Cooling system

[WileyHunter]

Well, I finally got some of my parts on order. New radiator and core heater coming this week. Wanted to get the entire system, water pump, thermostat, hoses and heater core but $ is a bit tight right now. So for now I'm replacing the radiator and installing the core heater and flushing the system, going to run clear water for a few weeks until either $ frees up or it gets too cold (which ever comes first). If I can't get to finish it before the cold snap, I'll just drain and fill with the proper mix and hope for the best.

How hard is it to get to the heater core?

Has anyone here installed a shutoff valve in line on the heater hose? Is there any drawback to doing so?

Thanks,

Phil

[HenryJ]

...How hard is it to get to the heater core?

Hard. Plan on removing the right front fender along with most of the dash Heater core replacement instructions

Has anyone here installed a shutoff valve in line on the heater hose?

Yes. Vacuum controlled: Heater control Valve Check out the Hot Feet fix and Hot Feet fix II

I added Ford solenoids to operate them via switches in the dash installed just above the ash tray.

Is there a reason that you are replacing all the cooling system components? The radiator and waterpump I can see doing for peace of mind, but the rest I'd flush good and leave unless they have problems.

[WileyHunter]

Mostly just so I wouldn't have to face something in the lineup within 6 mos or so... There's a faint smell of coolant in the cab, especially when using defroster/heater, so I fear there's a bigger problem looming. I do plan on keeping the CC for as long as possible, even planning for that dreaded day that a new power plant is needed.

[HenryJ]

If you smell coolant and the passenger side carpet is getting damp, you are in the for the dreaded heater core replacement. We used to have a very good pictorial of one members replacement. I am pretty sure those photos are long gone.

[WileyHunter]

Not getting damp (yet), hope to catch it prior to that. Not looking forward to it now that you've warned of its difficulty though . Thanks for the info, as always I knew I'd get a good reply.

[WileyHunter]

So my engine block heater came in today, still waiting on the radiator, guess I know what I'll be working on next week on my days off.

Instructions aren't real clear... Step 2 says "Remove correct frost plug, check listing for location". Yet there's no listing, and the catalog doesn't show where either, just a picture of the part itself.

SO, I once again am turning to the wonderful wealth of knowledge here. Can someone please open my eyes?

[HenryJ]

Back left on the , driver side. There should be a thread around here with the details that I posted.