Rough drive to work....

First day of arctic chill in Texas this morning!!!  

Headed to work and the windshield was a little fogged over so I decided to turn on the Defrost to get rid of some of the moisture.

If you haven't followed other posts lately, I'm in the middle of redoing my duct work and defrost door.  So I have no duct in and 25% of a dash right now.  

I figured that any heat might get the windshield clear so I cranked it and had a good breeze going.  Then the smell and the steam started.  Yup, the heater core was spitting coolant all over the floor.  Ended up pulling over to do a wipe down with paper towels and made it without any further problems.

Got to my desk and started looking on RockAuto and I see a bunch of choices.  I wanted to lean on y'all here to see what I should stay away from and what I should get.

There IS factory A/C on the truck but it isn't hooked up at this time.  From what I've seen it looks fairly easy to do since the dash is nonexistent right now anyways!!  

While I'm getting the heater core, is there anything else I should do as well since I'm at it?  Already planning on replacing the hoses and do a coolant flush.  Thermostat?  New Rims and Tires?  Ideas/suggestions?

I would say buy American if you get the opportunity. Heater cores are something that most people would spend more money on if they knew for sure they wouldn't have o get back into that area gain . . .for a long time.One of my Mustangs, a Fox, I can literally change the heater core in 15 minutes. Drop the glove box door, clamp the heater hoses, a few screws and hose clamps and it's done. Most vehicles aren't that easy. And as for tires and wheels, don't forget shocks. They all contributed to the heater core going bad. Print this for your significant other if that is needed in your house  :)

I have an AutoZone lifetime one in mine, don't even remember when I bought the first one, but they keep giving new ones.

Pete, 15 mins particularly with the dash mostly apart, about the same on these trucks, in fact I have done them without draining the coolant, just vent the cap, take the hoses off the core (they're easy to reach) then lift them up against the hood spring. Take the 7 or 8 5/16" head screws out of the access door, and there it sits. Just keep it upright till you are out the door so it doesn't spill inside.

They make special pinchers ( cheap ) to clamp off hoses so they won't leak. 15 minutes on the Mustang is with everything together.All you need to do is drop the glove box door. Now, . this is a non AC car.

The factory A/C, called Integral A/C by Ford, is an easy one on these trucks. I’ve done one in an hour, but the last one was longer as someone chose to use RTV to keep coolant inside the ducting rather than replace the heater core. 🙈

The hard one is the HD heater unit. I’m not sure how the heater-only unit is to work on. Nor dealer air.

As Bill said it is a 15 minute job.
Sometimes the most difficult thing is chipping/scraping away the (by now) rock hard sealant ^edit^/around the pipes sticking through/ the cowl.

Just tuck the hoses into the hood hinge. But if you intend to replace the hoses or thermostat then you're going to have to drain some of the system anyhow.
This will add time to the process.

Things you might want to do 'while you're in there' could include replace the C shaped rubber seal at the top of the heater core that keeps air from being blown around it, wiping down the inside of the heater box with isopropyl alcohol to get rid of residue that will continue to contaminate your windshield, and replacing the seal on the fresh/recirculate door that is behind the core itself.

'80-'86 trucks have a different dash and glove box than my bricknose, but Bill's point about not spilling is well taken.
In my truck I need to pull the core straight out, drop it a bit and tip the top towards me while bringing it out the bottom of the dash.
The hose connections are pointing up as I rotate the heater core below the heater box.
I cannot just pull it straight out, and I cannot get it out the glove box opening without spilling so i go out the bottom with the side facing you now pointed at the floor.