Changing heater core

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Black GT,
Very difficult
You will be charged 1000-1500 or so to do it right and remove the instrument panel and the HVAC case
There is a butcher way to just cut a hole in the plenum to remove it
I would advise you to do it the right way and remove the dash
I will tell you how it is supposed to be done. There is an actual procedure on AllData at the library you can get for free
Remove freon. Drain coolant. Remove heater hoses. Remove steering column. Remove instrument panel (dash). Remove HVAC blower case. Replace core
That said there is a cheater way
I sit the column down just on the seat and then fight the bolts on the left side
I remove the rest of the bolts the freon and the heater hoses
Then I pull the dash away on the RH side and support it with a 2x4 about 8-10 inches long
I put a bungee cord tight from the dash to the seatbelt or seat and remove the plenum just enough to replace the core
It helps if you are the mechanic from hell with tons of tools. You can do this whole job with just a handful of tools
I can do it in about 3 hours but still charge around 900 bucks
That is unless you are a democrat
Then it's 1500
 
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Black GT,
Very difficult
You will be charged 1000-1500 or so to do it right and remove the instrument panel and the HVAC case
There is a butcher way to just cut a hole in the plenum to remove it
I would advise you to do it the right way and remove the dash
I will tell you how it is supposed to be done. There is an actual procedure on AllData at the library you can get for free
Remove freon. Drain coolant. Remove heater hoses. Remove steering column. Remove instrument panel (dash). Remove HVAC blower case. Replace core
That said there is a cheater way
I sit the column down just on the seat and then fight the bolts on the left side
I remove the rest of the bolts the freon and the heater hoses
Then I pull the dash away on the RH side and support it with a 2x4 about 8-10 inches long
I put a bungee cord tight from the dash to the seatbelt or seat and remove the plenum just enough to replace the core
It helps if you are the mechanic from hell with tons of tools. You can do this whole job with just a handful of tools
I can do it in about 3 hours but still charge around 900 bucks
That is unless you are a democrat
Then it's 1500
What do you charge libertarians and independents? ;-)
If the hack could be done neatly, say with a Dremel tool, it could save a lot for a car the OP plans to own a long time.
 
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