypes” before what we can
call a final correct version came. Obviously, I had to put money in each and
every one of those prototypes to achieve the goal, knowing that’s something I
won’t get back. The laser-cut parts are to be made with design programs such as
CorelDraw and SolidWorks, which I don’t know how to use. To have the design made
for each part is extra-cost that I have to pay to the designer. The dashboard
parts that could not be made from acrylic, such as the Hornet controls/vents had
to make out of fiberglass, I considered 3D printing but in the end it turned
out to be way too expensive.
From the
beginning to the end I also had to invest in gasoline due to the trips to the different
workshops of the people that are helping me with this to check progress and any
possible updates, plus the phone calls and making time available in my daily
schedule for the same purposes. To find these people also took time and a lot
of door-knocking, to find the best quality and price. To have the parts
produced I have to provide my helpers with the materials for them, which also
comes out of my pocket. Also, they demand from me a minimum volume of parts to
be made for my requests to proceed. Once the sets are complete I have to move
on to packaging if they are to be delivered through a shipping service.
Everything
has to be taken into account. Some have told me the price may seem expensive,
135 dollars in average for most full sets in the list, which means an average
of between 33 and 27 dollars per single part. The price is based on everything
I’ve mentioned in this post. I am trying my best to lower the price further; right
now I am negotiating with my helpers for a better deal or in the final case
find other one(s) that charge(s) less with the same results. These are not
single parts; they are multiple-part full sets. I cannot take the effort/time
of doing this if I am going to lose money in the end, which I could be putting
in the restoration of my car.
The fastest
and safest way to reduce the price would be by ordering multiple sets of parts
in a single run. If anyone has interest in buying a set for any of the models I
listed above please let me know so I can make a list of people to reach a
minimum amount for each line to have them produced all in a single run. If
anyone is interested in any of the sets mentioned above please let me know.
Also, I would appreciate if you know people outside the forum who might be
interested in them please spread the word. This last request goes for the
people that have offered me help with this project, which I am totally thankful
for.
Right
now, I have the chance to make these reproductions and I don’t know for how
long I’ll be able to. I have tried this for some years without any luck,
now I am finally able to materialize this goal.
Of the full
sets you see in the pictures above (except 1968-1974 Javelin/AMX and 1970-1977
Hornet/Gremlin), they are only testing parts for the lines I mentioned. I do
not have any full sets made for those lines at this moment, but now I can have
them made anytime.
Sorry for
the considerable length of this post, but I wanted to be as clear as possible
in regards to this project.
Thanks to
everyone for your time and attention.
If you have
any questions please post them here or via private message.
POST SCRIPT
Just like I
appreciate the feedback I’ve received from board members supporting this, I
also appreciate the people here offering me help. One help I could really
use is for board members to sell to me some radio delete plates. Several
members that have bought heater delete sets from me have also asked for this
part but I have never been able to deliver this request. Here is the exact opposite
case between VAM cars and AMCs. Unlike in the United States, every single Mexican
car had a radio installed from the factory, so the radio delete plates never existed
here. The only radio delete plate I was able to make without a base/template
was the one for 1967-1970 Rebels and 1971-1973 Matadors. To have them
reproduced I would need one for 66-69 Rambler Americans, on for 68-70
Javelins/AMXs, one for Hornets/Gremlins, one for 71-74 Javelins/AMXs, one for 74-78
Matadors, and one for Concord/Spirit/Eagle models.
I have also
been requested once for a dashboard part as part of the full that I have never
seen in my life. If I am not wrong, it is a block-off plate for the two
windshield defroster ducts on the top center rear of the dashboard. Is this
correct? If such a part exists it was never used in VAM cars, if it exists
please share a picture of it here in this thread.
What I doubt
I will be able to reproduce would be block-off plates for the central and
passengers’ side dashboard air vents for cars originally equipped with the Air
Conditioning system, because I have been requested those too. You can block off
those with original dashboard parts from a non-A/C car. I can block off one
Rebel vent (instrument cluster one) and the Hornet ones with the parts I have.
------------- Mauricio Jordán
Cuando no se es una empresa famosa se deben hacer mejores automóviles.
- Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos S. A. de C. V.
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