5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #15 – August 16, 2012, 08:58:08 AM Quote from: jcassity;396069"crystal" once upon a time said here on the board that she removed the glove box and undid some various hvac vac lines and then............with a dremal tool and small cutting disc cut three sides of a tall rectangle out of the air box directly behind the heater core which then was a simple door she bent open and extracted the heater core.stuck the new one in and then closed the door and closed the box with duct tape.still have not see pics of this but i also have not forgot it,,,, my 20th just blew its core and i will soon "need" to attempt the same process.she said she did it and i believe it.any thoughts on it?I did my 1990 ford bronco in a white shirt and tie in exactly 22 minutes. I want the coug to be the same way, the air box set up is similar but for did not offer a clip set opening in that sweet spot that made it quick.I am not lazy by any measure, i just believe that taking out the dash and making slack in various harness connections or undoing connections just increases risk., thats all. doing a heater core in our cars per the manual causes you to have to muddle in all important unrelated areas that can increase risk of damaging pieces parts that really shouldnt be in the heater core game. I totally agree with your statement. I need to do the core in mine also. Are you going in for it soon?? Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #16 – September 01, 2012, 11:40:10 PM When I bought my car about 8 years ago, the heater core was already shot. When I did research on replacing it, it sounded like a nightmare. I totally agree that this being my first attempt, it would not be a good idea for me to try taking the whole dash out. I would rather cut open the core box and manufacture a replacement, that would be much easier. My manual leaves a lot to the imagination (not good). I hope you guys will let us know how you decided was the best way to fix it. I will probably be starting on mine soon also. Thanks! Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #17 – September 02, 2012, 11:55:06 AM Quote from: mcb82gt;396098I totally agree with your statement. I need to do the core in mine also. Are you going in for it soon??yes, and i have a ford core. Project is not on my radar now but as you can see, it is getting cooler outside and i dont want to be doing it when its too late.Many people here have no issues pulling out the whole dash, id rather have the real estate to establish an engine bay cover like mentioned but much easier done wtih no motor im sure.i guess ill take pics when i do attempt this crystal mod. I know well she posted pics of it when we were on easyboard,, thats stuff's all gone now and i didnt save the pics for my files. Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #18 – September 02, 2012, 02:33:45 PM I pulled the dash out, and swapped cores in less than two hours. Not a terrible project. Sounds worse than it is. Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #19 – September 02, 2012, 09:48:28 PM yeah, i know you have said that and i believe you, it seems so fast though you must be primed with a case of red bull.I wouldnt be able to do it that fast because i tend to want to bag up and lable hardware. Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #20 – September 02, 2012, 11:48:34 PM Quote from: vinnietbird;397208I pulled the dash out, and swapped cores in less than two hours. Not a terrible project. Worse than it sounds. I did it for the first time in around 2 hours as well. It wasn't terribly difficult, but not really easy. If I had a car that had a hacked up firewall similar to the OP, I would use it as an access door, like most of you guys say, but definitely would not molest an uncut firewall to make an access point. The HVAC box idea sounds good though. Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #21 – September 03, 2012, 12:47:00 AM Quote from: jcassity;397263yeah, i know you have said that and i believe you, it seems so fast though you must be primed with a case of red bull.I wouldnt be able to do it that fast because i tend to want to bag up and lable hardware. Scott, it really isnt that bad. take your time and learn it the first time you go in. Its really a better idea to do it right the first time than to hack up your heater box... Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #22 – September 03, 2012, 07:04:10 AM Not much hardware to label. I pulled a few fasteners that hold the dash, the 4 that drop the coulmn....a couple outside on the firewall, and the fasteners that hold the HVAC box in. Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #23 – September 03, 2012, 09:20:41 AM We can do them in app 2+ hours with a variety of either Chinese food or some pepperoni pies. Either way those heater cores are not a walk in the park. And to top it off we test them before instillation and to our demise some actually fail in a relatively short time. We never hack up a car. This car was bought hacked up. I have dun so many heater cores in my career it is mind boggling. They are so hard to do in certain cars, But this is the business we chose and so be it. Bottom line the consumer pays the bill and life goes on!!! Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #24 – September 03, 2012, 10:23:25 PM Nothin' to it, but a little time, patience, and a coupla cold beverages of your choice. I could do a Tbird heater core in a couple hours. God knows I've had my dash in/out so many times I could probably do it in the ed dark. Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #25 – September 03, 2012, 10:33:15 PM It isn't hard, it is just time consuming. When you tare taking the dash out, take lots of pictures. When you disconnect a harness, take a picture. The worst and most common mistake made is trying to rely ONLY on your memory. Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #26 – September 04, 2012, 07:59:58 AM Memory??? what's that....lol.I've done the heater core dance before, not bad I even used the shoulder harness to hold the dash back...lol. Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #27 – November 26, 2014, 05:36:14 PM I realize this thread is older, but I'm very curious how this project eventually worked out. I have been researching a few options to swap out the heater core (again) on my 80 Thunderbird. Last time I did it... it took me about 8 hours to do it the correct way. It wasn't terribly hard but not something I'd want to do over and over. After about only 3 months the new cores input tube solder came loose on the replacement heater core. Annoyed by all this, my bird has been without heat for a few years. I initially pried out the rubber seal that sits around the input/output tubes and then tried to solder the input tube back in place with a pen type torch and plumbing solder... without pulling the core but of course that didn't work too well and leaked. But I figured, I figured it was worth a shot. However...I stopped short of trying JB Weld. I since learned you should install a coolant flow restriction (to reduce occasion high pressure surges) inside the input hose and even consider bridging the two tubes together with a piece of copper to strengthen them. I think I'm going to try to do an access port slot on the firewall and fabricate a spiffy looking aluminum plate with a gasket, to make future swaps more of a 30 minute project. My t-bird is very modified and I'm not going to sell my car ...so I'm not worried about someone else not liking it. As long at it seals and it allows easy access, I think its well worth doing. Was the panel originally discussed eventually kept as a quick access panel ...or was it just welded up? Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #28 – November 26, 2014, 07:53:06 PM Left it as you can not see it with the engine in ac components and body sealer to mahe it look stock. Easiest way to do it. As you found out those cores ar nopt that good any more and having an access port can ease the frustration . Only reason i repaired it this way was because someone did it before i bought the car. Bridging the pipes together is Mandatory Quote Selected
5 Minute heater core replace??? Reply #29 – November 26, 2014, 08:45:38 PM Thanks for the quick reply. Ive been doing some reading online and I found that the topic of modifying firewalls or cutting opening the heater box from under the dash, really stirs some feathers. But that aside...It's interesting that the manufactures of the heater cores don't solder on a simple strengthening brace between the two tubes, to cut down on a common problem. Then again, the more often they leak... the more cores they get to sell. Quote Selected
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