1966 Heater Core

[Joe L.]

Re: 1966 Heater Core

Use your digital camera and take pictures as you go. If this is your first time behind that glove box they will help. Caution. The wire for your glove box light is always HOT. If it falls against a ground it will short. Tape it off when you get it free. Also photograph and pay close attention to that same bulb/switch/wire assembly as it is a bit different than most car light connections. It is also fragile so go slow.

Dennis

Dennis-----


This is the reason that GM service manuals almost always instruct to disconnect the battery prior to performing most service operations. Folks often wonder what disconnecting the battery has to do with, say, replacing a heater core. Well, there are electrical issue possibilities connected with the vast majority of service operations.

[Joe L.]

Re: 1966 Heater Core

I don't use this forum very often (I'm not computer literate), but I will use it more often now as all who have responded are very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. Thanks to all for the tips and info. This repair now seems doable for me. I did go to the local chevrolet store and they told me the core was still available under part #52484057 ($189.00) which replaced #3008574. Again thank you all. I will now start taking things apart slowly and hope things become self apparent as I proceed.

John-----


$189.90 is the current GM list price for the core. You can buy it for a lot less from Delco dealers or from GM dealers that sell at discount. To be honest, in the case of these heater cores for low volume applications (like C2 Corvettes at this point), I believe that all on the market originate from a single manufacturing source. So, I don't think that brand makes a lot of difference. To be sure, I'm not one that thinks that all parts are the same regardless of brand but in the case of these heater cores, I think that's the case.

[Dennis B.]

Re: 1966 Heater Core

Dennis-----


This is the reason that GM service manuals almost always instruct to disconnect the battery prior to performing most service operations. Folks often wonder what disconnecting the battery has to do with, say, replacing a heater core. Well, there are electrical issue possibilities connected with the vast majority of service operations.

Agreed. I would do that. However I did not want the OP to be caught off guard at any point of his repair.

Dennis

[John H.]

Re: 1966 Heater Core

A little off track, but it illustrates how many more parts are available today than when the cars were almost new. I restored a '65 327/365 Tanker with A/C in about 1972, and the heater core pipes had been left open to atmosphere by the PO (car was from Florida originally) and the salt air had rendered the heater core and tanks unusable and unrepairable.

There were no '65 A/C heater cores available from GM at the time, and lack of same was holding up the restoration; even placed a half-page ad in the old "Vette Vues" (when it was more of a paper pamphlet than a magazine) with no results. I was a Production Superintendent at GM-Lordstown at the time, and I collared the Harrison rep on one of his visits and asked him if he could find me a heater core. He called me a couple of days later and said he found an old Engineering Sample core in their warehouse - he sent it to my home, and the restoration was back on track.

Have lots of great stories on that particular restoration from long before the internet, when typewriter and telephone were the only way to communicate.

[John N.]

Re: 1966 Heater Core

All great info, battery will be disconnected and the digital camera is charged and ready to go.

John

[Joe L.]

Re: 1966 Heater Core

A little off track, but it illustrates how many more parts are available today than when the cars were almost new. I restored a '65 327/365 Tanker with A/C in about 1972, and the heater core pipes had been left open to atmosphere by the PO (car was from Florida originally) and the salt air had rendered the heater core and tanks unusable and unrepairable.

There were no '65 A/C heater cores available from GM at the time, and lack of same was holding up the restoration; even placed a half-page ad in the old "Vette Vues" (when it was more of a paper pamphlet than a magazine) with no results. I was a Production Superintendent at GM-Lordstown at the time, and I collared the Harrison rep on one of his visits and asked him if he could find me a heater core. He called me a couple of days later and said he found an old Engineering Sample core in their warehouse - he sent it to my home, and the restoration was back on track.

Have lots of great stories on that particular restoration from long before the internet, when typewriter and telephone were the only way to communicate.

John------


The C2 with C-60 heater core, GM #3008575, was discontinued without supercession in March, 1974.