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heater core question

1K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  josh schaad 
#1 ·
hey guys.... I have a camaro that came with factory air. I don't have the conpressor and such and I wouldn't use the AC if I even had the stuff I needed.. I want to know if I can take off the huge heater core and exchange it for a heater core that didn't come equipped with AC? Will I have to do a lot of mods to achieve this or will it be pretty easy? Thanks guys

Tim
 
#4 ·
No you can't unless you are good with a welder. The hole in the firewall is different for an A/C car than a "normal" car. The A/C hole is taller than the engine side non A/C setup by about an inch on the top and bottom. The normal heater setup firewall has a hole about 12" wide by 6" high, an A/C firewall has a hole about 6" wide by 8" tall, with holes drilled for the individual heater tubes over by the fender.

It can be done, but it isn't a simple swap.

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Mark Canning
1969 Indy Pace Car
350/300HP RPO Z11
 
#5 ·
I had an AC 69 once where the previous owner removed the box from the firewall. I reinstalled it and hooked up the heater core but I didn't have all the AC vacuum hoses hooked up. As a result, when I would drive the car, the fresh air circulating into the car would always be hot. Didn't have the car long enough to fix the problem but something to consider possibly... I guess what I'm trying to spit out is I think some of the ducts are vacuum operated where non-AC cars are not. Don't know for sure though...

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69 Z/28
www.camarogenerations.com
 
#6 ·
I did this on my '73. The AC didn't work, and I didn't plan on fixing it. I wanted to take that big box off the firewall so I have more room to change spark plugs, tighten header bolts, etc. Wow, what a lot of work. Just taking it apart was a lot of work. I had to remove the fenderwell, lots of dashboard, and the passenger seat. Putting it back together I used an AC heater core modified with longer tubes and a stock non-AC box, but I had to cut holes in it for the tubes. Also had to make an adapter plate for the firewall, the AC hole is too large for the non-AC box. I kept the original control unit and vents, but had to make slight changes to the vacuume control hose routing. It works well now, but the air gets a bit too hot in the summer, I was thinking of insulating or using a heat deflector plate for the firewall box. Maybe something so I could drop in a bag of ice on those really hot days! -ibjoe
 
#7 ·
I have a 68 camaro... I was thinking about the added room and basically just the added functionality of my car for my purposes. I guess it's going to be a lot of work to be done... I may put this project off for the future when I have the time to rip my engine bay apart. Thanks guys

Tim
 
#8 ·
if you want cheap, just cut a cookie sheet, bend it, seal it and paint it black or whatever to match the firewall. if you looked at my engine compartment you probably wouldnt even notice. if you dont use the ac, you have to get rid of that case for easy header access.

[This message has been edited by josh schaad (edited 12-18-2000).]
 
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