pulled the round heater core out from under the dash board, knowing its old and leaks and made for the south with warmer weather. up here in the colder area of new england a nice heater would be nice. is there a heater core from a late fifties or sixties from another chevy truck or car that would be able to bolt under the dash, even if i have to move the in and out water locations? i was thinking early 60s impala. suggestions welcome. not really interested in buying a new one just yet.
The newer ones have some ductwork built onto them. And they aren't really much different, as far as being old and leaky. I assume you're talking about a 57 chevy pickup? they used a round core on the standard heater. 55-57 used the same standard heater, 58-59 used a different one with a rectangular core. All the 55-59 pickups used the same deluxe heater with a (different from standard heater) rectangular core, and the fancy control panel. There were lots of simple aftermarket heaters made back in the old days, you might find a decent working one at a swap meet, on ebay, or maybe a friend has one laying around. If you want to spend a little money you can buy a new one, too. http://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/heaters?SortBy=DisplayPrice&SortOrder=Ascending
yes i was talking about a 57 chevy pickup. it would be cool to replace the round heater core and keep the original heater unit but those cores cost between 250 and 300 just for a core. might browse evilbay and see what cores sellers have. i just need a simple one that will do the floor and defrost hopefully at the same time rather then the one i have which is an "either, or".
If you tighten up the belleville washer on the flapper shaft by pushing it on further, it will have enough friction to let you set it "in between" so you get heat and defrost at the same time.
Call 817-542-8192. I'm sure they can help you out for much less then $250-$300. Let us know how you make out.
No repops on your '57 round core. Someone asked a similar question a while back. Repair your old one or convert. Sorry.
Try getting to one on a 1956 buick special station wagon.Like my friend said THAT GONNA BE A LOT OF BEER! lol.Bruce.
Chevrolet started using that same core in 1949 in cars and trucks. I'd bet other GM's had it as well along with some off brands. it shouldn't be too hard to find a useable core. I had one with a leak a few years back... just soldered up the hole and it fixed it right up. then there is the option of finding a later model square core that would fit in the heater. I think in an old truck the last resort should be buying something from summit. probably 20 old time heaters on ebay every month.
The later truck cores are a bit different...I don't remember just what the difference is, but it didn't look like it would work when I tried to fit a 50 car core in my 57 truck heater.
Try out my tech thread! I built my own out of two and used a new core. The tech article is easy to follow!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=775982
I used a 59-60 car standard ( cheap-biscayne ) complete heater in a 58 truck. It has a square core & a large plate that covers the heater part of the firewall on the outside for adjustment & its small enough on the inside to look ok
PART 2 you can match the defroster ducts 2 1/2inch on the car heater to 2 inch on the truck by using exaust reducers ----painted flat black , they blend into the defroster hose
The Jalopy Journal
