I have owned a 1979 Fiat Spider since last April. It seems that one of the cables controlling the three heater levers (in the center console) has snapped.

Has anyone replaced these cables? How do you remove the center console? Is it a DIY project?

You have to remove the radio and center consoles to get to any of them. The one for the heater valve would be the easiest to replace, for the other tow the heater box would need to be removed as well.

how hard is it to remove center console? How is it held in place?

Held in place by a few screws (4 on mine) and the bottom is held in place by three. replcaing the cable is not too difficult but will require some planning if you do need to move the heater box. Do you know what cable it is? Is it the heater valve under the passenger site of the dash, the defrost flap that directs air to the two circular vents on the dash or the bottom of the box flap that directs air to your feat? The cables run along the driver side trans tunnel. If you are lucky the cable is simple disconnected or is bound on something and it is a quick fix. replacement cables are avalable and it is not so much a hard job as it is a job that need to be thought out to not creat other issues.

Not to encourage project creep but if your going to pull the heater box, (kind of a pain unless you remove right seat) go ahead and inspect the heater valve and core for leaks, clean and lube all 3 cables, clean the heater core, pull blower motor and partially disassemble, clean and lube motor. Also lube hinge points on fresh air duct on top of core and defrost diverter.
Mine was amazingly dirty and gunked up.
All work is relatively easy to do and now my heater system works like new!
(Hey! I'm a poet and didn't even know it!)

Mine console was trashed a bit and the heater valve was rusted solid and when I started playing with it it started leaking everywhere at the core/valve pipe juncture. I dropped the core, fixed the leak, pulled all the console stuff out and ran the heater hoses direct. I put a valve under the hood so when its warm, water off, when its cold water on. Works nice. My def/heater controls? might right foot. Kick the flap down=heat, kick it up=def. Works fine, looks clean. Someday I'll have to do something to put a stereo in, but for now I like to hear the car and my passenger.




now dyed black.