cars

My love for my car knows no bounds. Here's the tale of the heater core...

It all started last Monday when I purchased a heater core and picked it up this Saturday, because this was the day that I was going to install it. No sense driving around with a heater core that wasn't installed. Sure. I had my trusty Haynes manual for all Civic models from like '87-'91. I get to my friend's house at about 10:30am on Saturday. In a genius move, I open the Haynes book to the heater core disassembly page. Nice! Only like eight steps, this will take a few hours top!

Step One: Disconnect negative battery cable.
CHECK.

Step Two: Drain coolant. (See Chapter 1)
Umm, Chapter 1 wasn't that much more of help, but it gets done.

Step Three: From inside the engine compartment remove the two hoses attached from to the firewall.
Crap, 16 year old hoses and clamps. Can't reach clamps. Need to disassemble air filter and attached hoses. Still can't reach clamps. Unbolt fuel filter. Ah. CHECK.

Step Four: Remove screws and bolts in center console and pull out console.
CHECK. Wait, there's additional stuff back there. Like the whole dash! Crap. OK, no problem, simply remove bolts securing the dash. Well, the display console needs to come out before that. Some issues, OK, here we go. Oh the steering column frame is in the way. Disassemble steering column. Fine. That only took a few hours to figure out.

Step Five: Disconnect AC/heater controllers.
CHECK.

Step Six: Remove screws and bolts securing heater core.
Look, there's only three bolts! This is easy! Four hours later... we find out that the old heater core pipes have melted into the insulation. Oh, the two pipes are also melted into their rubber fittings. RIPPPPPP. CRACK. Huh, there's a fourth bolt and hook attached to the back of the heater core case. CHECK.

Step Seven: Reinstall heater core.
CHECK.

Step Eight: Reverse removal procedures to install.
CHECK.


The part cost $32 with a deposit (that I get back) of $17. So really it's like $15. I feel like one of those Mastercard commercials.

Heater (minus deposit): $15
Oil drip pan: $6
Creeper: $29
Coolant: $5
8' rubber hose: $2
4 Clamps: $2
Additional tools needed to disassemble car: $149
3 packs of cigarettes: $12
Food: $29
Halogen lamps to work at night: $34
Working with two good buddies for 24 hours when a mechanic would've had this done in eight: PRICELESS.

For everything else, there's Mastercard.
Except that I used my Visa. Ha! Take that!

We had Stacy reassembled by 1:30am Monday. I have to go back to my friend's house to pick out my tools, plus the electrical isn't done. We have a plan, all of the accessories will have their own fuses and actually be ran properly, hidden from sight. May also install an external speaker to my CB radio to use it as a PA. Which will be a nice offensive weapon system.

So the story continues...