I am new to this forum and don't even know much about posting a question so bare with me. I am finishing up a few things to get my 1967 326 CI 3 speed manual car with AC back on the road. I purchased the car in February 2020 from the original owner. The car is pretty much original and complete but had been parked in a garage since 1998. It has some rust in the normal places but the floor are pretty good and I was able to repair, patch, and Por15 those critical spots The original paint has great patina so I am likely just going to clean it up and leave it as is.

I got the car running within about a month of buying it but had pretty good knocks (several spun rod bearings) and very poor oil pressure. We rebuilt the engine stock except for bore. It now runs great and I am excited to get it licensed and on the road. Planning to just clean it up a bit and make it my daily driver.

Now for my question. I replaced the heater motor and heater core during the process of putting the engine back in. Also converted the AC to the newer coolant. I am now ready to put the front fender on but I am having difficultly routing the heater core to block return hose. The hose has a kink in every position that I have tried right where it connects to the core when I try to put the inner fender on the car. If anyone can post a picture of how this hose is routed on your car, I would appreciate the help. By the way, I should mention that when I removed the old hose, it also had a similar kink in the same spot. I'm pretty sure that it should be able to be installed without the kink but I worked on it all weekend and could not get it to work. Thanks for your input. Ron

Welcome Ron.

Here's a photo of mine (cobweb and all) on my '68 (with AC). I've replaced the core and hoses a couple times on mine. There seems to be ample room to route the lower hose with no kinks. Unless there is something different on the '67 that I'm not aware of, I would assume they are the same. Could there be an issue with the fender and inner alignment that has it closer to the firewall? Or, could the core you used have a pipe that extends too far out?


My fender has never been off the car. I replaced them through an access hole/flap a radiator shop cut in the well decades ago on the first core replacement.

Hi Jim, Thanks for the picture and your help. I want to confirm. The hose I am having the kinking problem with is the hose from the heater core to the block by the distributor. It is tucked under the AC unit. The heater core that i put in was almost exactly like the one I removed. The picture you sent looks like the hose that comes from the radiator to the heater core. Unless there were significant changes from 67 to 68, the hose I am having trouble with is not very accessible for a picture. The heater core hose tube that runs from the core to the back of the block by the distributor is below the AC unit between the inner fender and the AC unit. Can you take a look at yours and see if there is a kink? I doubt that you will be able to even get a good picture of the hose I am talking about with the inner fender on the car. You can see it from below but not from the engine compartment. Thanks again for your help.

Here is a picture that I took from the side of the car. You probably cannot see yours from this angle with the front fender on the car. You can likely see if from underneath.

What I was trying to show in my photo was the bends in that lower hose. I cannot get under the car right now to see if I can see the connection. I tried a mirror but just could not get it positioned to see the clamp area of the hose. Another time that I wish I had a snake camera.

What I did notice in your photo is that it appears that the hose just fits between the inner fender and evaporator case. Maybe it's just an optical illusion. Mine has a lot of slack for the hose in that area, probably a half inch extra space.

I just don't recall any problem with mine kinking the last time I worked on it but it's been a long time ago. I know my problem was working through a small opening in the well.

Maybe another owner with AC here can get a better photo of their car.

The only thing I can add is that your car probably had an aftermarket heater core to begin with and I assume you replaced it with one. From the few I have seen, aftermarkets are not exactly like the originals. I have 2 original a/c heater cores here and measured the bottom nipples from the tank to the end and came up with 2 and 3 quarters of an inch long. Also the bottom nipple has a bend that hooks up and to the left to help with the clearance issue your having. Here is the service manual for hose routing just scroll down to group 9.000 illustration 13. Good luck. http://www.teufert.net/partbook/67-76/9-i.pdf

Jim and Barnbird, thanks for your help. I am not sure if the core I removed was original or aftermarket. The one I installed was aftermarket and the kink in the hose was about the same on both. I will likely need to use a little heat on the core tube to make a bend that will allow me to install the hose without the kink. It appears that there is plenty of room between the AC suitcase and the inner fender to route the hose without kinking it if I can bend that tube a bit. Really appreciate both of you for your help, advice, and the service manual. Looking forward to tapping into your expertise as I move forward to get the car on the road. Thanks for all you do. Ron

By the way, I do see that there is a factory indentation in the inner fender that appears to be where that hose lays across the inner fender. It looks like a shadow in the picture I sent. It looks like if I can put the right bend in the core tube, the hose will route across that factory indentation and then around the front of or over the top of the AC suitcase. Can you let me know if that hose on your cars route over the top or around the suitcase. Pic if possible. Thanks again for your help. Ron.

Jim and Barnbird. Just wanted to thank you again for your help with this issue. The Parts Catalog with the diagrams was just what I needed. I reviewed the heater hose parts and diagram in the manual. The kinking problem was not caused by the inner fender, heater core nozzel, or the routing. By looking at the diagrams you provided, I found out that the original hose was a "FORMED/MOLDED" heater hose with a 90 degree bend where it goes on the heater core tube. I tried to source an original hose but all of my searches came to a dead-end. That part simply is not in the repro market. We have a Chevy Camaro repro shop here. I talked with them and they were very familiar with this very issue on the 67 Camaro with AC. I did solve the problem though. I searched and searched for a heater hose with a 90 degree formed bend and 5/8 in ID. I finally found one and went to the local parts store. The hose I used was made for a Dodge Dakota. The 90 degree bend fit where it should with no kinks. The hose is 36 inches long so I just used the wife's good knife and hacked off six inches of the hose on the end that goes to the block and it fits very well with no kinks and plenty clearance all around. Hope the wife doesn't get any ideas about using the knife on me. I was even able to route the hose pretty close to how the original hose would have been routed according to the diagram you sent. I know it would not pass the judges inspection at a car show. But for a daily driver like mine, it was a perfect solution. Don't know if the engineers and designers who originally designed the Birds are still alive. If not, I am sure they are turning over in their graves watching me put a MOPAR part on their car. Thanks again for your help with this issue. I am sure I will be back in the future with more questions. Ron

I looked at the parts book and see the formed cables. Thanks, I've learned something new about these cars I never knew. Mine must have had a formed hose originally that was replaced with bulk hose back during the first core replacement.

It got me wondering how the bulk hose I put on mine looks at the hose clamp. So, I got a snake camera and took a look. It does seem to be routed without any sharp bend or kinking.

Congratulations, sounds like you came up with a good fix! Maybe it's an optical illusion, but it looks like the heater hose in your picture is pulled kind of tight? I was thinking if you disconnected it from the engine and pushed a few inches toward the heater core it may actually lay in the indention on your inner fender and possibly get rid of the kink? It's hard to tell from the angle of the picture though.

Thank you Duff. Is yours an AC car. When I took the picture of mine, the heater hose was not connected to the block yet and I could not put the hose in any position that would not kink. Once I put a hose on with the 90 degree formed end, the hose sat very nice in the indentation in the innter fender and routed pretty much close to the factory diagrams I have. I did notice that the non-AC car does not have the 90 degree formed hose and routes pretty straightforward just like the pic you posted. Stay in touch and thanks for your input.