With all the talk of replacing heater cores lately, I thought I'd take this opportunity to provide some enlightenment.

The following is a photo of the all the tools necessary to perform a heater core replacement...




GIN & CAMELBACK- Fill the camelback with gin and strap it to your back, you'll be under the dash, no time to waste reaching for your drink.

1/4in SOCKETS- Have the whole rack, just make sure it's all 7mm sockets so you have at least one left over when you're done.

EXTENSIONS- You'll need exactly the length they don't make, and a different one for each fastener.

ELECTRIC DRIVERS AND BATTERIES- Have them all, make sure they are all charged, anything less than 4 batteries, go shopping.

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES- A DEFINITE, I recommend Thin Mints(put'em in the freezer) and two boxes of Samoas.

SPOTLIGHT- So you can see into the abyss you'll be working in. An ordinary drop light is not sufficient.

HAMMER- Your going to need to bang the crap out of something from time to time :smash: The old heater core makes a fine target :smash: :smash: :smash:

SHOVEL- Why the hell not, it can't make the job any worse.

EARPLUGS- These are for the women and children. Many people have been known to create a mix of words that would make a **** star blush. :bb

BRICKWALL- :banghead:

CORVETTE FORUM- :grouphug:

Anyway, it just takes time and patience. the reward awaits you :steering:

 

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Please tell me your car is going into the paint booth soon

 

Not much of a gin guy but the hammer and shovel works for me on a heater core job :D :D :D :D

 

:withstupid:
or.. you have a red cloth protecting your hood!

 

I think I would rather go with some JD than the Bombay Sapphire. JD gives you better cleaning power per pint. Although Everclear works even better, you'd be too blind to see what you're cleaning.
:jester

 

Yes, the car is being painted very soon. That hood is being replaced because of damage to the driver side. It's also getting a new front bumper, RR quarter panel and a color change to silver to the tune of over $5K. So, no harm no foul. It does make a good work bench in the mean time. I'm in the process of extensively reconditioning the interior/exterior. When I get it back-big fat don't touch-don't even look at it funny.

 

Don't forget to tell the boss, that you'll be away from work for a week (if you're lucky).

And bandages. Don't forget the bandages. My hands looked like hamburger from scraping on all the sharp edges under there, trying to find where a screw (many times) was that there was NO line of sight to. Good luck, and...

RACE ON!!!


[Modified by CFI-EFI, 5:43 PM 2/2/2003]

 

I see now what your problem is - that hammer is WAAY TOO SMALL.
;)

 

Where's the chainsaw? :confused:

 

What about the swear jar? :cuss:

I've always found that if it turns out that I can't finish the job, I've usually put so much in the swear jar that I could have it towed to the best shop in town so they could finish for me... :D:

Plus, I'd have enough left over for a steak dinner, a new Corvette jacket (leather, of course), a couple of dress-up items for under the hood, a full tank of gas, a trip to Disneyland, and a set of Z06 wheels with tires! :yesnod: :lol: :yesnod: :lol: ---Oh yeah, I almost forgot--and a new paint job! :thumbs:


[Modified by Bitter Knight, 10:08 AM 2/3/2003]

 

Bigger hammer!! :smash:

 

I just did this job. I completely agree with Bombay Sapphire - it greatly eases the muscle aches associated with positions you will put your body into that are not compatible with the location of joints in the human body :cheers:

In addition to extra 7mm sockets, you also need the extra 7mm screws to replace all of the ones that vanish into a black hole while you try to get the ones started on the top of the heater core box.

A third arm and hand, unending tolerance, and x-ray vision would have come in very handy too.

If you could catch all the drops of blood you'll lose from cuts & scrapes, you'd have a pint for the Red Cross when you're done.

One good thing about this job - when you remove the seat and track (more room to work), you will find all those little things you lost over the lst few years. I found a couple of petrified cigarettes, a buck and a half, several "extra" interior trim screws, the charger cord for my cell phone (I honestly looked under there too - didn't see it), autocross time slips, etc.

One more word of advice - If you're thinking of trying to stop smoking, don't replace a heater core while going through it - you will kill some innocent neighbor who happens to walk up to the garage and say something innocuous like "Good morning" :D