Multiple interior issues

[SteinOnkel]

Hey guys,

car is mechanically sorted, so it's time to deal with some minor annoyances in the interior.

1) My glove box won't close. At all. The cover hits the center piece of the dash. It needs about an inch of clearance on the top left corner. I can't see anything obviously wrong with the hinges or how it's mounted, but it seems to make contact on every conceivable part of the dash. What gives?

2) I have the most annoying jingle jangle rattle from the center console. It appears randomly, hot or cold. Under acceleration, braking, doesn't matter. Sometimes it's gone. It's definetely metal on metal and it is driving me nuts. Think loose exhaust clamp.

3) the heater controls are a complete mystery to me. The left two levers don't seem to be connected to anything it all. The right one seems to do...something. I think there's less hot air coming from the passenger side foot well when the lever is pushed all the way forward.

4) Is there supposed to be a passenger side seat belt on a '78? Can't find it anywhere, nor the latch.

5) Would love some input of how the shift boot is supposed to be connected to the center console. Does it get tucked under the console? Is there a good aftermarket solution available? I have three janky shift boots in the trunk and not one fits. Also I found this foam piece that looks be a part of it somewhere. The order of how it all goes together is a complete mystery to me.

Thanks
Manuel

[aj81spider]

Some thoughts for you:

1.) Can't help - it could be anything from you have a dash cover poorly installed to a PO putting a new door on and not cutting it to the right size. Some pictures could help identify the issue.

2.) It could be the exhaust - it runs under that area and there are some springs holding the resonator that on my car created a lot of noise. It also could be something trapped under the center console. I once had a speedometer cable go bad that gave out a horrible screeching sound intermittently from under the console.

3.) Do a search - there are lots of threads on this forum about the heater controls. Off the top of my head I think one controls the heater valve that steers coolant into the heater coil. One controls the fresh air coming into the car and one controls the proportion of air directed at your feet or through the defrost vents.

4.) Yes - you'll probably find a hole in the floor behind the seat where the latch strap was bolted to the floor. It will be the mirror image of the driver side.

5.) The shift boot comes up through the hole in the faux wood console cover. There is a metal ring (that you may be missing) that clamps the boot to the underside of the console cover. The foam you have found may be the foam that goes under that faux cover and fills the hole in the center console to help keep the heat from rising into the interior of the car.

[F16Waldo]

Hi Manuel,

2). If rattle is from center driveshaft tunnel/shifter area...rattle may be shifter anti-rattle clip bad/missing? Does holding shifter make noise go away?

3). How I remember levers...
closest to driver = AMOUNT of air into cockpit (down being none, up being full)
closest to passenger = WHERE air flows into cockpit (down being feet, up being defrost)
middle = TEMP of the air (down being hot, up being hot air off)
If no warm air (middle lever), the cable attaches to the heater valve that is under the dash approximately directly above the left shin of a passenger sitting in the car (at least on my 83 that is the case). The cable needs to be held in place by a clamp on the valve. If the clamp loosens, the lever (and cable) won't do anything when it moves. Look for the valve and see if the cable is being held in place properly. (BTW, this is same arrangement as early model Ford Broncos)

5). Shifter boots (again, at least on my 83) are actually two parts. There is a rubber boot that is the environmental shield (heat, noise, etc) and a leather boot that is decorative. As described by aj81, the leather boot is held in place by a metal ring that holds the boot in place with the center console. The rubber boot needs to be sealed/secured to the driveshaft tunnel to prevent heat/noise etc from entering the interior of the vehicle. I just installed new carpets on my car this week and had to deal with the shifter boot issue myself. Biggest concern is isolating the interior of the car from the airflow under the car. Every other shifter I have installed previously (Camaros, Broncos, Mustangs) included a metal ring to securely bolt the environmental rubber boot in place. For some reason the Fiat ones aren't done that way. I ended up using metal ducting tape to secure the rubber boot to the driveshaft tunnel and create airtight seal between exterior and interior with the rubber boot (threw the foam piece out). I did this with the rubber boot above the shifter opening. Then installed pretty leather boot (with metal ring) in the center console.

Best of luck to you!

Cheers
Waldo

[TheBender]

Here's a few pictures that might help

[DieselSpider]

Is it the original glove box door or a replacement someone made up that's potentially too large? It is possible that the instrument panel and center section have been shifted too far to the right and needs to be adjusted further back to the left.

Pictures of what your dealing with will help.

[F16Waldo]

Evening Manuel,

The black boot in your picture is the "environmental" boot. You want to ensure it isn't torn anywhere and that it is sealed by the metal plate holding it down. I'd recommend adding metal ducting tape to secure the rubber boot to the metal bracket as added protection against any leaks into the cockpit area. In the parts drawing you included, the rubber boot is not shown. Instead, it shows the leather shifter boot (item #8) which fits in the opening in item #9 and is held in place by a U-shaped metal ring (not shown in drawing). The leather boot provides minimal insulation or noise reduction.
Hope this helps.
Waldo

[SteinOnkel]

Thanks guys, appreciate the help! I'm working on an engine issued that has reared it's ugly head, but I appreciate the input and will give feedback on the interior nuances when that again becomes the priority.

[njoconnor]

Back in OCT '17, I did my second "leather" boot replacement. If you search on my user name, you'll see the thread, with pictures; I figured out a method of vise and quick clamps that significantly decreased the effort and time to install the boot.

In the last photo, you will note I did not have the correct "pillowing" of the boot . That's been rectified....along with the installation of a short shifter.

When I rebuilt the interior (threads are back in 2013-14 if interested), I installed a new foam piece, and then covered the entire area under the plywood shifter plate with EZ-Cool cut to size and shape. No issues with heat or noise.

Hope this helps when you get back to the shifter! Good luck with the engine....

Neil