I know this has been beat up before, but it seems the situation has gotten even worse. Wondering what real world options there are today, and if anyone has experience with them. I have the dash out of my 93 for various reasons, and am replacing what I can "while I'm in there". A Denso evap core and expansion valve is on the way, and while the heater core is actually not leaking the steel plates are rusty, it seems delicate, and I would just rather not put the 27 year old core back in when the dash has to come out to replace it if it fails in a year or two. I had read that the OEM has been NLA for a while now, and I had planned to just have mine re-cored. When I found a radiator shop about 40 minutes away that has excellent reviews, mentions re-cores as a service, and has been in business since the 50's, I figured I was set. I was shocked when I called. He told me the business has totally dried up, no one is willing to pay for a re-core, so he no longer keeps the parts to do it. He said he could do it, but it would start at over $300 and take at least a week. He even said if it was his, he would just stick an aftermarket core in it. They are all made by three companies now, regardless of who puts their sticker on the box, and the brand doesn't mean much. He said the Spectra Premium I see at Rock Auto is fine, probably generic and will take a little work to fit, but far cheaper than him building one. He wasn't too encouraging when I asked how long I could expect one of these to last, "probably get a few years out of it". When I look at the Rock Auto listings, they actually only have ADPI/Pro in stock for the front, and I am sure it is generic as they show one core as fitting from 91 - 97. The images don't show the pipes at all. Are these things so generic you have to have the old pipes soldered to the new core ? Is there any such thing as a quality aftermarket direct fit heater core any more ? Running through options, I'm thinking just bite the bullet and have them build one. Another thing I thought of was to convert the heater box to the newer style, assuming I can find one, and buy a still available OEM heater core and be happy for another 20+ years.
Sorry for the long rambling question, but... Any options out there ? Buy OEM for a Camry and bend the lines ? A secret awesome aftermarket heater core company I don't know about ? Convert to a Vinage Air system ?
Jason
Sorry for the long rambling question, but... Any options out there ? Buy OEM for a Camry and bend the lines ? A secret awesome aftermarket heater core company I don't know about ? Convert to a Vinage Air system ?
Jason