Firewall Forward, Glovebox AND Heater - AKA wanting to have cake and eat cake too

[benbobs]

I love the carbon dash I bought, the glovebox looks great so that was a must have option.
But I live in the Pacific Northwest and I know I’m going to need that heater too unless I only intend to drive this thing 3 months of the year, and that’s not the plan.

So I bought the FFMetals firewall forward kit hoping I’d have enough room to squeeze both in.

Now it’s all installed and time for the heater to go in and … we’ll, you’ve been here before. Plan B time.

My two options are to reduce the glovebox depth which might be hard to do cleanly, or build a small mounting box for the heater and extend the firewall back an inch or two and house the heater in there. 8 saw this on “Dans garage” YouTube channel and it looks like a good option- except he had to bend the copper coolant tubes, not a problem but Im a little worried about clearance. Im fitting a BP 347 and I’m worried how tight it’s going to get round there.

So… couple of things. I know I’m not the first person to do this; what’s the best option here if there is one?

Also - I don’t want to install the engine then remove it ideally just to check for clearance. Has anyone got a 347 and a firewall forward and wouldn’t mind sending me a pic of the clearance back there?

Also if you’ve done this maybe tips would be very welcome too.

Thanks in advance all-

Ben

[Avalanche325]

I don't have the firewall forward. But, maybe this will help. I wanted a full glovebox and a heater. I moved my heater to the middle. There were some modifications to the heater to get it to fit. That is with a 347.172954

[benbobs]

I don't have the firewall forward. But, maybe this will help. I wanted a full glovebox and a heater. I moved my heater to the middle. There were some modifications to the heater to get it to fit. That is with a 347.172954

Thanks for the photo- this is a good idea I haven’t considered.

I see you’ve removed the air box/filter - any issues with clearance when you reinstalled it?
The firewall is forward around 2 inches so the blower would move forward that much as well. Do you think it would still fit? Any problems with the cooper pipes and proximity to the headers?

Thanks again

Ben

[Ted G]

I actually have the CF dash and heater with the Forward Firewall. I had to shorten my glovebox about an inch to make it work. What I did is just cut the box, and install a powder coated piece of sheet metal on the back side. Looks sharp and didn't have the "seam" between the two pieces of plastic.

[EZ$]

If I can locate the pictures, I can show you what I did. I actually moved the heater to above the passenger footbox turned 90 degrees from the firewall. It eliminates the conflicts, and by using a removable panel Makes dropping it out possible if needed later. It freed up a ton of space behind the dash. Like I said, I'll try to find the pictures.

[benbobs]

I actually have the CF dash and heater with the Forward Firewall. I had to shorten my glovebox about an inch to make it work. What I did is just cut the box, and install a powder coated piece of sheet metal on the back side. Looks sharp and didn't have the "seam" between the two pieces of plastic.

That would definitely simplify things- you don’t happen to have any photos of this do you? (Had a quick scan on your build thread and maybe I missed it?)

[benbobs]

If I can locate the pictures, I can show you what I did. I actually moved the heater to above the passenger footbox turned 90 degrees from the firewall. It eliminates the conflicts, and by using a removable panel Makes dropping it out possible if needed later. It freed up a ton of space behind the dash. Like I said, I'll try to find the pictures.

That would be great -it’s a little tricky to visualize this! Thanks!

[Avalanche325]

Tons of room on mine.172966172967

Excuse the filth......wash day tomorrow.

I am running a Victor Jr with a 1 inch spacer.

[benbobs]

Tons of room on mine.172966172967

Excuse the filth......wash day tomorrow.

I am running a Victor Jr with a 1 inch spacer.

Thanks for the pics- super helpful.
You mentioned in your earlier reply you had to modify the heater - what changes did you have to make other than mount it in the center?

And if it’s dirty, it means it’s getting used. Nothing wrong with that! :)

[Ted G]

That would definitely simplify things- you don’t happen to have any photos of this do you? (Had a quick scan on your build thread and maybe I missed it?)

Hey Ben. Yea, I didn't document that part. But here are a few pictures, not the best, but you'll get the idea.

