C2; '66 heater core advice needed

[Gary B.]

This past weekend I removed the blower motor and outer (engine side) heater box on my '66 coupe (L79 no A/C) in order to restore these two items. In the process I exposed for the 1st time in 36+ years the outer face of the heater core. When the car was still in one piece some months ago, the heater worked fine. I'm doing a frame-off, so I've got lots of stuff off the car, both inside and out. I'm thinking that it sure would be easier to replace the heater core now rather than 2 years from now when the car is back together with new carpet that I wouldn't want to get trashed from a leaking heater core. My questions are:

1) Should I buy a new heater core and replace my original under the assumption that sooner or later my original core is going to fail?

2) Does anyone know the difference between the Dr. Rebuild $70 heater core and the Long Island Corvette $110 heater core?

3) In terms of judging, is any part of the heater core judged?

4) Anything else related to the blower motor and heater core that I should do at this stage? Do people recommend painting the original bare steel blower motor squirrel cage, which is very rusty? Or should I leave it alone since the addition of paint may unbalance it?

Thanks,

Gary

[John H.]

Re: C2; '66 heater core advice needed

Gary -

If I had the car torn down to that extent already, I'd definitely replace the heater core; 36 years is a LONG time to expect it to last, especially in view of the PITA to replace it in a finished car.

[Joe L.]

Re: C2; '66 heater core advice needed

Gary and John-----

I DEFINITELY agree. That's a VERY long time for a heater core to last. I've replaced 3 in my 69 and I've taken meticulous care of the cooling system.

You will note that there will be some slight differences in configuration of the original and replacement cores. Originals have the "Harrison" name debossed on the tank; replacements do not. This difference is moot since the heater core cannot be seen once installed in the car. As far as I know, the configuration of the inlet and outlet tubes is the same as the originals and this is the only part of the unit that can be seen.

I've heard some folks suggest that one have the heater core "re-cored" and thus preserve the original tank. I've asked several radiator shops and all said that they don't recore heater cores and don't know anyone who does as seperate cores are not available. Maybe it's a "California Phenomenon", though. In any event, I really think that a NEW, factory-assembled heater core is the way to go even if you could get an old one re-cored.

I think that most of the heater cores available on the market today for older Corvettes are manufactured by the same source and "packaged" differently. That's why you'll find no manufacturer's ID marks on the core, itself. Regardless, I would always use a Delco heater core as long as they are available even if what's in the box is the same as can be found in the boxes of other manufacturers. Buying Delco ASSURES me of some standard of quality. Delco are what Dr. Rebuild sells, so I don't think that you can do any better.

[Joe C.]

Re: C2; '66 heater core advice needed

Gary:

The only difference is PRICE. I would ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY replace the core now, whether you need it or not. There is no way that a replacement core can be detected during judging.

Joe

[Jack H.]

Re: C2; '66 heater core advice needed

I agree with others that since you're in there, it's worthwhile heading off future problems at the pass. For what it's worth, some versions of original heater cores (like A/C car units) are getting hard/pricey to find.

Next, originals were date coded but once installed you can't see the markings. So, preserving your car's correct/original heater core becomes a matter of 'pride' in restoration/preservation....

More to the point, these are essentially 'tiny' brass radiators. They CAN be serviced/repaired by local radiator shops in the same way conventional radiators are re-worked. If you've got a local rad shop you trust to do good work, they just might put a grin on your face for how little they charge and how fast the local turnaround is vs. buying a replacement....

[Richard L.]

Used a Doc ReBuild core this year on a 65 Non A/C

car. His stuff worked great and the installation and rebuild instructions were the absolute best. Note: Use two of his seals on the engine compartment outer heater box against the firewall. Don't ask how I know this. Bought his rebuild kit for the inner heater box as well and rebuilt all of that system at the same time. If you're going in there, might as well do it right. There are plenty of archived discussions on this topic here and Gary Schisler (sp??) will email you a detailed "Restorer" article from a couple of years ago on the topic if you ask him to.

Rick

[G B.]

Differences I've seen

The new cores that I've bought during the last year have all had minor dimensional differences in the tubing connections. All of these came in Delco boxes.

For example, the last one (for a non-a.c. '67 SB) had tubes that were a half inch longer then the originals. The angle of the bends was slightly different too. The one before that was for a '70 BB with a.c. It had tubes that were soldered on too crooked to fit into the lower tube guide. The one before that for a '66 SB with a.c. had tubes that were too long and bent at the wrong angle. They were so far off you couldn't install heater hoses with the evaporator case in place!

I still buy the new Delco heater cores, but only for the core itself. A local radiator shop then charges me $20 to install both original end tanks with tubes and pressure test them. I haven't found a source that will sell me cores alone with the right dimensions.

[Michael Jones]

[Geoff C.]

[Don Shirey]

Re: C2; '66 heater core advice needed

Gary,
Go with a new core and have it pressure checked at 12-15 PSI max before installation. A friend didn't have his tested and it leaked on his brand new carpets.

Don 31553

[Gary B.]

Thanks evenyone; I appreciate the advice *NM*