I live in Montana.

It was -29 below this morning.

My trusty Bronco fired right up (parked outside) and the heater works great !

 

I wish I could say the same..... mine has always started with no problem, but the factory heater has always left a lot to be desired. My truck has the steel ceiling with no headliner or insulation, ditto for the top, so it doesn't tend to hold the heat that well. Despite the past several years' replacement of the heater core, control cable, weatherstrips, engine, 195 degree thermostat, etc., the heater just won't do much more than knock the frost off of the windshield and warm your feet slightly when temps get down around the zero mark. Adding the headers and roller rockers probably didn't help with heat retention, but so be it.

That's why I got sort of obsessed with improving the system..... my Bronco is my winter driver, and I wanted it to be warm! For those who were wondering, I honestly can't tell whether insulating the heater hoses has made a difference. You'd think the engine bay heat would / should keep them warm enough on their own, though yesterday I shut my truck down and within 15 minutes it had dropped from an engine temp of 190F to full cold on the factory gauge (below 120F on the mechanical). For a couple of bucks, and since I ran an additional couple of feet of hose across the back of the firewall to feed my second heater, I thought it was a good idea. I wish I could offer more of a claim to its merits..... I certainly don't see it hurting anything, and unless my hoses deteriorate in the next year or so, I'll probably leave it on. Visit your local home store and pick up the foam molded type for 5/8" copper pipe, slip it over the hose, and secure it every 6" or so with a zip tie. If nothing else, it may help to protect the hoses from rubbing against the a/c compressor mounts, etc.

Hope this helps!

 

I would love to put a remote starter on my truck for the summer but when it is 118 above outside it only takes the truck about 30 seconds until it starts to overheat!

 

Overheat? HMmmmm maybe its time to check your cooling system. One thing I have always loved about my truck is that I can sit parked or in traffic in hot weather, with the A/C going and still nevers gets over the M in the NORMAL range. In winter it sits dead center in the NORMAL range. But then again, I also replaced the radiator when I bought it. And I use that premixed PEAK antifreeze too. Don't know if that helps any but ya never know.

 

Hmmmmmm, heater core, eh? Well, here I was a drivin down the road the other day (-20C) and I noticed wisps of steam coming out of my vents.... and a nice antifreeze splatter appeared up the windshield. Any guess as to what I'll be doing once it's warm enough to work outside?

 

CoolCasper...can you stand the cold for about 45 minutes? If so...change it now. takes nothing to change em out.

"SUCK IT UP!!!"

 

never trust your gages all the time it is always good to go threw the truck ebery once and a wile with other methods to make sure it is running correctly the temp gauge and volt is usualy the first to lie my volts say my battry is about dead and that the alt isnt pushing but a real volt meter syas other wise has said the same thing for 5 months its just wrong as for the temp i know of 4 people personly who over heated with a normal reading and have heards of many more not telling you your gauges suck and ARE wrong but it dosnt hurt to get a second opinion once and a wile.

 

a heater core can be taken out of anything as long as you can fit it behind the glove box ..... modifications might be required... any ford car or truck with a 302 or 351 of the same year is going to have the same size core as your own you want to research different years or maybe a bigger truck.....ill see what i can find and get back to you if anything comes up but basicly if its a heater core it works if its the wrong size tubing just use reducers ....dont forget you said far fetched it can be done but it might take up room in the blove box and require the width to be modified as well

1990 XLT - Black/ Grey int.
351w AOD stock A.T.M. with BIG plans