Alright, this just needs to be said. Whoever said heater core replacement is easy is out of their mind.

Mine blew on me two months ago, I bypassed it and forgot about it until the temperature started to drop into the 50s and 40s. Alaskan August is unforgiving. I bought a new core, pulled it into my shop and started at it, having been told it would take "longer to round up all the tools for the job than the actual replacement." Lies! After about an hour of work trying to work my way around the dash, I find out that the whole dashboard needs to be lifted just so I can loosen the bolts on the metal cover that holds the core.

I work 6 AM to 8 PM, 6 days a week, so I'm short on time. I'll admit, I gave up on trying to replace it myself and took it to a shop that I use whenever I'm feeling lazy and/or having a head-scratch moment. Spoke with the head mechanic there and he told me replacing the heater core is one of the most annoying things he's ever done on my year of truck. $500 bucks and two days later, it was replaced. I am not a happy camper. I know there's no one to blame, this is just a rant folks.

 

Interesting. Your heater core is not located behind the glove compartment?

 

It most certainly is, which is why I figured it would be a quick fix. It's hard to explain without pictures, but taking off the glove compartment only gives you enough room to remove 4 of the bolts on the cover. The rest of the dash has to be moved in order to get to the rest.

 

I don't see why your truck is "special". Granted mine is an '87 but even others with your common years said it was just as easy, as does the Haynes manual.

 

I'll take some pictures when I get home, I was just as confused as you were to be honest.