There is a great deal of satisfaction that comes from doing things yourself. I’m currently driving Dani’s 1989 Ford Escort, having finally put my ol’ girl out to pasture and letting D drive the newer ‘93 Dodge Stratus that we got for a steal from her grandmother. Of course, the Escort, which we semi-affectionately call “the bucket”, is beginning to show its age. Ford hasn’t built a decent car since the 70s.

So I was driving around the other day, trying to discover some cool little niches in Hayward (don’t laugh — you’d be surprised) and, out of the blue, I hear this sound. Kind of like a flush. Next thing you know, my feet are covered in water. I knew immediately what had happened — the damn heater core blew. For those not in the know, the heater core connects to the cooling system, running the hot water from the engine through it to provide heat to the inside of the car when you turn it on. I’ve had it go in my Mercury, so I knew exactly what it was.

So I called Dani’s dad, who once worked as a full time mechanic. Usually when the bucket breaks, I take it up to him and he guides me through the process of fixing it. This time, though, he began to explain the process of fixing it to me and we both began to realize that I could probably do this on my own.

I chose to bypass the core rather than replace it (I’m short on cash — HIRE ME! — so I wanted a cheap fix). To do this, you basically take the hosed that runs into the core through the firewall and disconnect it, reconnecting it to the point where the core runs back out through the firewall and into the water pump. It’s a complete circuit, so it’s really easy. After struggling like mad to take off the hose clamps (I don’t think these hoses have been replaced in a decade) I finally popped the hoses into the right places. Lo and behold, that sunnuvabitch purrs like a geriatric kitten. Granted, I was literally soot black from finger-tip to elbow on both arms, and my arms are covered in scratches from trying to maneuver amongst the shockingly poorly placed cables and vacuum hoses, but DAMN does it feel good to perform what would otherwise be a $100 operation for free. In fact, when I do decide to replace the core, I estimate it will cost me around $150. When I took my Topaz into the shop, they quoted me around $450.

I need a Mustang… or my dream ‘67 flame red Camaro. Or a nice, early 60s Corvette, candy apple red with white sidewalls and whitewall tires. Ahhhhh…