Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Diverting & controlling engine compartment airflow to heat the cockpit
| Diverting & controlling engine compartment airflow to heat the cockpit [message #298005] |
Fri, 25 March 2016 06:24  |
rcjordan
Messages: 1913
Registered: October 2012
Location: Elizabeth City, North Car...
Karma: 1
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Hat tip to Dennis Hill for the idea on FB. Here's the conversation there. I thought I'd bring it over to the GMC Engineering Dept to explore the idea. I **HATE** having cold feet --particularly while I'm driving!!
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Billy Massey: It was a cold trip today with a side wind again. Beginning to wish I'd brought warmer boots. Drove with a blanket on my legs the whole way.
David Martin Servati: So the heater in these things aren't worth a hill of beans?
Billy Massey: Depends on the number of leaks through the firewall. The heater works, but can't keep up.
Dennis Hill: Try lifting the hatch an inch or two on your side. Lots of warm air there
Billy Massey: Ha, why didn't I think of that? I couldn't keep it down in the hot wind yesterday.
Dennis Hill: You said warm air was coming in and you put something on it to keep it down. My heater doesn't work very well either
RC Jordan: You know, we need to explore putting some blast gates in to control this heat source. A whole bunch of coaches have louvers installed to vent the heat outside. We need a way to divert that inside.
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SOLD 77 Royale Coachmen Side Dry Bath
76 Birchaven Coachmen Side Wet Bath
76 Eleganza
Elizabeth City, NC
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| Re: Diverting & controlling engine compartment airflow to heat the cockpit [message #298011 is a reply to message #298005] |
Fri, 25 March 2016 08:11  |
rcjordan
Messages: 1913
Registered: October 2012
Location: Elizabeth City, North Car...
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>early VWs
Which sucked. (I had a curtain behind the front seats in the VW van). But all I had then was a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine and a crappy duct system. Let me know if you crack the hatch and it works ...assuming you don't die from CO, that is.
SOLD 77 Royale Coachmen Side Dry Bath
76 Birchaven Coachmen Side Wet Bath
76 Eleganza
Elizabeth City, NC
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| Re: Diverting & controlling engine compartment airflow to heat the cockpit [message #298012 is a reply to message #298005] |
Fri, 25 March 2016 08:45 |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412
Registered: May 2011
Location: Braselton ga
Karma: -74
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The fresh air heaters worked better than the stale air ones in VWs, but both of them would put an oil slick on the windshield eventually. My 66 Fastback would run you out when the heat was full on. I wonder how much trouble it would be to get a wrapper around the header pipes and use that heat for the cabin a la aviation heaters. I defer to the master metalworker. Would it be feasible?
--johnny
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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| Re: Diverting & controlling engine compartment airflow to heat the cockpit [message #298014 is a reply to message #298011] |
Fri, 25 March 2016 09:04 |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
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rcjordan wrote on Fri, 25 March 2016 08:11>early VWs
Which sucked. (I had a curtain behind the front seats in the VW van). But all I had then was a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine and a crappy duct system. Let me know if you crack the hatch and it works ...assuming you don't die from CO, that is.
My 65 VW bus heater worked great at keeping my feet warm. The rest of me and the Van was the problem, but always had drafts in that old van, so CO was not an issue.
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
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| Re: [GMCnet] Diverting & controlling engine compartment airflow to heat the cockpit [message #298015 is a reply to message #298013] |
Fri, 25 March 2016 09:07 |
bdub
Messages: 1578
Registered: February 2004
Location: Central Texas
Karma: 5
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What about the gasoline heaters in Corvairs? Now those were a hoot!
On Fri, Mar 25, 2016 at 8:54 AM, James Hupy wrote:
> Ah yes, VW heaters. No fond memories of them here. Had a 64 beetle
> w/improved 40 hp. engine. No defroster in rain soaked Oregon. Also had a 68
> double cab pickup. I took a 30 caliber ammo can and installed a squirrel
> cage blower in it. Plumbed it into the heater system. Worked, kinda. Early
> GMC coaches, about the same as VW. 78's much better.
