Any helpful hints before I attempt a heater core transplant? I did attempt to search the archives but lost patience. It comes out from the inside? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 67, no A/C.

Did you try the keyword &#%*$(%(% ?

Pull off the glovebox door, glovebox. Undo the nuts on the firewall side to drop the inner box (a few are a bit hard to get at. If I recall I used one of those ratchet style box end wrenches on the ones near the inner fender.

Pull aside the box to get at the core. (I don't recall having to undo the cables) insert the new core. The core pipes that go thru the wall take a little cussing and finesse to get back thru (or a cute flexible dwarf) but they do go at the right angle. Be carefull or you could mess up the solder connection. Bolt it back in and hook er up....

Took me about an hour....

Thanks. That helps. Does the outer box stay in place on the firewall or does it fall off when you take off the nuts?

It's supposed to have sealer around it that should keep it in place.

Well whattayaknow.. A topic with the exact same titel! Try the "Advanced Search" option!

This should get you started...



https://firstgenfirebird.org/forums/ubbth...html#Post123734

Yeah, that Wouter guy. He asks a LOT of questions.

Ya gotta watch out for him.

I am king in asking stupid questions... That's because I ahve no shame: I take pride in it... LOL

Only way to do it right is to be maximally informed!

For the record, I NEVER said 'stupid' questions!...

I was replacing my heater core the same day you had asked, so all I had to do was follow along. thanks!

LOL!

actually, being near St. Patties day you might try and find a flexible leprechaun....

The outer should stay in place with the sealer...

Thanks, Wouter. You have more patience than me with the search. I typed "heater core" and got every post with either "heater" or "core" but none with "heater core".

Klick the box "in title", that limits the results.

So I decided to start the heater core job. Looks like somebody else has been there before. The inner box was only being held by the two upper fasteners - the bottom was loose. That could be the reason there's always been so much heat coming from under the dash. This could also be a good time to fix the broken defrost lever. I stuck my hand in there and tried to work the defrost cable and it seems stuck.

So this is what I got from Ames. There is no way to get this in without removing the outer box, which requires fender removal. The inlet nozzle is too long and angled. Is this the right heater core?

It looks relatively right. The A/C version has pipes that are about 8" or 9" long.

We never said it would be easy, but with some finagaling and more than a couple cuss words, it did fit through the firewall openings.

With that said, I now remember that I lucked into a NOS one for my '67. I remember reading that some of the repros were somewhat different sizes and the pipes were bent a bit wrong.

But the A/C and non A/C versions are easy to tell apart, and yours is definetly the non A/C one. (now whether the size and thickness is correct, that I don't know).

I can't imagine how this could ever get through the firewall holes with the long, angled pipes, without taking off the outer box.

Check the link I posted above to the thread about this. I had the same heater core; it was a bit different then the one I took out (a bit thicker) and you do need to bend the pipes a bit. But I got mine in without taking the fender off..

Read the thread; I posted a LOT of pics. Should be helpfull.

Good luck!

Oh, thinner, the new one was thinner. But it looks pretty similar to the one you have:

Boy, photobucket.com gets more complicated every time I go there...

I was trying to avoid bending the tubes, but that would help. Here's my old and new. The body is the same size, but the pipes are a bit longer.

Wouter, your pipes don't look as angled as mine. It's the skinny inlet pipe that is my problem. Where did you get yours?

Classic Industries I think.. Or was it Ames..? I can check tomorrow if you want.

Hey Bob. I too will be attempting this for my 67 non-ac. Do you happen to know the manufacture and part number of your replacement core?

I found that the one from CI can be had in any Advanced Auto for $36. But I fear this is the one everyone has fit issues with...

Thanks and good luck!

Mike

I paid $80 from Ames and it looks exactly the same as the picture they showed me at Advance Auto. The one at Advance has the same long, angled nozzles as the one I've got that is giving me problems.

Bob,

You may want to take the original down to Acme radiator in Watervliet and see if they can repair it instead of going the new route. I see the one neck is pretty mangled so I'm not sure if its worth it or not but you know that one fits at least!

Mine looked the same as yours, oddly enough there was an angle it fit in with a bit of cussing and pushing, and contortionist wiggling for about a half hour. The old one I took out was near identical...

Mine was differetn, but it fitted anyway without problems. You have to bend the lower tube a bit+ slide a pipe over it and bend it at the angle, make sure you don´t bend where it is attached to the radiator or you will damage it and it might leak..

All in all it was a straight forward job, as described earlier in the other thread.

Well I got it in with some bending of the tube and some cussing and I got the case bolted back up. Hopefully it will still be water tight after the abuse. The tube is now a little close to the valve cover due to the bending. Next I need to work on the leaky water outlet gasket so it may be a few days until I can fill her up and pressure test. Thanks all for the helpful advice and encouragement. For the anal retentive perfectionists out there, I recommend taking off the outer case to do this right.