just finished changing the heater core

[dec322]

How much mat did you use?? I wouldn't think it would make a huge difference b/c I just installed a total of 76 squarefeet of secondskin damplifier/damplifier pro, 2 gallons of liquid deadener (spectrum) and some closed cell foam and it didn't make my car "so quiet". Maybe its a subjective thing.

The headers, o/r H pipe, and flows still come through pretty strong.....I'll be doing some more stuff soon.



Also wondering about the paint....I'd be a little worried about using regular spray paint.....could just be me though.

 

[89blkntch]

matting question and paint

on the plastics I used krylon cause it adhears better. On the dash pad and rubbery type stuff I used dye.
I used this much dyno mat

plus what the capret had on it. and then the carpet. you drive around for about 2 months witht no caprt and matting at all and then tell me once you get the matting in how quite it really is. It makes a world of diff. Do you like the matting that you chose. Mine is really heavy so it kills more sound

 

[Darkwriter77]

Very cool link ... but I guess I'm not seeing the points behind cutting and not cutting the heater box to get the core out. I can see it's not too huge a deal to get to as outlined in the above link and photos, so why is it that someone would cut the heater box to get the core out? Does this allow one to pull the heater core out without having to remove the dash at all? And if so, what's the major downside to just duct taping over it when you're done reinstalling? (I mean, it's behind the dash where nobody can see it, so why's it matter? Duct tape was originally intended for use in household HVAC systems, is it not?)

I'm starting to get the itch to do my interior up in black, as well, but I just can't quite motivate myself yet to rip apart the interior to do it. Maybe someday when I get the time to tackle the heater core, and I'll have most everything out of there, anyway...

Btw, it looks like you missed a spot of red on your center vents, there...

 

[dec322]

you drive around for about 2 months witht no caprt and matting at all and then tell me once you get the matting in how quite it really is. It makes a world of diff. Do you like the matting that you chose. Mine is really heavy so it kills more sound

I'm sure it made some difference. I drove around with only the dash, driverseat and shifter for about 1 month as I was getting ready for deadener. In the end it was quieter than the gutted car and it sounded much better but I couldn't remember what it sounded like with the interior in.....I kinda set myself up for bloated results I guess. The stuff I used was awesome and the company is great. I did research and found it to be the best for me. Check it out sometime: www.secondskinaudio.com.

This is the link to my install.

I'm glad you like your stuff. It looks good.

 

[89blkntch]

I never once cut the heater core box. I only removed three screws that held on the top to the box. That is why I removed the nuts from inside the engine bay on the firewall beneath the ac canister and the hoses into the cab. With those removed the whole assy could be pulled into the car. I had to removed the A/C line on the top though. The one that goes to the radiator up front was left on cause you need a special tool to remove it. It fell into the cab and you have full access to all of the components. I never once cut the box at all for those who say that I did.

 

[iwashmycar]

I still gotta pull them out I am going to look into polished vents probably. I think that would look good.

how....where? I think that would look good but they are plastic

 

[ryan218]

what tpe of dye did you use? sorry for so many questions, im looking to doing mine black and want to do it right the first time.

 

[Daggar]

Make sure you come back in a month or two and let us know how that Krylon holds up for scratches and expanding/contracting etc.

 

[89blkntch]

Many people have many diff ways to do stuff. I like that stuff that you put down. I will look into that for the trunk as it looks like it seals and the little spots that the dyno mat will not get to. Your floor boards were worse off than mine were. I only had to replace the passenger side as the drivers side was fine. Looks real good once you get all the layers down. Does it weigh that much. you said you used a couple of gallons. but i mean I ain't going for no 9 sec car. Thnx for the link and I will deff look into it for the trunk area. I am gonna get my subs fibreglassed in the rear with the amp in the middle. Butted up against the seats so when you open the trunk you see the subs and the amp. Brett, the guys whoes house the garage is on does custom int and audio/video inst. His dad owns a shop and he works there. Unique auto and apulstry. It is here in wichita KS, if anyone was wondering. I can get some pics of the work they do if any one is wanting to see. To the guy with the duck tape question. Why not. You do what you gotta do to get the job done. If it works like its supposed to and the heat comes out. Do it to it man.

 

[Darkwriter77]

That's just the thing I'm wondering, though - what's the big tizzy about just skipping the whole unbolting of the dash and just cutting the old one out, poking in a new one, and sealing it back up with some tape or somethin'? Does the duct tape not hold up to the temperature changes? (In which case, you could just apply MORE duct tape! Or just JB Weld/screw a plate of metal or something over the hole with some RTV to seal it up nicely.) Is the no-cutting policy just for aesthetic reasons, or is there a specific point that makes it an ill-advised choice? Main reason I consider the ghetto route is because I reeeeeally don't wanna have to go through that whole mess of removing the whole interior all over again if I get stuck with a defective heater core, or it just eventually leaks out or bursts or whatever...

I'm getting wimpy in my old age, I guess, and I'm not sure I wanna go through this winter without a heater again. It wasn't so much a problem last year because I only had a 15-minute drive to/from work, but now that my current job is an hour away, that's a lonnnnnnng time to be sittin' there and chattering your teeth. (It only gets down to about 32* at the lowest most of the time here, but anything cold enough to see your breath inside your car is too cold for me to be sitting in without heat.) Thus, I'm giving this heater core thread a serious study-through and contemplating the procedure.