Heater Core Replacement
1970 - 81 Chevrolet Camaro
. Heater Core Replacement Procedures
1970 - 81 Chevrolet Camaro
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For your convenience, we have included links on this page to quality heater cores that fit this vehicle. We hope you will help us keep the information on this site free for future users by purchasing your heater core through one of the links on this page.
Special thanks to http://www.nastyz28.com for this heater core replacement procedure.
Heater Core Replacement Procedure
Replacing a heater core in a second generation (1970 -1981) Camaro with air conditioning is more difficult than in a similar car without AC, so we list the more complex procedure for cars with AC. The complexity is due to the shape of the core and the additional AC ducting - among other things.
The heater box has to come out from inside the passenger compartment.
1. Remove the glove box (made of cardboard)
2. Remove or loosen the front wheel well on the passenger side. You can just loosen it and put a block of wood between it and the fender. After you do this, you can seen the "hidden heater hose on the a/c cars.
3. Remove the "hidden hose" and the top hose.
4. Remove the nut from each of the three studs that extend from the inside heater box through the fire wall.
(a) The studs will have nuts with star washers attached to them.
(b) One stud will be accessed right below the "hidden" heater hose.
(c) The other two studs are located on the side of the air conditioner evaporator core box closest to the engine. It appears that they hold the air box on, but they also secure the heater box inside the car.
5. Remove the four or five philips head screws from the ball shaped piece of plastic protruding from the inside passenger kick panel.
6. Disconnect the vacumn modulator located underneath the plastic ball. This modulator opens the vent in the kick panel. There should be two bolts holding it to the kick panel. Just lift the control arm rod off of the vent rod.
7. If there is an air conditioning vent attached under the glove box, remove it.
8. Remove the center console.
9. Now you should be able to see the heater box. Remove the screw which connects the heater box to the window defroster duct work, right behind where the front of the center console was located.
10. Looking through the hole left by the glove box removal, remove the snap washer off the stud on which the cable for the "hot/cold" selector is fastened.
11. Remove the "hot/cold" selector cable. The cable is also attached to the box to the left by a pinch clamp.(a piece of metal and a screw)
12. Remove the only two bolts you can see that hold the heater box to the firewall.
13. Recommendation: Before removing the heater box, you should put some old towels or other absorbent shop rags in the floor to catch any coolant that may spill out of the heater core as you remove it.
14. Carefully (may require a lot of force) pull the heater box from the firewall. You may have to really work to get it out from under the dash, but you can do it. As you work the box out, disconnect the vacuum hoses (there will be three connections not counting the modulator connection on the kick panel.)
15. After the box is out of the car, take off the side of the box that faced the firewall by removing all the screws. The heater core will be located under that cover.
16. You must take off the bracket on top of the box below the rod that you disconnected the "hot/cold" cable from earlier. Then the heater core and the front of the box will lift out.
17. Reverse to reassemble.
Hints and Recommendations for Reassembly
1. Reverse the above procedure to reassemble.
2. Removing the top heater hose gasket from the air box will make threading the heater core tubes through the box easier.
3. You should replace your fan motor while you're in there. It has been in service for several decades and is probably very tired. You don't want to repeat this procedure next week or next month to replace a failed fan motor.
4. You shouldn't need any gaskets, but it would be a good idea to have some 3M strip caulk (duck seal), some 3M black super weatherstrip adhesive and some double sided foam tape on hand.
5. You will only need the strip caulk if you break open the air conditioner box out under the hood. Since you are in this deep, you should go ahead and take the AC box off and clean it out. It will have dust, dirt, sticks, and leaves in it from all the years of use. It will also make it easier to get the heater box mounted from the inside with the air box off. Use the weatherstrip adhessive to seal any places in the air box that the strip caulk doesn't fill, and also around the evaporator core hard lines.
6. When you start to put the heater box back in, you will find that the foam tape whick seals the heater box to the firewall will be cracked or really dried out. Replace the foam tape with double sided foam tape or use the strip adhessive to seal up the box.
7. Don't forget to connect the ground strap on the heater box. The easy thing to do is to remove the stud which the strap is connected to. The stud is clipped onto the box. Take off the stud and connect the ground strap to the frame retainer for the heater core. Then after you put the core back in the box, just clip the stud back on the box and install the box. You'll understand when you get there.
Sources for Your Replacement Heater Core
Advance Auto: Ready-Aire Heater Core - 399072 With AC $25.99
Advance Auto: Ready-Aire Heater Core - 398228 W/O AC $25.69
Amazon: GDI by Proliance 399072 Heater Core
Amazon: GDI by Proliance 398228 Heater Core
Amazon: Four Seasons 94536 Heater Core
