hey guys. i got bored tonight and was reading the thread from the sticky about "cleaning out your evaporator box" (which is gonna be my next project). i took the dimensions of the 7"x5"x1/16" thick steel plate that the gentleman used and kinda rolled with it. i drew up a template with dimensions for screw hole diameter, spacing between screw holes (vertically and horizontally) and distance of the screw hole centers from the edges. i thought i'd share the resulting template with you all in case you'd like to make one yourself or maybe give the template to a buddy or sheet metal shop to make one for you. this is definitely optional. for those of us who like to dress things up, this is for you. a scrap piece of aluminum probably won't cost you much. in my case, i picked up an 1/8" piece for nothing at my dad's work from the welder's shop. but for those who put this template to use, enjoy! hopefully others can benefit from this somehow as well


here's the template with dimensions noted...




and here's an illustration of what it could look like if you really wanna get into it. countersink the holes for a flush surface and add a cummins badge to it

 

Schweet! This is going to be my next project as well. I've just been trying to figure out how in the heck I was going to make the cover plate. Now I know.

Thanks!!

 

Man, are you sure a screw every 1 5/8" is enough holding power??
Just kidding, looks good; you might find a lot more crap in there (the evap box that is) than meets the eyes

 

i sure hope so . what about throwing some nutzerts in there to attach the screws instead of self-tapping machine screws? i think that would work just fine and keep you from over tightening the machine screws. in turn, opening up the holes in the plastic of the box resulting in the plate falling on the floor

 

here's the size hole i'm going to cut in my evaporator box. you can cut yours whatever size you'd like. leaves approx. 1/8" of material between it and the screw holes. just throwing more ideas out there.

 

Don't laugh, But I used electrical tape to cover the seam when I do them, cut on three sides then electrical tape it up.. I didn't feel a need to make a plate and all that.. Why your in there, take a garden hose and flush it all out real good, the water will run out the drain..

 

where's the drain at? i'd like to inspect it for build up of any debris and clean it out while i'm there.

 

The drain is in the front of the e vaporator box, "In the egine compartment" Like just below the blower motor.. Mine was plugged. I just pulled it off and took a pair of sizzors and snipped the bad end off and it is all good.. But I took a garden hose and just sprayed from the inside where you cut the hole and sprayed through the evaporater fins and a lot of junk came out that you couldn't get unless you did that and it all ran right out the front.. Just make sure the front end of the truck is lower than the back and you will be good..

Derek

 

thanks for info derek!

 

I agree about no need for a plate. I used a Stanley Utility Knife (with a new blade) and a straightedge – the cut is so fine that the new "door" simply presses back in place and holds itself tightly. I did run a small bead of clear silicone calk over the cut just to make certain everything stayed in place.

Note that I got two grocery bags of leaves and pine needles out of my box and my low mileage truck has been garaged its entire life. I strongly advise every First Genner to do this clean-out.

 

This ones made out of .250 7075 T6 AL. Its a byproduct of boredom

 

looks we have something in common, denny. i was bored too. i thought about buying a cummins "C" badge and sticking it on there. it's only a thought at this point. i've already picked up a piece of 1/8" aluminum for free. so i have no money in it. i think it would also look cool if i painted it flat black to match the box and just left the screws bare with that "polished" look.

 

A bit overkill, but way cooler than electrical tape!!

But if you have access to a CNC, thats what I would do!!

 

Try Kydex, its a black plastic used in the mobile electronics industry. One side is smooth and the other is textured similar to Line-x bedliner. Oh yeah, its black and available in different thickness.

 

I used clear plastic for my cover. That way I can see if/when it needs to be done again.

Bob