Re: Spider heater core R&R advice?

[Ed Lutz <edlutz@domain.elided>]

Luke,
I changed the core and control valve on my '74 Spider this last year.
made the Colorado winter much more enjoyable. It wasn't hard, the
heater box is held in with four nuts on captive bolts coming down from
the underside of the dash. Best advice i can give is that you first
remove both seats. it only takes a few minutes and the added work area
is really nice. its all a tight fit, but if you can lay down in the
car its much easier. I removed the sides from the center console and
unbolted the heater box. The box comes out toward the passenger side
without too much trouble, just a bit of fiddling to get it wormed out.
Once out just open the box (spring clips) and the core is sitting
right there. I think I attached one of the hoses before the box was in
place. The one without the control valve. I think its jammed in there
pretty tight so I put the hose on and snaked it out through the hole in
the firewall as I put the box up. All in all it was an afternoons job
and not as bad as I thought it would be. The Valve you mentioned
should be the water control valve which mounts on the left side of the
heater box. You can see it just forward of the right side of the
center console. I got my heater core from centerline, don't remember
the cost now. Be careful with that valve. It has a rubber gasket and
can be a source of leaks. It mounts directly to the heater core so has
to be removed. I needed a new seal for mine and ended up making it
from an old inner tube. Not as nice as the original I guess but just
as water proof.

Good luck,

Ed

Monday, February 18, 2002, 11:46:25 AM, you wrote:

LMK> Has anybody swapped a heater core on an early 70s Spider recently? Mine
LMK> is leaking...How accessible is it? A long time ago I swapped my blower
LMK> motor with a used one, and it was not impossible, it seems like the
LMK> heater core was right above it in the dash. I have checked on the iap
LMK> page and they seem to have a heater "valve" for $36.50. Same thing?

LMK> thx, luke, Belmont, SF, CA

LMK> 74 Alfa Spider (consensation, coolant smell and a leaking heater core)
LMK> 90 911 C4 (new clutch needed, ouch)
LMK> 98 Audi A6 Q (out of warranty, need a 156 GTA SportWagon to replace it)
LMK> Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games
LMK> http://sports.yahoo.com

LMK> --
LMK> to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
LMK> or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided



-- 

--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided