The dashboard project is turning into serious restoration work. When all is said and done here, I’d like to have a clean dash and steering column, a finished brake system (still have two lines to replace) and a working heater/defroster.
Also, since I’ve come this far with the interior already, it seems logical to pull the carpet now, fix the rusty floorboards and install some sound insulation.
In any event, disassembly is proceeding. With some difficulty, I pulled the heater unit from the dash (there were some stubborn nuts) and took out the heater core. I can’t tell for sure, but it appears that I’m not the first to tackle this job either. The core was packed in foam rubber, which I doubt was the factory solution. It gets hot in there (duh) and the foam had melted or otherwise disintegrated over time.
I never got heat out of this unit, so I assume the core is blocked. The blower motor spins, but squealed and didn’t produce a lot of flow. When I pulled it out, there was no surprise that it is pretty rusty after 50 years. Still trying to decide if repair is more economical that replacement.
My focus this week is to refurbish the heater parts and start prepping the new dash for installation.
Removed parts are starting to overflow out of the garage, so the heater really needs to be reassembled before I pull out the next unit, which will probably be the brake master cylinder and booster.