Big block with A/C heater hose routing questions

[vegiguy]

I'm having a hard time figuring this out even though I have a picture of it in the shop manual. The picture in the manual doesn't give a detailed view of the connections on the water valve itself; also the water valve I have doesn't look like the one in the manual (it doesn't have the "can" on top of the four outlets, and it sits so the outlets are almost lined up vertically on the firewall). Will the type of valve I have work, and if so is the side of the valve that has the smaller (1/2") of the four tubes considered the side of the valve that the coolant goes thru on its way TO the engine, or FROM the engine going back to the heater core? This is on a '73 RR.

Thanks for any help with this.

 

[vegiguy]

I'm having a hard time figuring this out even though I have a picture of it in the shop manual. The picture in the manual doesn't give a detailed view of the connections on the water valve itself; also the water valve I have doesn't look like the one in the manual (it doesn't have the "can" on top of the four outlets, and it sits so the outlets are almost lined up vertically on the firewall). Will the type of valve I have work, and if so is the side of the valve that has the smaller (1/2") of the four tubes considered the side of the valve that the coolant goes thru on its way TO the engine, or FROM the engine going back to the heater core? This is on a '73 RR.

Thanks for any help with this.

I made a mistake: I meant to says the water valve sits on the INNER FENDER (not the firewall) with the tubes lined up almost vertically. Sorry.

 

[rrTor-Red]

Depending if the valve is vacuum or cable operated, your water valve was either changed in a assembly line part and or replaced at sometime. First pix is one and the second is it's replacement from a parts house usually. As far as pictures in the manual, yea factory pictures not real clear on them. I don't have a picture of it with the hoses hooked up to it.

 

[vegiguy]

My valve doesn't look like either one of those because it's an aftermarket valve. The one my car is SUPPOSED to have looks like the first picture but has the provisions on top of it to attach a control cable since it's cable operated.

I figured out by studying my car's shop manual that the hoses on my car pretty much stay parallel: the left (driver's) side hose (on the engine side of the firewall) is the hose that brings the water from the nipple on top of the water pump housing to the heater core (on the inside of the firewall) and the right (passenger's) side hose takes it back to the nipple closest to the water pump (on a big block). Therefore with a water valve the hose with water going to the heater core I believe is the one that needs to go to the side of the water valve that actually has the shut off valve in it so the hot water from the engine can't reach the heater core when the valve is actuated. This is the only thing that makes any sense to me.