No Heater Core question...

[Sim]

Hey guys, I bought a '72 basket case last year that has a '76 L82 installed without the heater core. I just heard that this can cause the motor to run much hotter due to the lesser amount of coolant. I know they run hot with the best of coolant systems, so do y'all think this a viable concern that could cause the car to run too hot during the summer?

 

[hezzy]

I suppose its possible for a small change in temp. I doubt its a big concern as the heater core is small. Im thinking the core holds at most a liter then there is the hoses maybe another liter? In my mind the core does nothing to cool the engine because its purpose is to be hot.

 

[gdh]

Lots of owners use a heater shutoff valve during the summers and many in the hot southern states remove the heater core entirely with no ill effects. I was at a heating/cooling systems seminar last fall put on by the CCO, and one C2 owner asked the same question. The best info that I learned from that seminar was to use a product like Evans coolant as it is not water based. Since I had just done an new crate engine swap and filled with Prestone I'll get the system flushed after next season and go with Evans.

 

[Sim]

Thanks hezzy and gdh, that's good to know ...I'll definately look into the Evans coolant before the pre-season flush. Cheers!

 

[gdh]

If you do go with a product like Evans make sure all water based antifreeze is removed first.

 

[Sim]

Thanks gdh, I'm really unsure about this engine so before I start driving it this spring I'll do a thorough flush and replace the thermostat and hoses etc ...just for piece of mind. Thanks for the tips re Evans, there is a distributor right around the corner from my shop. Cheers

 

[XFIRE82]

.....I have a stock 82. I kinda wish mine would run hotter as it stays cool all the time, and in cooler weather towards fall time it is actually cool in the car with the heater full blast cause the engine doesn't warm up enough. I put a new 195 thermostat in and still the same. Heat gun usually show top hose in the 160's and bottom 130's. This car has the HD cooling option. The electric fans are factory but I don't recall ever hearing them come on even with a/c on. Yeah in hot weather the temp guage will hit around the 190 mark. My thought for you is that if your car has the small rad in it, get one like the 82 has ( 4 row ) and add a electric fan with the temp sensor. Maybe that will keep your 72 cool ? As far as the heater core goes, my only experience was in my 67 SS 396 Impala, 12.5/1 compression. It would run hot driving around town. I'd put the heater on full blast and it would drop the guage about 10 degrees.

 

[vt65]

my 75 - L82 (non air) car had a factory vacuum shutoff that closed a valve to the heater box in summer when you moved the outside air control to the max position, I installed a 4 core rad with larger passage tubes and my overheating went away which made the car much more enjoyable in the summer heat, alternatively you could try a pusher front mounted electric fan but if you tubes are plugging off it won't help much.. My guess is that the heater core was either plugged or leaking or both and that is why it was removed, if that was the case your rad is likely partially plugged also. One long run we took in the summer to the Corvette plant we all took our headlamp bezels off and drove with our headlight doors up and the hood popped open, that seemed to help also. We all had C3's back then, great cars!

 

[Sim]

Thanks XFIRE and vt65, I'll keep an eye on the coolant temps as the season progresses because I have no idea what the previous owner had done ...(the car was bought from an estate liquidation sale.) I'll do all fluids/flushes and gaskets/seals, belts and hoses and see how she performs without the heater core hooked up. As gdh mentioned above, I may not find a coolant issue at all. If I do run into problems, I'll get a performance rad and rebuild the heater core later this season. Cheers

 

[buckhorn76]

i wouldn't be concerned about it. remember back in the day when buying a new muscle car there were lots of delete items to bring down the weight of the car for the nhra stock classes - heater, radio, etc.my racecar doesn't have a heater and doesn't overheat.