Heater Core Removal

[Ecto1]

It appears that the Heater Core is available as a separate aftermarket component from several vendors. But after removing the Evaporator Core it's not obvious that the Heater Core can be separated from the Climate Control Housing. Has anyone replaced their Heater Core? Is it possible to disassemble the Climate Control Housing enough to replace the Heater Core?

Since I have this d@#n! thing apart I figure I should replace the Heater Core while I'm at it. I really DON'T want to pull this thing apart again. The Heater Core's 10 years old and not getting any younger.

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[Ecto1]

So I spent some quality time with the Climate Control Assembly trying to figure out how to remove the Heater Core. I found a number of aftermarket Heater Cores available for for these cars so there must be some way to remove it.

I found 2 "issues" with removing it though... The first is that there are about 1/2 a dozen torx screws holding 2 of the Housing sections together that are deep in recessed cavities from the Driver's side. These require a longer tool than a normal screwdriver to access. Not impossible, but it takes more special tools. I think I have what I need to remove them.

The second problem is more daunting. The Housing section containing the Heater Core is in 3 separate sections that have to be separated to access the Heater Core. Unfortunately this part of the Housing contains the foam insulation pad that the Dash Vents rest on. See image below. There isn't a replacement part for this foam. Nor does it appear to be designed to be separated from the plastic housing. I guess I could cut it off with a razor knife and then improvise but I don't like this idea. The other approach would be to use the razor knife to cut the foam where the plastic sections separate. This way the foam would remain attached to each section plastic housing while allowing them to separate. But I'm not crazy about this idea either. The foam deteriorates fast enough sitting in the heat just below the dashboard so cutting the foam won't help it last any longer. I suspect it will cause it to deteriorate that much faster and I'll get bits of "fluff" blowing out of the vents whenever I use the Heat or A/C.

Not sure how to proceed here. The cost of replacing the entire Climate Control Assembly isn't desirable. Especially since it contains the Ford Evaporator Core that requires TOO MUCH attention. But ... it may be the only practical way to replace the Heater Core. I'll puzzle over this for a while...