you can take a piece of heater hose and connect the the fitting on the water pump and then to the fitting on the manifold. i did that evertime a heater core started leakin !!!

 

Simple, just follow the hose from the engine to the heater then the hose from the heater to the engine, disconnect the two engine hoses and get a spare piece of 5/8" hose and make a look bypassing the heater core, it just goes in/out of the heater core like a loop anyway.
Put lots of rags on your floor when you disconnect the heater hoses as more coolant will come out as you remove the hoses and heater core.

Be sure to put new hoses with the new heater core.
Jon

 

Great
The heater hose are the only hoses under my hood that have never been replaced by me (they are old and show it)
Thanks for the quick replies

 

It's an easy and common fix. Nice thing is, it doesn't really cost anything to bypass the heater.
When you do get around to doing the heater core, don't do what I did and buy one on fleabay for $45 plus shipping, when your local auto store probably has them for $25, as I found out the day after mine arrived. I felt so brilliant after that....
Also, it's worthwhile to buy a new plastic plenum chamber to replace the worn out cardboard one, if it's not been done yet.

 

run the by-pass as stated above, i ran my coupe like that for about a year. the core replacement and box restoration is an easy job, provided the box itself isnt broken or cracked (especially by the clips, which some will be missing). all parts are cheap (except the box itself) and available at npd. you may find an ugly an possibly rusty squirrel cage too. if you replace the motor, be sure to get the right one for a 66. it has to do with the fan settings.

while you have it out, i suggest you reach in and clean out the cowl around the flange. vacuum, flush and get some paint up there. i use a mirror and a combination of a spray can and a sponge type paint brush. there are some tight spots, but imo, its worth the effort to help protect that area. the ds, is a bit tougher to get at, but put that on your 'to do list'...like you don't have enough to do.

oh yeah, if you take out the passenger seat, you'll be more comfortable getting under there.

 

In the middle of doing that now. All the comments above are good. Especally replacing the plenum box with a plastic one. Really not that bad of a job. Just take the glove box out (three screws). Unhook the three cables and then from the engine side undo the four nuts and disconnect the wires. Comes out as a unit and then you can do all the work on the bench.

 

Passenger seat sound like a great idea, but mine is a bench seat which is a little bit of a pain but then again if it makes it easier.

 

I just disconnected my heater core and was going to just cap the two spots on the manifold and the one spot on the water pump... Then I decided to visit vmf! What would happen if I just capped them without running a hose from the front manifold position to the water pump? Would that be bad?

 

a 2009 post !:shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :skullnbones:

 

Yes.

You need the bypass hose to feed water around the thermostat.
Without the bypass it takes too long for the thermostat to see hot water and open.

Actually there are two openings on the water pump, one on the top of the manifold and one on the side of the thermostat housing. Its ok to cap the one on top of the manifold and the lower fitting on the pump. You need a little elbow shaped hose going between the thermostat housing and the water pump.

 

I've run my 68 with the bypass hose for about 20 years.

 

There is a right way and a wrong way to remove the clips that hold the heater box together. Put a screwdriver in one side or the other of the clip and spread it. It will pop right off. If you pry from under the clip it will also come off but will be acompanied with a piece of fiberglass from your heater box.