so the dash came loose relatively easy. ill post pictures of the progress.
http://s1344.photobucket.com/user/Nv...9f465.jpg.html
this is how much room i have which isnt much, im a big guy and i need more space.
http://s1344.photobucket.com/user/Nv...ca346.jpg.html
heres another shot.
http://s1344.photobucket.com/user/Nv...75f29.jpg.html
i got the first 2 screws out easy, that back one is hard to get to, im not sure how im gonna get to that without stripping it. anyway does anyone have any tips on how to get more space and also how to get that back screw out.

 

Capt. Obvious would say to completely remove the dash, but someone else may have an easier idea....

 

there are screws on the passenger side right behind the front of the dash, but i cant get to them, so im stuck with the upper dash piece on. i agree though, having that off would make it allot easier.

 

Hit it with an axe!!

 

i tried it and it worked!! thank allot. -_-

anyway so i got the 0ld unit out and the new unit it, got the dash mounted back up, steering column mounted. now there is two pieces of metal that mount up below the steer wheel/column. i see how they go in but i cant figure out how to get the holes to line up.

just a side note, getting the new unit it was a pain in the *** because the tubes coming out of the core, even though they swivel the unit sits in the hvac at an angle and the windshield and everything else makes it difficult to get it in there.

if someone can post a link to a schematic or something to how the lower part of the driver side dash goes together id appreciate it. i cant find one neither is it in my haynes book.

 

Do you have the factory service manual for your truck? (download one here.)

 

i forgot to update last night. so i finished it up, i ended up just breaking that last bolt against the firewall and pulling the tubes out from the engine bay side.

putting the new core in was a bitch!! sorry i didnt take any more pictures. so the tubes swivel which is nice but the core sits in the hvac at an angle and with the tubes being awkward and long getting them started through the firewall and the bottom of the core in the hvac was a bitch, i tried everything, the windshield gets in the way. with a little bit of force and wd-40 i got it to slide down in there. it was not easy at all. in fact i would say that it was the hardest part of the entire job.
went to the store and bought some new hoses and hose clamps and BOOM!!
WE HAVE HEAT!! i went through last winter without heat and it was terrible. im cant be happier with everything. saved myself 800 bucks.

if nothing else this is another thread people can look at in the future when the heater core fails. thanks everyone for the help. this forum is awesome!

 

Good job. This is a repair I hope to never do on mine. My work had a 2nd gen 1ton that I took to the dealer and it was almost $1200 and my dash came back in pieces.

 

well from what i have heard and read about it, these heater cores are a ticking time bomb. they WILL go bad with time. but i can say this...with patience and a basic know how of turning a wrench it can be done in one day. the dash is very flimsy, my dash was cracked in 2 places before the install, i added another crack during the install.

things would be allot easier if that screw against the firewall was easily accessible and if you take the time to unbolt to hvac box from the firewall and move the entire thing about 2 or 3 inches away from the firewall to be able to just slide the new unit in without force.

im very happy with how it all turned out. knowing i saved 800 bucks by doing it myself is a satisfying feeling.

 

ive done this job twice, my 98 and the 99 I had. pain in the butt for sure.

as far as the dash, what crappy material they used on it. I Had a nice dash, and I was very gentle with it knowing what happened to my 99s dash...

good job, in a few days retighten the clamps on the heater core in the engine bay, well check them at least for traces of antifreeze leaking down. a couple of heat cycles may mess with the "seal". did on both my trucks.