But actually it is quite easy to remove the whole heater housing from the car. Once it is out it is easy to work on.
What steve didn't mention is that its an A/C car. Which makes the box rather bigger.
As i never removed mine with the dash in place i cant comment on how easy or not it is, but my guess is not as easy?
My Challenger was Air Con. It is still easy.
I removed the complete unit then dissembled it on the driveway. Chucked the heavy pipework and matrix but kept the blower motor and fixed the air flaps so it always blew air to the screen. This is good enough to clear the screen if it mists. I figured I would never be using the car in the winter anyway and the car was about a ton lighter without the air con pump on the nose of the car.
Having said that I ended up using the car 4 times during mid-winter. Ice on the inside of the widscreen was a problem. But you do get a little warmth from the exhaust through the floor. Not enough for any real benifit but you become grateful for any warmth at all after a 250 mile drive to Geof Hausers in the middle of January.
Im not bothered about weight etc, want to keep the car as original as I can apart from modern updates that will help me enjoy the car all year round (electrics etc). The heater is a must really so when weather sorts itself out I will knuckle down and get it sorted...
No argument there Steve. A car like yours should be fully equiped and all that stuff fully working too!
The message here is that is not a bad or difficult job and a new core shouldn't break the bank balance. You will probably find it is full of crap that needs cleaning out. It will work better than you imagine after a clean and bit of a resto.
But there are a lot of fiddly bits in the system that have to go back on correctly (in particular the control system connections) so just make sure you take a lot of detailed photos and label bits before you start disconnecting things. It is easy to think "oh I will remember how that went" but when it comes to re-assembly it is always "which way around was this".
Thats wise advice thanks Dave.... Thankfully Im a bit thick and a bit OCD so combine the two and everything gets bagged, tagged, labelled, photod and filed as a matter of course.... but only on a Friday
Bit of progress today, got an idiots step by step guide from a US forum and managed to get the heater box out. Will strip the core out tomw morning and get it in to be redone.
Turns out that the best thing to do is bin the workshop manual as it tries to explain how to get the core out while its still in the heater box. Waste of time trying by all accounts, best to just strip the whole thing out and do it on the bench. Car is in bits though, carpet up, dash loose, wires everywhere!!
Had a good couple of hours on this earlier...with my lad Alexs' help, we got the new heater core into the heater box and back into Polara. Secured in and a few bits n pieces back in place. Hope to Bananarama! tomorrow and then I can plumb it into the water pump with the new heater hose I picked up at the Essex swapmeet....getting there!
Well done Steve.
The way your going you'll know the car inside and out in no time.
Bet you can't wait for that hot air moment ?
If its anything like mine it'll be Nevada in the old girl
It's all about Smiles per gallon !!!
68 Coronet sedan 500 4 door
Dodge Ram SRT 10
MMA-013
Yeah.....certainly know how to find the pain in the arse jobs, thats for sure Gary!
I was on a roll earlier but the light went and didnt want to mess the job up if you know what I mean. Should be able to get most of it finished tomorrow after work, weather permitting. Wont put all the trim back till Ive tested everything
Bananarama! thing!!!!! All back together today, fired her up.... Antifreeze Bananarama! out of the bottom of the heater box!!
Will have to strip it back out tomorrow and see whats gone wrong....
The car is on a slight angle on my drive so all the fluid is gravitating towards the drivers footwell, so I cant work out where its coming from in the heater box. Im wondering if its from the push on pipes that go into the engine bay... Maybe the 'o' rings arent sealing properly... Who knows till I strip it out..
Steve wrote:Bananarama! thing!!!!! All back together today, fired her up.... Antifreeze Bananarama! out of the bottom of the heater box!!
Will have to strip it back out tomorrow and see whats gone wrong....
The car is on a slight angle on my drive so all the fluid is gravitating towards the drivers footwell, so I cant work out where its coming from in the heater box. Im wondering if its from the push on pipes that go into the engine bay... Maybe the 'o' rings arent sealing properly... Who knows till I strip it out..
What a bugger.
Sure youll suss it out mate but a pain to do a job twice !!!
It's all about Smiles per gallon !!!
68 Coronet sedan 500 4 door
Dodge Ram SRT 10
MMA-013
Yeah.... Thankfully its fresh in my mind so shouldnt take too long to get out. Ive clamped the pipes for tonight and when I get it out, i will put the pipes straight into the core from the water pump so I can see where its leaking from when I fire her up. Just a pain as you say mate. Wish I had her inside in a big garage with lighting and could get stuck in this evening.
Box out again today, tested straight onto water pump and core leaking from one of the new soft pipes installed when rebuilt. Nipped up the jubilee clip and stopped leaking. Few drips from the push fit pipes that go through the bulkhead so replaced them with some soldered up new copper tubes with heater hose and jubilee clip connectors, tested, ok, back in box and ready to go back in to car when my mate can help get it in tomw,
