Hot Rods What heater is in YOUR hot rod?

Posted already on this but came up with another idea for heat to the rear p***sengers in the '47 Hudson. The heater from J.C. Whitney in the front works great but this is a big car and the back never really gets warm. I am going to use a bilge blower from an inboard boat. Pull heat from the engine compartment and direct it up behind the back seat thru the package tray so it will also defrost the back window. The challenge will be routing the ducting.

 

The Edsel runs the stock heater and box, works great. I picked up two of the Southwind gas heaters last month while helping friends clean out a barn, always looking for the odd stuff for future builds. Both are pretty dirty and aged but look to be all there. Once I research to see how it works I'm thinking they may just be a conversation piece or mounted just for looks. I don't think I would trust it when there are better ways to do it.

 

I converted a Southwind heater over to water. Have not put it in the A as it is still a project but did run a test on the engine stand with my Olds 324. Water at 160 provides some heat so perhaps with a 180 thermostat in the car it might blow warmer. If it does warm the cab on chilly mornings I will do a tech on it. The old gas furnace in it is copper so it transmits heat well. We will see how it works in a real application later on.
Here is the tank pic before the fins were reattached.


I installed a NAPA bright LED in a grommet in the old control hole that will act as a courtesy light thru the door switch which is not shown in the next pic.

 

Engine heat

 

Hacker, the Model A's used an exhaust manifold heater. Was just a square tube looking thingy on top of the manifold with a bell-shaped opening toward the front. The engine fan pushes air through it into a tube that went to a hole in the firewall. Just had a little flap that you swung open or closed to regulate heat. works REALly well, but the smell can get a little old. Plus there's always the chance of a leaky ex. gasket.

 

I made an exhaust system heater for my O/T car. Works great and if the exhaust pipe is stainless, there's no smell.

Here it is mocked up in cardboard (worked pretty good);


and the finished version;

 

I used this heater from Jegs, cost $153. Very small and fit up under the dash on my 48 Chevy. It is a little loud on high speed but other than that works great and has defogger capabilities.

Jegs # 555-70603

 

Good point that should always be considered! Carbon Monoxide is not something to take lightly!
I don't have much to worry about if I used an exhaust heater in the Roadster however, as the pipes are seamless and the engine compartment fully exposed...along with the T not having a roof or windows.
An enclosed car with an enclosed engine compartment would be a different thing entirely.

I'd just like to have a blast of heat directed towards both riders and I think the extra heat from the hot headers might be enough to make up for the open car.
Could always add a Tonneau cover to help hold it in as well.

The real beauty of a hot air setup is the speed in which it could be removed in the warm months without leaving a trace of its existance and also the fact it would take up zero room in the cowl area.
I'm gonna see what I can come up with that doesn't look too weird out on the headers.
The setup Blackjack has is really clean visually but I was hoping to use all 4 pipes on either side which will definately harder to pull off visually.
We'll see...if it doesn't work out I can always run a coolant heater.

 

Stock heater in my 56 f100 have to keep it on low as it gets to hot

 

As I said, my manifold heater put out a ton of heat in my roadster. I would think that if a guy could capture that off a set of headers, it would take care of the gases/ smells,etc.

 

Works great in my 50 fleetline . Loud on high speed . Price is right.


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When you have the blower motor in the p***enger compartment with you instead of under the hood, you're going to get some blower noise. You can muffle the noise by wrapping the motor with some of the adhesive backed sound deadening material.

 

Probably already been said, but... Whichever girl is dumb enough to snuggle up next to me

Oh, and a good wool jacket for the other 7 days a week.

 

Ive got a 48 pilot house dodge that has one of those heaters. its hooked and everything is there. I never used it. My dad seen it and said they where really good. My 55 chevy hasn't got a heater or working wipers. in not gonna drive it when it cold or raining.

 

car stays in the garage in the winter , idiots around here have a hard time driving in the summer yet alone in the winter with **** on the ground , plus the salt .

 

For my '48 F1 I used a heater from another 40's pickup, maybe it was a JC Whitney aftermarket . It's a 6 volt and my truck is converted to 12 volt. For the wiring I used a resistor from a mid 70's Chevy pickup. Painted the housing with some Hammertone paint.

In the bottom picture to the right of the heater is the knob for the heater control valve. It's a choke style cable, hooked to a 1970'a Ford PU manual control valve in the engine compartment.

 

Anyone using a gasoline burner? Or maybe a good story as to why they don't?


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I picked up a 38 Cadillac heater at a swap meet for $10 and it works great! of course I had to put a 12 volt motor in it.

 

In my 56 buick station wagon, I use a heated seat from Walmart {and it vibrates too} and a heater defroster from Harbor Freight. for now .lol.Bruce.

 

Heres the other one.Bruce.

 

Anyone use the plug in type electric heaters? Curious as to how they work.
Pics?

Edit: Ha! There's one in the post above. How's it work?

 

had a southwind in my '61 corvair. great heater that would put heat out in less than 40 seconds [we timed it]. gas mileage went down

 

no heater in my hot rod....but i put in heated seats.

 

Mine throws out some killer heat if you don't use it too long.That why I got the heated seat cushion.It rally warms the buns.lol.Bruce.

 

We ride our motorcycle on cross country trips, so about ten years ago we bought 12v heated jacket liners and gloves, and they work great. So when I built the roadster, I put electrical plugs under the seats, to plug the liners and gloves in and it worked great this fall. It's simple and keeps the firewall clean. Its expensive to buy, but for the bike you don't have many options, and being we had it we decided to use it for the roadster also. Just another idea.

 

Is this what you got from them?

 

I just got this in the mail today but the clown didn't pack it properly



What's the best way to fix the 4 cast tabs? Tig? Braze?


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I'm pretty sure that is die cast so tig won't work and it don't braze either, the only thing I've found that works are some alloy low heat rods off ebay but I can't remeber what they were called, but it was tricky to do, I think I would try some 2 pack epoxy glue/liquid metal if it's a clean break, good luck with it.

 

Here in the Sunny South the heater is not something we think about this time of year,it's in the high 80's but it's summer.

I did break down a buy a Vintage air aftermarket heater for the Deuce sedan when I attended the Nat's South last month.

I was sold on the small size...HRP

10.0 in. width, 10.25 in. Height, 6.0 in. Depth, 3-Speed

 

I get some amount of amu*****t on this thread so I am bringing it back to the top.

I can bundle and have for years, I still ride my bike year round here and actually made a 6 hour trip for a funeral in the 20s a year ago. I am not going to lie about it or try and sound too tough, it was ****in cold.

All that said on a bike you don't have to keep your windshield thawed and as long as your moving you can keep your gl***es from fogging. Your breath will keep them thawed if you know what you're doing, although it doesn't work in an ice storm. LOL

Here is a heater for ya, the Raven (who hasn't chimed in on this thread) doesn't have a windshield on his roadster, just knuckle guards. When it is cold he lays the knuckle guards down and lets the engine heat roll over his cowl, it is amazing how warm you can stay in his roadster. Of course if he had a hood he would have to remove the hood for that effect.