heater core question

[96lt1]

hey guys, been a while since i posted in here. guess thats a good thing about having a SHO in pieces, if it cant run, it cant break down.
anyways, i am buyin an 89 SHO next sunday that needs a heater core. i know i have to take the whole dash out but i am wondering how hard the dash is to get out?? hopefully this wont be more than an afternoon job. has anyone done one before?? any insight and info on this project would be greatly appreciated. i am pretty sure i can do it i would like to know as much as i can though before tearin into it.

thanx in advance

Sean thumb

<small>[ October 05, 2003, 11:40 AM: Message edited by: 96lt1 ]</small>

 

[munkee]

It took me 4 hours to do the heater core in my 90 last year. I didn't remove the dash all the way either, which might have been why it was a little harder on my hands. I am pretty sure all you have to do is drop the steering column on the seat, take off three screws along the top of the dash, one at each side, and a few at the bottom. I can't remember what wiring you had to disconnect to be able to pull the dash back but it wasn't very much. I used the chiltons and the haynes manuals for reference also. I was kind of surprised because while I wouldn't call the job an easy one, it was easier than I thought it was going to be. Good luck.

 

[SHOtimer]

I've never done it but I have heard it quoted that individuals who I don't remember would "rather do a clutch job than the heater core". At the least it has been rumored to be the absolute worst job to have to do to these cars.
Doug

 

[SLOSHO89]

I have put in two heater cores, one in my SHO the other in a SLO. The first time it probably took me a little over a day. Second time I could have finished in a day if I had the parts.
You have to disconnect the A/C lines and pull the dash away from the fire wall. I don't see how you could do it other wise.

Efren

 

[pjtoledo]

I've done a couple of heater cores. Not much fun, but it is definitely do-able. I always pulled the dash right out of the car, kind of a glutton for punishment. Experianced guys should be able to pull it off in a few hours. I like to poke around and take a few days.

Perry

<small>[ October 05, 2003, 08:25 PM: Message edited by: pjtoledo ]</small>

 

[projectSHO89]

My last one took about 7 hours including a dash shell swap on my 89. The first time it took a week and a half which included ignoring the car for a few days except to kick it as I walked by it.

Steve

 

[96lt1]

so is the hard part removing the dash or removing and installing the heater core?? takin the dash out for me isnt a huge deal, big deal yes, but not huge. i have never had the whole dash out before but i have torn apart most of it. i hope this is an afternoon job and not a whole day.

thanx

Sean thumb

 

[munkee]

If you are familiar with removing your dash and disconnecting the a\c lines, then you could probably do this in an afternoon. Once you get to the heater core, it swaps out in a hurry. If I remember correctly, the worst thing for me was removing three of the nuts on the firewall that hold the case containing the core. I don't remember now if I removed my heater core or not.