Heat/AC control assembly swap

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bneumann0

n00b
Feb 16, 2024
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I'm working on upgrading the interior of my 1985 monte carlo SS. I was thinking about trying to update the heat/AC control assembly to something more modern. Are there any other controls from different cars that will swap in?
 
Nope. Not easily. I'm assuming you're looking for auto control and all that. You CAN get the Regal auto temp setup, IF you can find one complete. And IF it works properly. That would be cool. However, it was sorta rare back in the day, let alone finding one now is probably pretty hard. And then, if you have a broken part...you're f...d.
 
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Nope. Not easily. I'm assuming you're looking for auto control and all that. You CAN get the Regal auto temp setup, IF you can find one complete. And IF it works properly. That would be cool. However, it was sorta rare back in the day, let alone finding one now is probably pretty hard. And then, if you have a broken part...you're f...d.
To add to that you've got to swap out all kind of wiring and pieces of the climate control box. Although the head units are visually the same anecdotes claimed the riviera pieces were different. I had a couple cars with it and still have bags of spare parts. Guys who owned them back in the day used to accumulate and keep spares, then passed them on when they sold the cars. Why? Because if something broke or malfunctioned there wasn't aftermarket support for the various relays and electronic bits, mostly just big pieces like head units were avail as remans.

If you DID go that route, your list of pieces would be the dash wire harness, the head unit, climate box with the extra relays and little bits that go with it, whole 9 yards. At that point you pretty much need to switch to the Regal dash or do an aftermarket custom gauge setup.
 
The biggest problem using more modern controls is the cable for the hot -cold blend door. Later cars use electrically controlled actuator.

actuator .jpg

Figure out how to make that actuator drive the blend door shaft or lever and you got it, the rest of the vacuum and electrical should be trivial.
 
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