Heater/ac box problems!

[Daveyb11]

I'll start by saying not sure if this goes here or where I should've posted so i apologize for that and also if the image is too big i also apologize for that.

It goes without saying that my heater/ac box has seen its share of better days.
With winter approaching and this being my dd I'm going to need some heat/defrost but funds are low so a new one is out of the question, however i do have a fab shop at my disposal so I'm thinking i can make me a new one out of sheet metal and do away with the a/c part of it and keep my heater and controls without having to do a full swap out to a a/c delete box and blah blah.
Anyway I'm not really sure what lays beneath that black box as I've never had it out or apart... so my question is what should i watch out for? Does anyone foresee any problems with making one out of sheet metal? Anyone ever do this before?

 

[Huroncountycutty]

I just removed my ac/heat box in my 85 cutlass, was a bit of a pita, if you have time you can take the fender off to make it easier, but inside is basically just the blower fan, ac rad unit(unsure what its called) and the heater core, so I wouldnt see why you wouldnt be able to make one, my friend fabricated one for his 93 ranger when he put a 351w in so I know its possible. I wish mine hadnt come out in a million pieces or id take pics! Good luck!

 

[MightyCarlo86]

Just finished modifying my heater box since I no longer use a/c. I cut out a lot of the bottom and used sheet metal for a template and used fiberglass and resin to finish it. Comes out awesome when you take your time and paint over it when you're done.

 

[Daveyb11]

I may just fix this one and fiberglass in where the ac unit used to sit

 

[307 Regal]

Here's what I did with mine. Didn't even take the bottom half out of the engine bay. Just some scrap metal, screws, and RTV. I think I used frozen pizza boxes for templates. EDIT: and some foam on the top metal piece to "seal" on the bottom metal piece.