About to Rip the Dash off Question...

[Grandavi]

I am redoing the heater core in my car right as it comes out of the body shop (after I get the 87 MKIII out of the garage.. lol). Its a 88 MKIII and I looked at the shop times for this. Its rated as a 9 hour R&R.. yikes.

So.. I am wondering, prior to pulling everything apart, is there anything I should replace while I have it apart? (ie. heater hoses to engine, etc.. ) Kind of wondering if I should service the blower (I think its belt driven) while I am down there.. and just dont want to ever go back there again after I am done..

Just asking because I suspect more than one of you have done it before and have some tips.

Im thinking I may replace the boost, temp and oil gauges with real ones while I have it all apart as well...

 

[Dan_Gyoba]

Don't worry about the blower, it's dirt simple to replace whenever. Squirrel cage mounted directly to the motor. I replaced mine in less than an hour.

Yes, the heater core is a pain. Most of the nasty hoses are under the hood and pulling the dash off won't gain access to them. Be careful with the AC evaporator, unless you're also removing the AC. In that case, a lot of the pain in the rear factor will be reduced for reassembly.

I found this write-up: http://www.afn.org/~wjh/tsc/supra/heatercore/heatercore.htm

The writer removed the whole dash to do it, but I'm pretty sure that it CAN be done without taking it all out, but really, it's intimidating, but it's not that hard to do.

 

[Grandavi]

The only good thing is that the entire interior will be removed when I do it.. so there wont be any seats in the way and I will be doing a short shift upgrade at that time as well. I do plan on removing the entire dash, but I have played with the rear of the 7M and getting at anything back there is a MAJOR PITA..
Just looked at the link.. and again.. yikes. My biggest failing since getting old (this was sooo easy when I was 16... ) is remembering what went where... It looks like I need to book off a full day for this one... and I think I will definitely change the gauges while in there to make it more worthwhile. I doubt I have to replace the hoses (I think they are only 6 years old) but if they arent going to make me want to scream, I will anyway...

I also just noticed I have a 89 climate control.. so another upgrade...

 

[Dan_Gyoba]

Ziplock baggies and sharpies are your friends.

For the gauges, the instrument cluster is also very easy to pull out, so I don't know if it NEEDS to be done at the same time. I'd probably leave that for another project, unless you already have everything.

You have to disconnect the heater core hoses at the firewall anyway, so you'll need to get in there. I suggest pulling off the transmission crossmember and jacking up the rear of the transmission.

I'd give you a hand, but it's still a bit of a drive to Calgary.

 

[mirage83]

I replaced all the foam in the airbox doors and duct joints when I pulled my dash out. Made a pretty big difference for A/C and heat as the original foam on the airbox door seals and such was crumbling to dust and leaking air everywhere. I also took a little time and cleaned up the dash-bar while I was in there. It was pretty rusty, and I saw no point in putting the dash back in without cleaning it and painting it with some Rustoleum.

Just an FYI, be careful with the pins on the backside of your dash where they mount into the firewall at the base of the windshield. They're likely to be pretty brittle.

 

[Grandavi]

I love warnings about brittle parts.. lol. I have had to replace a few things when I went for brute force over brains..

The foam is a good thing to attack and fairly easy to do. The car is parked all winter, so I have time to do the gauges and I will want them done regardless. I figure this is just a good time. What I hate though is when I rip apart everything and then my work ramps up so much it sits for a month (my 87 has been sitting for 2 months awaiting the final disconnects to pull the engine). Usually I just send it away to be done, but I think I would rather see whats under the dash and do things like cleaning up the crossbar, etc.. as there is no shop that will go ahead and do the fun stuff without you specifying and it gets quite costly.

Not looking forward to it mind you.. lol

Anyone know what gauges would work very well in the old cluster holes? I have seen a couple write ups, but it looks like they modded the cluster as well which I dont know if I want to do.

 

[te72]

Another word of caution from experience, and a tip:

-Make sure you got the hoses from the engine bay for the heater core back on the nipples PROPERLY. I (or whoever put those hoses on when we were putting the car back together) didn't get the hoses on enough, and it not only leaked coolant into the interior (who doesn't love pink carpet? ), but it also leaked heat into the cabin. A LOT of heat. The Blitz turbo timer has a sensor of some sort that tells you the cabin air temps, the car was running at something like 45-50° C. Not comfortable in the least when driving through Arizona. :nono:

-Something else to consider, a good solid flash light goes a long way when trying to get everything back into place. Taking pictures BEFORE dismantling can also help as well. Good luck!

 

[Grandavi]

as for pictures... thats one thing I like about the iphone.. lol. Simple snaps as you go.

 

[Satan]

I soldered the metal pipes on my heater core, to avoid leaks from the gasket/o-ring. When dash is out... install 12-volt & ground distribution blocks, where future accessories can tap into "professionally."

Rebuild/replace your clutch master, if it's near it's end-of-life... Takes about 30 minutes w/dash out, avoiding working upside down for hours some other time and associated frustrations/pain.

 

[Grandavi]

I have a new clutch master waiting My driver side carpet is black while I waited.. lol.
I am having the heatercore pressure tested and all "weak links" soldered prior to going in. I dont want to ever do this again... Its just easier because I have the entire interior ripped out anyway (well.. back is empty.. front will come out when car is painted)

 

[planemos]

I already tore out my whole interior for the winter project months. So I am ahead of you there! haha. The hardest part that I found about removing the dash was getting all the wiring disconnected and off of the dashboard. I disconnected one and tried to pull it out. NOPE. More wires still hanging on! lol so ya make sure you get em all off before pulling at the dashboard. And lower your steering wheel. Also a flashlight or worklight is a great idea for the dark winter time we are about to enter.

 

[Grandavi]

I was actually planning on taking my steering wheel right out. I bought 2 1000 Watt light stands for this.. lol. My garage is split into two and unfortunately the furnace is in the other side and they are predicting a very cold winter up here...
I may borrow a space heater and put it in the passenger compartment for working. Had to do that while doing a complete interior on my 72 Corolla when it was -36 C in Saskatchewan a long time ago.. it worked.. but I couldnt leave a beer outside or it would freeze

I have a head mount flashlight as well (LED) because I find that the lights actually sometimes put out very stark shadows so in certain cases they are worse than a trouble light.

 

[te72]

I was actually planning on taking my steering wheel right out. I bought 2 1000 Watt light stands for this.. lol. My garage is split into two and unfortunately the furnace is in the other side and they are predicting a very cold winter up here...
I may borrow a space heater and put it in the passenger compartment for working. Had to do that while doing a complete interior on my 72 Corolla when it was -36 C in Saskatchewan a long time ago.. it worked.. but I couldnt leave a beer outside or it would freeze

I have a head mount flashlight as well (LED) because I find that the lights actually sometimes put out very stark shadows so in certain cases they are worse than a trouble light.

Good idea on the head mounted flash light, and taking the wheel off, that will help a lot. I somehow managed to lose one of the bolts that hold up the wheel, I think the car ate it when I did this last time...

I thought I was nuts working in the weather we have here in the winter, but I tip my hat to you sir... that's pretty near the F/C crossover point, isn't it?