I don't know much about how they operate except that some were designed to burn gasoline and I think they were used in some Corvairs and in aircraft which would make them safe - - if it is in good condition.
I had about 6 of them in my shop, gave them away, they were dangerous, run off of gasoline from the carb, old school, but there are better heaters that have a heater core for water, old pickups and trucks had them.=========miller 35
They were a popular aftermarket 30's 40's+ heater that ran off of the (correct) air/fuel mixture of the carburetor. A thin plate was installed under the carb that had a tap for the heater to draw off of. Volkswagon used a similar idea for years. Despite popular misconception, they were considered safe and reliable as long as they were well maintained (fittings kept snug). The design of the heater insures that it is shut off as soon as the engine stops running. If there was no air/fuel going thru the carburetor, then there was no feed for the heater to run off of. They do supply good heat, and if installed properly they will defrost the front windscreen. Most of today's units are found at swap meets and therefor are missing the carb spacer plate, the under dash control module and the defroster kit (not to mention all the brackets and fittings). I had one in my '35 and it worked well but because our cars are parked during winter we never really used it much. There was a guy on the west coast that was selling them new in the boxes but I have not seen his ads for some time. If you need a complete manual (26 pages+/-), someone posted all the pages on the hamb some time ago and I keep a copy of it here: http://s201.photobucket.com/albums/aa296/moefuzzz/SOUTHWIND HEATER AND TEMPLATES/?start=all A quick reference to get you started.... .
I know nothing about "South Wind" but I had a few Cadillacs with gas heaters.........they were the bomb.
If you like the looks of the housing you might think about having a heater core made that would fit it or finding one that would fit. plus small fan and you would have the looks of Southwind heater and not the trouble of running it on gas. I think that a year or two ago someone on here did just that and posted about it.
unsafe as all hell....know a couple of guys who had fires in their cars because of them....think of it as a gasoline powered campfire in your car....people have been giving me these for free for a wile i cut opening in them and put some screen in them and make speakers out of them
I was told of a fellow that had one in a Volkswagon bug many years ago. He got good mileage as expected, but when the heater was cranked, it burned more fuel then the engine.
I've got a couple...taken out years ago(wonder why?)...and I've often thought about putting a small heater core/fan in...I believe computer fans are 12 volt..or so I've been told...d32
I've had quite a few of them over the years. I think it would be cool to make them into hand cleaner dispensers.
www.citroenvie.com/South_Wind/Home.htm www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/p...7A14-EDB9-4AA6-80D3-4FB3F9A168E5}&sent=stored
All the school buses had them when I was growing up in the 1950's. I never remember getting to miss a day of school because a bus caught on fire! I asked my Dad about them, and if they were dangerous. He said he had used many with never a problem, and he couldn't recall ever hearing of a problem. If one has never used a vehicle that had one, the design SOUNDS dangerous, but wonder how many have actually experienced a fire with one personally. Having a wild pitcher throw a hardball within inches of a batter SOUNDS dangerous, but we let our kids do it. Jon.
My father in law has one in is 36 coupe. It's been in there for decades. Works like a charm. He swears they're safe, and reliable.
they were kinda like the old stove oil furnace , exept this had a 1/8 hole or line ging to the top of your carb , thats why you see so many strombergs drilled on the top , anyway they feed to the cab or interior of your ride firing to build your heat , the indians did this earlyer in there teepee , just built a fire on the floor and smoked paiotty what the hell , the casings look neet but a lot of pople try and put a newer heater core in them for safety if you know what im saying good luck
The heaters used in VW's were different - I've installed several of them back in the day. They used a line straight off the gas tank for fuel, they had their own little fuel pump, and worked very much like the forced air furnace in your house, only they used gasoline rather than natural gas. They would run anytime the key was on, there was juice in the battery and gas in the tank, and made lots of heat almost instantly. They were not dependant on the engine for anything other than to recharge the battery.
The Southwind gas heaters that I've used over the years use a fuel line t-eed in from the fuel line that runs from the gas tank in front to the engine in the rear. The VW units have there own fuel pump. Because of the age of these units and the new ethanol gas, the fuel pump diaphrams are the weakest link. Rebuilding the fuel pump is easy and simple, just get the correct diaphram material to withstand today's fuel. As some have pointed out on this forum gas fired heaters have been used for many years on school buses, thousands of small private aircraft, civilian cars and trucks and recently 24 volt military trucks. Swiss made Pinzgauers also had some of them on their units and used them with great sucess. The principle of operation is simple, reliable and extremely functional. There are risks with anything, hell, you can hit by a bus while crossing the street. But the fact is I feel safer running my gas heater than crossing the street. Do your homework if you intend to use any gas heater. Get an owner's manual and install everything to spec. I pre-test all my Southwind gas heaters outside on a bench. Follow the manual and you'll never have a problem.
This isn't going to help with the OP's question, but I used just the heater case to cover up the tach cable and some wiring that runs thru the firewall on my 3-window. Mick
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