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1990 Heater core, remove dash or not

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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 01:49 PM
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Default 1990 Heater core, remove dash or not

Has anyone replaced the heater core in a 1990? Most of the searches ive done have mentioned its able to be done without removing the dash but I believe that was the pre 90 interior, which I feel should be different. Im looking on doing this project myself because I cant stand to pay someone else a grand to do it. Please let me know what you think is the easiest way to do this job. thanks
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 01:56 PM
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Default 90 Heater core

Yep you have to take out the dash, at least the dash pad and some of the braces on the right hand side.It's not not too bad but I have done them that were alot easier.I have a pic in my photos of it mostly torn down, check it out
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Old Feb 5, 2010 | 02:43 PM
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You really have to dig deep on that one. I would take out the seats as well to make access easier.
Here are a couple more pictures:



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Old Feb 5, 2010 | 04:32 PM
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Careful if you decide to not take the dash completely out. You WILL break the dash frame. Ask me how I know!
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Old Nov 6, 2013 | 12:05 AM
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Originally Posted by CaminoSS
Careful if you decide to not take the dash completely out. You WILL break the dash frame. Ask me how I know!
The dash pad needs to be removed . The air distribution duct under the dash pad needs to come out. I drilled out the rivets on the pass side of dash and remove the dash member. This gives you great access to heater core. Of course there are several dozen smaller parts which need to be removed. Pin holding manual gear shift **** can be remove by sliding the head of two common nails under the side edges of the pin and using head of nails to leverage pin up. Put a 1/2 " socket in **** and use a screwdriver to leverage pin out. It has taken me 15 hours to remove heater core, replace heater core and remove all carpet. I fully expect to spend 40 hours putting it back together. Just take it slow. Take a lot of pics. Put screws, etc in marked zip lock bags with notes.
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Old Nov 6, 2013 | 07:44 AM
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Originally Posted by JoplinEF5
The dash pad needs to be removed . The air distribution duct under the dash pad needs to come out. I drilled out the rivets on the pass side of dash and remove the dash member. This gives you great access to heater core. Of course there are several dozen smaller parts which need to be removed. Pin holding manual gear shift **** can be remove by sliding the head of two common nails under the side edges of the pin and using head of nails to leverage pin up. Put a 1/2 " socket in **** and use a screwdriver to leverage pin out. It has taken me 15 hours to remove heater core, replace heater core and remove all carpet. I fully expect to spend 40 hours putting it back together. Just take it slow. Take a lot of pics. Put screws, etc in marked zip lock bags with notes.
This thread is 4 years old, Im sure he's fixed it by now......WW
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Old Nov 6, 2013 | 07:56 AM
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Originally Posted by WW7
This thread is 4 years old, Im sure he's fixed it by now......WW
Maybe yes - maybe no! He didn't return to mention it was a "breeze"! Maybe just maybe he went to get the "first six-pack" and got lost!
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Old Nov 6, 2013 | 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by WVZR-1
Maybe yes - maybe no! He didn't return to mention it was a "breeze"! Maybe just maybe he went to get the "first six-pack" and got lost!
That's possible , or maybe he decided he didn't really need heat after all.......WW
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Old Nov 7, 2013 | 11:14 AM
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Hey guys!! I laughed when I saw an email notifying me about an update on my old post. Well, I must say, I never did fix the heater core! I bypassed it. Considering it was my daily driver it made things difficult! It was winter, so no heat. The windshield would fog over, not heat= no defrost, nor did I have A/C, so I would have to continually wipe down the windshield, oh and wear many layers of clothing b/c MD winters can get cold, especially on a 30 min commute! Lets see, what else... Oh yes, a knocking noise from the transmission (was told it needed a new flywheel, no thanks!) And the car would randomly not start (turn the key, nothing happened) So what did I do?? Sold the vette and bought a boring, but reliable, honda accord. Dont you worry, I will be owning a C5 in the not too distant future, although I may settle for a Miata in the interim, I can get a 2000 with under 50k miles for $5,000, cheap!
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