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Heater rebuild or replace

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Richard Dickinson

Jedi Trainee
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While refurbishing the heater in my BT7 I discovered it had a small leak in the core. My options are to try to get a radiator shop to fix it, get a new core for about $220, get a whole new modern heater from Cape International. My experience with domestic cars has been to just get a new core. I don't know if they are really reparable. The Cape International would be about twice as much as a new core, depending on the exchange rate and shipping costs. Is the Cape heater that much better and is it pretty much a bolt on replacement?
 
You could go to Vintage Air or JC Whitney. Both have heaters and you just need to find a size that is similar. IE: they will more likely be a rectangle shape vs round core.
 
why would you need a heater in a Healey in Arkansas?
 
All-tho we don't usually get long periods of cold weather here it often gets down in the teens or lower. When I used the Healey as a daily driver back in the 60's I used a 180 degree thermostat in the winter and sometimes covered part of the radiator with cardboard.
 
Richard,

I would stay with replacing the original. Patching is only a short time remedy as the corrosion is likely throughout the heater core and will eventually fail again. Staying with the original type will keep the value of the car high also, as installing other types will (vintage air/etc.) cost you if you have to sell.

I hope this helps.

Jerry Rude
BJ8
Europa TCS
 
You might be surprised how well the heater works after fixing it. This is what they look like inside after 50 years

heater.JPG


The control valve corrodes pretty badly too so might be a good time to replace it if you aren't planning to do so already

Andy.
 
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