So I found a set of dash vents to replace the crumbling ones that currently reside on my dash (God Bless Ebay) and I'm going to tackle pulling apart the guts under the dash.

I have noticed that there is some nasty brown gunk that is dripping on my nice new carpet so I want to pull everything out of there and clean it.

I have a basic understanding of how the heater works (I think). Water from the engine cycles thru the heater core and a fan kicks on and blows the hot air thru the floor vents or thru the defroster vents (right??)

- Is there any thing that I should watch out for or do before I jerk all that stuff out of there?

- I have already pulled the drivers side air box out and it had this nasty glue stuff around the top that looked like tree sap to attach it to the underside of the dash. I'm going to try the local body supplies shop to see if they have a rubber gasket that will fit there instead.

- Should I replace the heater core?

thanks guys

Joe

PS - I was able to get the leaves and stuff cleaned out of the air boxes pretty well by making cardboard shuttes and using the blower attachment on my compressor... I popped the plastic covers out of the firewall and it was a pretty straight shot to the exact spot that the leaves and stuff were hiding. the cardboard directed the debris out the open doors instead of under the seats.

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My 63 Valiant
http://www.readersrides.com/rides/class ... aliant.htm
<img src="http://www.readersrides.com/slant6-02.gif"/>

If you're going to be in there anyway, go ahead and put in a new heater core. It shouldn't cost much, and will give you peace of mind. Flush the whole cooling system before you do.
I've had an antifreeze sauna while driving my '64 in sub-zero weather - not fun at all.

The nasty glue stuff is what's left of the caulk they used to seal the box.

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My truck is a Frankenstein creation
Built from the dead carcasses of others
And brought BACK TO LIFE!

I used gaskets from Gary Goers to replace mine in my 63.

They were made out of a really dense piece of about 1 inch thick foam.

You might be able to find some of the stuff in an upholstery type of shop.

John

- know of a place that sells 'em cheep??

Joe