Technical INSTANT HEAT, just dont add water (TECH WEEK)

Just bitchin

 

Hey @Bandit Billy , any updates on how this setup worked? I am looking at much the same thing, just to take the edge off on those frosty mornings.

 

It's been 6 years. How's the heater working?

 

I used it at the beach a couple months back, and it worked pretty well. It won't run you out of the cab but between that and the seat heaters it was comfortable. I haven't had her out in the cold this year because of a certain virus that has me housebound but I think if I had to get the heater a letter grade I'd go a solid B. Of course I grade on the curve.

 

What do you think had the most effect, the heater, or the seat heaters???

 

I use the seat heaters more so I would have to go with them. I did use the defrosters once and they worked, kinda slow but they worked. If I did it over I would add a computer fan to the defroster port so it pushed more air through the tubes. The ceramic heater has two setting for low and high and a thermostat. I keep the thermostat in the middle and I have only used the high setting.

 

I brough an OT truck back to Ohio from California a couple years ago that had a broken heater. Bought the largest (most BTU ) electric heater available and with the heater sitting on my shoulder almost froze my ass off. If I had to do it again I would tap into the hot water, devise any HEAT EXCHANGER COIL AND RUN IT WILD.

 

I bought a brand new VW in 1966 and all the heat exchange would do is cook your left foot at the vent and the passengers right foot, in 30 degree weather the defrost wasn't worth a tinkers damn as my dad use to say. HRP

 

And to be quite honest, after all of the work and expense I wouldn't do it again. It helps that it doesn't get cold here very often so the need for a heater isn't a big deal. It snows once a year (last week) but I only use my OT 4X4 then not that it wouldn't be a blast to run around in the roadster but have you ever seen people in the PNW drive in snow? One flake and the whole area turns to Armageddon.

 

Thanks for your honesty with this. This is the most useful and beneficial comment of the thread............

 

You want instant heat try finding a Southwind gas heater... They were used a lot in the east where they cold was an issue....

 

I know you were thinking along these lines from your other thread and that one was for you and others that may consider it in the future. There are countries and municipalities that require defrosters, this would work to get past that inspection without adding heater hoses across an engine bay. But I probably have close to a grand in that heater plus a lot of time...a lot of time! I could have made hard SS heater lines from the flatty, polished them and ran them in from under the toe panels with short rubber section to take the vibration component out and been just fine, in retrospect that is my recommendation for someone wanting heat and a sanitary open engine bay. Cheaper and work better.

One last asset of the electric heater is it is self contained and only held in with 3 Allen heads, two defrost tubes and a quick connector for power. Can't do that with a water heater.

 

You bought too quick! I had a 67 I bought used, if you let it warm up a few minutes, you could cook a steak in there! It heated real good once the engine temp came up. Defrost worked good, too.