68 Newport, can i use a non ac heater core in an ac car?

[Biggredd2069]

Have a 68 brother with air conditioning i leave the compressor on in the engine but none of the hoses are connected. I eventually plan to connect it but it's such the absolute lowest priority. I do need a heater core in general though. 60 bucks all over the place unless you need a combo ac unit then they jump to like 300. Can i put a non ac heater core in for a while until I'm ready to commit to the full project? Would like to add last have heat back in Colorado

 

[volksworld]

the non a/c heater core won't fit in the a/c heater box...and the job of pulling out the box is pretty awful...so removing it and putting in a non a/c box temporarily isn't something i'd be eager to do

 

[CBODY67]

Do better and more research and you might find the a/c heater core less expensively.

Fix it once and fix it right. Block the heater hoses to keep coolant from the interior. Might shop for a heavy coat and a box of "Hot Hands", too.

You'll NEED a functioning heater core so the defroster will work, too. BTDT

 

[volksworld]

on your setup, the tubes on the firewall that your heater hoses attach to are a separate piece from the heater core and are sealed to it by O rings...there is also an ''h valve " in the box that bypasses part of the core when the a/c is on....this valve attaches to the core with 2 short rubber hoses and spring clamps...so its possible that if you have a leak it may not be the core itself , but some 50 year old rubber...however you still have to get the whole box out and disassembled to find out

 

[hootothecore]

If you pull the box, the core may be repairable at a radiator shop.

 

[Biggredd2069]

Thanks for suggestions. I'll start looking into tear down soon to inspect. Maybe rebuild is the way to go too.

 

[live4theking]

Some advice from a guy that has removed this heater box too many times.
1. Remove the front seats.
2. Remove the carpet.
3. Be patient.

 

[volksworld]

yes...theoretically the "easy way" to pull the box (how it was done at the factory) would be to remove the entire dashboard...however, to do that ,the screws that hold the top of the dash to the cowl are buried under the windshield rubber...so the shield and rubber would have to come out...so rather than doing that you're forced to work from underneath and the box just barely fits out by dropping the passenger side and sliding it right while rolling it...if the carpet is there the sharp edges of the box get caught on the carpet and you cant get it out

 

[Biggredd2069]

Good advice. I'll work on pulling it soon from the bottom. I do have nice carpet in there so I'll about pulling it back.

 

[timthomas]

I am having a similar issue with my ‘69 Newport. Non a/c. I turned the heat on for the first time in 25years. I noticed the windshield fogging over. As I switched from heat to def and back seitching the fan speed I noted stream coming thru the heat vents. When I turned off the heat the steam stopped. Not sure if this is a heater core issue or an old hose connection. Need to test this further.

 

[fury fan]

Removing the 2 bolts at the lower corners of the dash and disconnecting the steering column from the dash might give a little bit of wiggle room to make a difference, too.

 

[chippers65300]

I can remember back in the early nineties, I had a '66 Chrysler 300 that the heater core went bad in. This was a factory AC car with dual heater core. That original setup wasn't available at that time, O'Reilly's showed me the replacement for it...which was just a single, it bolted in but I had to remove the control valve between the two cores and the linkage to make it fit. Thank God I saved those parts. Keep in mind there are 2 short heater hoses in the case, connecting the inner heater control valve and between the 2 cores. If you pull off the front distribution case you'll see them and see if they're leaking. Bad news, you can't get enough access to replace them through that opening.

 

[Biggredd2069]

Think I'm gonna start pulling it soon and just get eyes on it and make a determination from there. Maybe best case i can get it rebuilt. Maybe something came loose and it's not that bad? Unlikely with my luck.

 

[chippers65300]

Here's one I recently removed from my '65 300L. Original one and the new one I haven't installed yet. I think I paid around 350 for this copper unit. Best one I could find. Notice the 2 heater hoses I mentioned,