Crushed heater core tubes

[DaveT]

I recently bought a 1993 Loyale.  I've had to do a bunch of work to get it ready for daily driver use.  Among other things, I discovered that the heater core tubes were crushed by someone overtightening the hose clamps.

 

I did not want to remove the core and replace it with one of my spares. 

 

I used my 1/4" drive deep sockets to un crush them.  Put a little grease on the biggest one that wuldn';t slip right in, and tapped it in.  Had to use channel lock pliers to pull it out.  Turning the socket with the ratchet simultaneously helps.  Once I got to where the next bigger was too big, I used brass shim stock to gradually get as far as possible to original ID.  Place the shim in the pipe, then start the socket.

 

I decided that since the tubes had already been crushed, it would be good to reinforce them.  I found that sweat couplings for 1/2" refrigeration tubing are very close to the correct size.  I had to grind them down on my belt sander about .010.  Put a little grease on, the tap into the tube.

 

Took a while, this is a job for patience and being careful, but still far less time than pulling the dash.