Hey Guys,
Pulled out of the garage Sunday and turned the heater on, and what do ya know,,,fog inside the cab...smoke like out the defrost, no smell or odor. Pulled back in the garage, checked for wetness on the passenger side, no wetness. I let it sit, checked it last night, wetness under the core box. I have the heater with the two switches right side of driver mounted to under the dash. I looked through the forums found this part number C2TZ-18476-A. Not longer available. ? If not, I will pull it and take it to be repaired. How much typically would it cost?

Also, seems like it would be nothing to change it out. I am sure one of ya have done it before.
Thanks,
Hammy

 

No Ford dealer or obsolete parts vendor has any,

 

Thanks ND....So I hope it is good enough to have it repaired, OR I will be looking for something close and call it "modification" time.
SO if anyone has replaced the core, and or had to get to the core, any details or "things to watch for" when getting to the heater core would be greatly appreciated. As i look at it, removing the lines under the hood via removing the battery and battery holder, uggg. Inside, remove the black large cover on passenger side. Expose heater core?
Thanks
Hammy

 

Could you use a new heater core from 65 or later and just revise the holes that it uses to travel through the firewall? Or is this a resto?

 

Hey Optimusglen,,Not a resto, drive train has been changed so a heater core from another model year would not matter. Its a driver. You wouldn't think their would be to much of a difference between those tow years but i am sure they are completely different. I don't want to have to cut it all up and patch stuff, for it is a clean truck.
Will pull the old one out and see the damage, and maybe tonight, if I hear a little detail how to get to it. I have seen drawings but there always seems to be a good or better way to do things.
.
Thanks,
Hammy

 

Here read this.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...oval-help.html

 

Remove it and take it to your local radiator shop. They can either fix it or recore it. Shouldn't be that big a deal...

 

Gangstakr, thanks must have missed this one when i was searching through the forums Monday. As I thought, pretty straight forward.

Rider...yes that is my plan. As for the cost, I am sure its pending what needs to be done. I hope I pull it out and it is some small pin hole. I can fix it then.
I tell ya, some day if I sell this truck, someone will have a good mechanical sound truck. I will follow up as to my findings as always. Thanks all.
Hammy

 

If I found a pin hole and fixed it myself I might still consider taking it to have it pressure tested for that slight extra piece of mind. If it lets go big time while hot it can make a real mess inside the cab and fog up the windows so quick it can make it tough to see out. That happened to my sister in her 1969 Mach 1 during high school.
.

 

TA455HO, Sorry for misleading, I did say "fix it myself". As I type before I think some times..lol.. "I can fix it myself"=taking it to a radiator shop and having them fixing it. My part of the "fix it myself" is pulling out the core, pulling my wallet out and paying the guy, and re-installing it. The "Cannot fix it myself" would be a replacement of some sort.
I appreciate your concern and advise. I also have had the heater core blow out of a mustang too. I was real lucky for just before it happened I think I was pegging about 120mph.(ok 90 to 100)...slowed down due to some construction ahead, just cleared the construction and was just ready to get on it again, She let loose... fog was so thick in the car i could cut it with a frogs hair. All good thanks again.

 

Guys,
I was able to pull the heater box and get the heater core out. I will follow up with some detail later. Heater core is no longer available so....
My question, I called a couple local radiator shops to see about re-core / repair and they said it could run up as much as $200.00. This sound correct?
Thanks,
Hammy

 

Sounds like $200 would be the high end of the scale so that would probably mean a new core. I'd assume a repair might run less if they can get a good result doing that. If it's a good shop like many they will err on the side of caution and make sure it's going to last you a while.


The replacement core plus the labor - they probably wouldn't be getting rich off of you. I've had 3 radiators recored in the past year, of course larger than the heater core by a good bit, but for comparisons sake. The 2 Ford Truck radiators for the V-8 engines used the same core that they wrote down as an


#AL-1500


Disassemble, clean tanks and side-arms. Ultra-sonic clean tanks. Resolder tanks to new core. Resolder hose fittings, filler neck. Resolder side-arms to radiator. Pressure test. $446 plus Wa. state sales tax of 9.6%


Then the cross-flow radiator for the Trans Am.


Pressure wash and power flush. Boil-out and flush. Disassemble. Rod-out tubes and power flush tubes. Rebuild top and bottom header plates. Resolder tanks to core. Resolder filler neck, hose fittings and side-arms. Straighten fins and Pressure test. $225 plus same 9.6% tax.


They had each of them for at least a week.


.

 

Just an idea,
Take the core out, take pictures of it, measure it 6 ways to Sunday.
Then go to Napa and look at the catalog pictures and find one that's close.
That's what I did in the 46 ford sedan

 

TA455HO, Thanks, so that tells me he is in the ball park. This shop is known to do pretty good work. He added "if I can repair it, it would be cheaper", but if he has to re-core it, around $200.00. Called a couple other places and one was the same amount, the other didn't know till he could see it. That is fare but I think that tells me they don't do it much.

ssandirene, Appreciate the advice. Did that Saturday. If it was close to the right size, the tubes were way off. If the tubes were close, the heater core was to small or to big. Seemed like a 70's model was as close as I could get to mine. On the '64 it has a frame around it to mount it. Others do not have this. Not sure it is cool to just leave it hanging or attempt to brace it and cause issues. The time I would have involved in dong this, may as well bite the bullet and have this one repaired / re-cored.
Will advise.
Thanks,
Hammy

 

Ok guys,
Dropped off the heater core Monday, called him today, he said he has to re-core it, could not find anything close otherwise could have saved me some $. SO, he said last week when I called him, around $200.00 to re-core, today he tells me $325.00 to re-core it. Ummmmm....Am I missing something here, he saw me coming? I have a hard time dealing with this type of difference in price.
What are you guys thoughts on the final $325. to re-core this thing?