# 66 Lemans Heater Core ?



## 66 Tiger (Nov 18, 2009)

What's the trick with getting the heater core out. The shop manual says to "drill a 1" hole" in the fender, which I am not to excited about. 

Can it be done by removing or moving the inner fender liner enough to get at the 2 screws around the heater motor?

Any help is appreciated.


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## grabber (Sep 23, 2009)

I think there is a knock out panel in the inner fender for this but that may not be a good idea either. There was a thread about this subject a few months back though, you may get some ideas from there.


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## take5 (Aug 9, 2009)

grabber said:


> I think there is a knock out panel in the inner fender for this but that may not be a good idea either. There was a thread about this subject a few months back though, you may get some ideas from there.


I had the very same question for my '66 GTO & a good discussion took place that can be found on this GTO Forum site. In a nutshell, I was completely rebuilding the entire front end on my GOAT at a good shop and was referring to the GM Shop Manuel. There is absolutely no way to determine, gauge, or judge where to drill a 1" hole. Also, we tried removing the inner fender skirt & this too proved to be a no go. I believe on the '67 and later cars GM provided an "access door" for this heater core removal/repair. What was determined at the time with my car in the shop was entire right front fender removal to access the heater core. Because there are shims, bolts and possible front bumper issues with the fender removal I decided to replace my heater core when I get the car to a body shop for a complete paint restoration. 
Please let me know if you are able to get a handle on this with a relatively simple straight forward replacement for your heater core.
All the best.


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## winch (Oct 10, 2009)

Last summer I changed mine. I tried everything I could to not take the fender off. Ended up taking off the hood, front bumper then the fender. Had a perfect skeleton of a chipmonk inside the heater box. Works good now and no smell either.


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Figure out where to drill the hole....do it ....fix the core....plog the hole with a plastic grommet.....perfectly acceptable maintenance procedure.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Ran my `65 for well over a decade without a heater cause of this issue. When I had the front end off doing the resto I installed it then.


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## paly57 (Jul 27, 2008)

I have replaced the heater core on my 66 GTO at least twice. The first time I did it I followed the instructions in the shop manual and drilled a 1" hole in the inner fender. At least on my GTO there was a dimple manufactured in the inner fender to identify where the hole should be drilled. If there is one on your car it shouldn't be hard to find. Just feel around inside the wheel well back toward the firewall. There are any number of ways to close the hole when you are done. The grommet is probably the best idea, but I just used some duct tape on the engine side of the inner fender.


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## jbone4489 (Jan 11, 2010)

:confusedmy 67 heater core busted a few months ago, just a few weeks later i started burning coolant. i was trying to figure out if the two incidents were related but im not sure. any ideas?


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