July 26, 2021
My heater core does not leak, but at 50 years old it is only a matter of time. And while I don't need A/C in North Idaho, a heater is a must.
I removed the heater/AC box and replaced the heater core. As it turns out the job was pretty straight forward and not as difficult as I had anticipated from my research. I followed the steps in the Ford Shop Manual.
First I removed the carpet. I am installing new carpet anyway and figured I'd need every inch of room to drop the box. As you can see the floor is in good shape.
The box was in real good shape as well. No internal signs of leakage. No critter nests. No cracks or chips.
Of particular note. I did not have to remove the dash. (the Ford manuals confirm this). By removing the footwell side trim and the carpet and padding I had just enough room to pull the box right and rotate it out from under the dash. Other than removing the glove box and door no other disassembly was necessary. Here's a photo of the box prior to disassembly.
And here is is torn down. Care must be taken when removing the clips to avoid breaking them or cracking the housing.
Next I laid out a sheet of craft paper on a table. Not knowing what all parts I would be removing I labeled everything on the table as I removed things. If I am not going to be immediately reassembling something I am careful to bag and label, but if I know I am immediately putting everything back together I find the table labeling method to be more convenient.
I did buy a seal kit and replaced all the foam when I put the box back together. I also spent the extra $15 to buy a non-aluminum heater core. I have not had good luck with aluminum cores as they do not appear to hold up over time. I did check the new core for leaks (as suggested by David w Carolina Mountain Mustangs) prior to installation.
I removed and set aside the A/C evaporator. Since moving to North Idaho from Florida I find there is really no need for air conditioning and I have removed the compressor and other A/C equipment from the engine bay to give me more room and shed a little weight.
The box went back in even easier than it came out. I'd say the whole job start to finish took about four leisurely hours. Having done the job once now I could probably do it again in about half the time. All in all not the horror story I was anticipating.
Rear brakes remain my least favorite R & R.
