Heater Core replacement

[awk409ak]

Hi All,

With the dash pad removed is there anyway to get at the heater core?  Was just thinking if I had the dash pad removed what else should I do in there.

 

Art

[Dales90]

Decades ago did the job the total way , which was to remove the core inwardly from engine compartment to interior. It is mounted in front of the console area. When done I surmised when the 64s came down the assembly line, it was the heater core to which all else attached

[telriv]

Not an easy job especially for the novice beginner.  Do A LOT OF RESEARCH before starting.

[Seafoam65]

                        The heater core was designed to be removed from the inside which entails removing the console and dismantling much of the dash.

It is a hellish job, and it always results in breaking brittle old parts such as the defroster duct which usually crumbles into dust when you disturb it.

There is another way to do it, which entails removing the cover on the firewall under the hood and cutting out around the hole in the firewall about another 1/2 inch all the way around and pulling it out on the engine side. I still have my original heater core but if it ever leaks I am going to do it that way.

[RivNut]

There are technical write ups for both ways in the Tech Tips section on the Riv Owners website.

[jsgun]

I believe i've read that the job was listed at 6 hours, and I see that as optimistic. Mine had rusted out the surrounding air box, so be ready for surprises. 

 

I pulled mine out from the inside and it was an absurd job. I modified my firewall to allow it to be removed from the engine compartment. The mod wasn't difficult, but took some customization to prevent the core from rattling in the airbox. It's incredible that Buick didn't engineer it to remove from the engine compartment. I just don't understand why. I can post pics if you want.

 

My 92 Corvette's heater core is leaking, and the dash has to be removed to get to it. I'm gladly paying a garage $800 to change it for me.

[KongaMan]

Well...  I changed mine from the outside, pulling the blower box.  Don't remember the how, except that it wasn't nearly as bad as the horror stories would lead you to believe. The biggest PITA was the lower HVAC diaphragm.