Painted Heater Box

[challboy728]

The front side of the heater box in my 70 Challenger T/A is painted semi gloss black. Is this typical or .. perhaps the previous owner painted it for some reason? I am ready to put the box back together after rebuild, but wanted to clarify.

 

[Steve340]

Mine is unpainted natural finish. I think that would be factory. The factory probably would not spend extra time painting the component.

 

[Grady Cain]

Heater boxes were never painted from the factory. They have a natural, fibrous look to them. I've seen many "restoration" attempts and the so-called "restorers" spray clear all over the housings. Neither clear coat nor paint is correct...

Yes, I realize the rivets are not correct in these photos. I'm just using them to show the finish of an original heater box.

 

[challboy728]

Thanks, guys, for the responses and pics. I suspected the previous owner had been into it because there was RTV on the box and it looks like the heater core had been leaking.
So it looks like I am not ready to put the box back together yet ......................