172972 172973 172974 172975

[EZ$]

OK, I went back through photos, and these are the best I can do. The panel that the heater is mounted to is removable so that you can access the heater core. The other one shows the box that I created on top of the PS footbox.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52379481501_39d5f61d4a_z.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156322842@N02/Y9a261vK3K)076 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156322842@N02/Y9a261vK3K) by Rick Paul (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156322842@N02/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52379482291_999166822a_z.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156322842@N02/tBraD0262A)075 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156322842@N02/tBraD0262A) by Rick Paul (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156322842@N02/), on Flickr

[i.e.427]

We'll see your firewall forward, heater and glove box and raise you a windshield wiper system and a Coyote Control Pack.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO4mToensxU&t=140s

[benbobs]

We'll see your firewall forward, heater and glove box and raise you a windshield wiper system and a Coyote Control Pack.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO4mToensxU&t=140s

Heh. I saw this video back when you posted it. I was tempted to follow suit as it all fits and it’s a very nice solution - my problem is I already purchased the FFR heater from the kit so I’m trying to see how to squeeze that in first if I can. Thanks for sharing though, and for those making these videos- I’ve learned a ton from your tips and tricks already.

Ben

[benbobs]

OK, I went back through photos, and these are the best I can do. The panel that the heater is mounted to is removable so that you can access the heater core. The other one shows the box that I created on top of the PS footbox.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52379481501_39d5f61d4a_z.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156322842@N02/Y9a261vK3K)076 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156322842@N02/Y9a261vK3K) by Rick Paul (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156322842@N02/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52379482291_999166822a_z.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156322842@N02/tBraD0262A)075 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156322842@N02/tBraD0262A) by Rick Paul (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156322842@N02/), on Flickr

This looks slick. Thank you for sending the pictures over. This looks like a very clean option.

[GoDadGo]

I love EZ's idea and what a great place that would be to put a complete HVAC system.

......................With that said, Bravo EZ, Bravo!


As for me I didn't want a heater; however, my wife wanted heat on her feet so I fabricated one for her.
The link to my solution is shown below which was very simple and easy to build:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/album.php?albumid=982

I used a Jeep CJ-3 Heater Core which gets air from the foot box powered vent.
Just know that the blower has only one speed, but it works.
A simple heater valve is operated via a choke cable.

[rich grsc]

I split the heater in half, mounting the fan to the side of the heater core. Then made my own plenum over the top of two and fit it 100% behind the dash.
173020

[EZ$]

Just a note, I ultimately did this to gain space, but the driving force was that I originally went to install in the firewall forward, but not being familiar with the process, I followed the pattern that FFR provides. Unfortunately, the measurements are from the bottom edge of the original firewall which is 2" taller than the firewall forward. I marked the location, drilled and cut the opening as directed, only to find out that that placed the heater above the 3/4" tube across the dash area by a significant amount. Tried to repair it but it looked horrible, so I called to order a new firewall forward. They asked what had happened, and I explained it to them. They took it upon themselves to ship me a new firewall at no cost to me! At that point I was so gun-shy that I came up with this solution.

[Ducky2009]

I have a Coyote, but also wanted a glove box and heater. I fabricated a box to push the heater into the engine compartment 2 1/2". Made my own glove box. It's 4 1/2" deep on the bottom, 3 1/2" on the top, welded 3/32" aluminum, but could also be riveted together.

173026

[benbobs]

Just a note, I ultimately did this to gain space, but the driving force was that I originally went to install in the firewall forward, but not being familiar with the process, I followed the pattern that FFR provides. Unfortunately, the measurements are from the bottom edge of the original firewall which is 2" taller than the firewall forward. I marked the location, drilled and cut the opening as directed, only to find out that that placed the heater above the 3/4" tube across the dash area by a significant amount. Tried to repair it but it looked horrible, so I called to order a new firewall forward. They asked what had happened, and I explained it to them. They took it upon themselves to ship me a new firewall at no cost to me! At that point I was so gun-shy that I came up with this solution.

Thanks for the warning. Without doubt I would make this mistake myself. Thanks!

[benbobs]

I have a Coyote, but also wanted a glove box and heater. I fabricated a box to push the heater into the engine compartment 2 1/2". Made my own glove box. It's 4 1/2" deep on the bottom, 3 1/2" on the top, welded 3/32" aluminum, but could also be riveted together.

173026

Thank you everyone for the replies on this. I think at this point I’m either going to center mount or build myself a box like this.

Can’t say how much I appreciate all the tips and tricks. This is such a helpful community!!