That's just what I was looking for. 

Thanks so much!

This might help. https://www.somerfordmini.co.uk/heater-hoses-water-control-valves-and-cables-1959-88.


Jack

The large rad hose is the one that comes off the bottom of the rad and delivers cool-ish coolant to the engine block.  The hottest coolant is from the head and is delivered to the radiator when the thermostat opens, and to the heater core when the heater valve is open. In you car, a rightie, the hose from the heater valve would cross over the engine and enter the bulkhead cross-member. The shorter hoe from the main rad hose would go through as well.

I don't know what the factory did, but to my thinking, you'd want the hottest coolant entering the heater core at the top and when the heat is taken out of it the cooler coolant would return from the bottom of the heater core. Assuming your heater is assembled with core hose connections coming out the left side, routing of the hoses would also be simpler if they don't cross en route.

The car is in the 74 - 76 ballpark.  The steering wheel is on the right side (like in England).  I get what your are saying and it's entirely possible I have them routed wrong.  But my question is where do they connect on the heater core (and if it doesn't matter, how did the factory do it?).  One hose comes off of a larger rad hose.  Does that connect to the top or bottom of heater core?  The other hose is connected to the valve for the heater (as seen in your picture).  Does that connect to the top or bottom of the heater core?

Do you have an automatic transmission by chance? Typically, with a manual transmission car, you would have the clutch and brake master cylinders on the driver's side and matching spare holes in the firewall cross-member on the passenger side. In this configuration, both hoses go through the spare holes on the passenger side and down to the heater core where both hose connections are on the same side. Depending on whether your car is a leftie or a rightie, one of the hoses crosses over behind the rocker cover, above the intake manifold. If you have a separate aluminum intake manifold and it has a coolant passage, you can connect hoses to it. This is useful in cooler climates to warm the intake manifold for better fuel mixing and driveability.  The picture shows a leftie car with the heater hoses going into the plate that supports the rear engine steady. The hose pointing toward the front of the engine is connected to the intake manifold coolant passage.

This may seem a dumb question but I'm reassembling a Mini that has been in pieces for 10 years that I didn't take apart.

The heater hoses enter the cabin on the right and the left.  The heater core has connections top and bottom.  Which side goes to top/bottom?  It occurs to me that it may not matter but I like to do things the way the factory did.

Thanks in advance.