Clips and Foam

[Phoenix]

Any idea where I can get clips to hold the evaporator together?? Toyota doesn't sell them? If I can't find anything, I'm thinking of drilling tiny holes through the rim so I could wire it shut.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v399/phoenixsupra/5.jpg

Also, there's a load of foam in the ac/heater. All of it had turned to dust. Can I replace it with any foam or does it have to be special heatproof stuff? :?

[batmobile]

I would drill some holes, otherwise you could just melt the 2 together with a hot metal rod. Other than that I dunno?

[Phoenix]

I would drill some holes, otherwise you could just melt the 2 together with a hot metal rod. Other than that I dunno?

I thought about adhesives but I'd rather have it be reversible. I don't see any reason why drilling the holes wouldn't work. It's really weirt that this thing is screws most of the way round and then it turns to clips for no reason. :?

Any ideas about the foam?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v399/phoenixsupra/7.jpg

[Racefiend]

I redid the foam on my system some years ago with some weatherstripping I got from ACE hardware. Found one with similar sponginess and dimensions. Still look great today. I don't know about the foam on the fresh/recirc flapper though. Thats one big piece and I've only seen it sold as a strip.

[Ross]

Get clips from a junkyard supra, or someone junking a supra.
Post in the wanted thread.

[Phoenix]

Get clips from a junkyard supra, or someone junking a supra.
Post in the wanted thread.

Thanks. I was hoping to save myself the journey and the hassle of dismantling a junk dash. But if all else fails that's exactly what I'll do. The only problem with posting an add is the time it takes. I'm hoping to reinstall this weekend. 8)

[Phoenix]

I redid the foam on my system some years ago with some weatherstripping I got from ACE hardware. Found one with similar sponginess and dimensions. Still look great today. I don't know about the foam on the fresh/recirc flapper though. Thats one big piece and I've only seen it sold as a strip.

Thanks Racefiend. I got weatherstrip for the duct connections. Ace didn't have sheets of foam for the flappers but the guy at Ace gave me a pretty good idea. He recommended looking in an art supplies store. I'm gonna check that out today after work.

[Marblehead]

Hardware stores should have clips that will work for this application. They may not be the exact things Toyota used but they should do well enough.

For the foam on the flapper inside the AC evap. I simply used the strips there too. I bought various sizes (widths) for each application around the ducts and other connections. Inside the AC I used the widest foam weather stripping (1 inch) I could find and layed in a few rows of it, I think it was around 5 or 6 rows to cover the entire flapper.

The areas you're mostly concerned with sealing on that flapper are the outer edges. Open and close the flapper a few times and you will see where the edges would contact the outer circumference of the opening. It's those areas that you don't want to have any gaps in your rows of foam. The center section (the plastic criss-cross "grill") is not quite as critical. Even if you do have an 1/8th inch gap at a couple places around the edges I doubt you would ever notice anything. Mostly you will notice the increase in airflow since you've replaced all that old foam with brand spankin' new plush foam.

There is often more wisdom in doing something silly than there is in breaking your back to meet a deadline.
Scott

[Square]

Regarding the foam on the flapper door.

If it is thin foam, you should cjeck Wal-Marts craft section. They sell 8.5X11 inch sheets of sticky-back foam for less than $2. When I put a sub box in my 92' corolla (2X10" subs) I used the sticky back foam on the back of the rear license plate to keep it from ratteling. It worked great, and after 2 years outside of the car, it showed no signs of degradation from water, hot summers, or freezing winters.

HTH!

[Marblehead]

Great idea for the license plate. I did the same thing back when I had the two 12's in the hatch of my '85 Celica. I never did want to sound like some of those getto, rattling cars.

The foam used to seal the ducts and on the AC flapper door is an open cell type of foam. Think of it as a soft and squishable sponge with a strip of double-sided scotch tape on the back of it. Open cell foam is commonly used as a weather stripping to seal large or uneven gaps.

The thin foam is a closed cell foam, the type that is used with double-stick foam tape. Closed cell foam is dense and not very compressible. I first attempted to use the thinner, closed cell foam on the AC flapper but it would not seal properly. Foam was too thin. A thicker, closed cell foam would not work either because this will then not allow the flapper to close properly and completely.

[batmobile]

Bed foam, The stuff they make to new beds out of, its an aerospace material that was made by nasa in the 80's. I might be able to get you some if you really need it. At my local Building 19 they have sheets of it. Im looking to make racing seats, and that foam is perfect for what you are trying to do.