Parts from Grand Am?

[jaybee]

In the near future I'm going to be scrapping a 90's Grand Am (N body) coupe. I don't know that there's a lot I want out of it, but have a question about the under dash end of the HVAC system. I spent a bunch of time cutting the heater/ac box out of a '91 Lumina a few years ago only to find out the thing was far too enormous to do what I wanted. Does anyone have an idea if the N body (compact) heater box is smaller than the W body (midsize) unit?

Being a 2 door the seats might be useful, but I don't know what else might be worth having from this beast.

[jaybee]

No one seems to have experience with this thing so I figure I'll contribute what I found out so far should it prove useful to someone else.

This unit is only about 10" by 15" and comes straight out from the firewall, mounted "sideways" compared to most hvac units. Where most cars have a fan over the passenger's feet and feed the heater core & ac evaporator from the right this one is different. It draws air through the firewall to a fan on the engine side, runs it across the front of the firewall through a duct, and pushes it back through another hole to the heater box that's mounted to the back side of the firewall.

This gives it a "modular" setup that I think I'm going to explore. It should be highly adaptable. The fan can be mounted anyplace, just build a fan housing and ducting to the rest of the unit.

[jaybee]

This still looks potentially doable. Two thirds of the dash has to be destroyed, but we all know Detroit starts with a heater core and builds a car around it. This "modular" approach even extends as far as the defroster outlets, which are screwed to each side of the main case. If the defro can be moved "around the corner" to the end instead of side this should turn out to be very compact for an OEM unit. If not I can probably still remove and block off one, tucking the other up inside the dash. I'll try to get some pics when it's out of the car.

I've also harvested 3 cupholders and a whole collection of interior lights. The seats are very comfortable but they'll come out last. The shorty steering column is probably better than the one I already have as it's a floor shift instead of column shift but I just don't know if I feel like taking the time to pull it.

[idrivejunk]

I have been driving 1999 Grand PRIXs for five years or so now, and wished I had some useful input for you on this. But my experience is with the 97-03 W body so its not applicable although I have had a few dashes out doing late model bodywork. All I can say is don't spend more time / effort / cash making these parts work than you would invest in a nice aftermarket box kit.

The seats sure are nice in the later Pontiacs like that though. The column I would junk with the car, theres a good potential for damaging it just trying to remove and store it. Maybe if its pre-airbag and has a cool steering wheel ... Just some thoughts from somebody not a-feared of front drivers.

[jaybee]

Thanks for your input. I nearly have the thing out now, and it only took a couple of hours to destroy the dashboard so I still feel good about it. At this point I'm down to raising the front end so I can get underneath as well as draining the cooling system and a/c.

The seats are very comfortable and I'm picky about seats. I need decent lumbar support and if I don't have good thigh support my knee aches after a couple of hours on the road. These also slide forward when you fold the seat and go back where they came from when you set it back.

You're right, the W body and this one are different animals. The W has a very short column that connects to the box with U joints, a slip shaft, and firewall seal. Enjenjo has advised previously that he's used similar units and they worked well.

I took another look at the Grand Am column and it isn't worth the effort. It's a regular-style steering column but it's less than 30" long...too short to reach the floor in any normal installation.

[jaybee]

The seats are nice, I like them and the floor underneath is even flat and level, and at a height that I might not even need seat risers.

I grabbed a whole bunch of little electrical doodads and small parts that can be reused.

I considered the sway bar but it runs OVER the crossmember and would be a serious PITA to remove.

The HVAC unit is a waste. It's really big in some areas I couldn't see until I dug it out. On the positive I tore this dash apart without wasting a huge amount of time. The negative this is the second time I've torn a whole dashboard apart to see what's behind it. The price of an aftermarket unit is starting to look real attractive.

[idrivejunk]

Lots of good electrical doodads to grab for sure. But yep it may be an exploration instinct. I hacked apart one of the water jug tail lamps off a GP the other day, just to see how they're made and if I could fix a pair. Any experience gained without blood loss is a feather in the ol cap.