> Jim Hupy
> Salem, Or
> 78 GMC ROYALE 403
> On Mar 25, 2016 6:46 AM, "Johnny Bridges via Gmclist" gmclist@list.gmcnet.org> wrote:
>
>> The fresh air heaters worked better than the stale air ones in VWs, but
>> both of them would put an oil slick on the windshield eventually. My 66
>> Fastback would run you out when the heat was full on. I wonder how much
>> trouble it would be to get a wrapper around the header pipes and use that
>> heat for the cabin a la aviation heaters. I defer to the master
>> metalworker. Would it be feasible?
>>
>> --johnny
>> --
>> '76 23' transmode Norris upfit
>> Braselton, Ga.
>>
>> "Sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring when I think about my
>> dirty life and times" --Warren Zevon
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
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bdub
'76 Palm Beach/Central Texas
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| Re: Diverting & controlling engine compartment airflow to heat the cockpit [message #298016 is a reply to message #298005] |
Fri, 25 March 2016 09:24 |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412
Registered: May 2011
Location: Braselton ga
Karma: -74
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If memory serves, the Corvair heaters were made by the same folks who built the aviation gasoline heaters for some twins - Twin Commanche comes to mind. They were modified slightly for the Corvair, mostly to keep the cost down. If you could figure out where to put one, it would work in a GMC. You have to wonder what alcohol gasoline would do to it. However, so would one or two aux heater cores with blowers on them which would be cheaper and safer. Around here (Southeast) with a bit of attention to the cabin leaks my '76 dash heater is sufficient. I can run the Heathen Chinee genset and (down to 40 anyway) run the heat pump and/or a couple of electric heaters if the road is smooth.
--johnny
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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| Re: Diverting & controlling engine compartment airflow to heat the cockpit [message #298017 is a reply to message #298005] |
Fri, 25 March 2016 09:26 |
kerry pinkerton
Messages: 2565
Registered: July 2012
Location: Harvest, Al
Karma: 15
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Not a big fan of using engine compartment air for heat. There is always going to be an odor.
However, no reason at all that copper tube could not be tightly wrapped around the downpipes (behind the exhaust manifold doughnuts). Pump some coolant through it and to an auxiliary heater core with fan and you've got heat. I'd mount two, in each seat base, and blow the hot air forward.
Kerry Pinkerton - North Alabama
Had 5 over the years. Currently have a '06 Fleetwood Discovery 39L
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| Re: [GMCnet] Diverting & controlling engine compartment airflow to heat the cockpit [message #298020 is a reply to message #298015] |
Fri, 25 March 2016 10:07 |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Karma: 5
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I have a gasoline heater in my 73 vw thing. That will be probably one of the last things I try to get working on that car, but I fully intend on having it operational. I have read, and there are a couple things to watch out for, but those 40+ year old heaters do work. I would not use one in my coach though. Much easier to pipe in an aux heater, and the coach has much more to burn up then my vw thing does.
It is one of the nicer one's they made, and it is in great shape. All parts are available, and there are a few people that referb them to new.
73 thing has no VW air heat or ducts, it only has the gas fired heater. 74 things had the VW air heat.
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
[Updated on: Fri, 25 March 2016 10:09] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: [GMCnet] Diverting & controlling engine compartment airflow to heat the cockpit [message #298321 is a reply to message #298020] |
Wed, 30 March 2016 06:29 |
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mark grady
Messages: 70
Registered: November 2015
Location: northern Indiana
Karma: 0
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I would describe the heat from a '74 Thing as others have: "the breath of a
frozen mouse upon your feet".
But it's not really something you'd drive in the winter...
On Fri, Mar 25, 2016 at 11:07 AM, Jon Roche wrote:
> I have a gasoline heater in my 73 vw thing. That will be probably one of
> the last things I try to get working on that car, but I fully intend on
> having it operational. I have read, and there are a couple things to
> watch out for, but those 40+ year old heaters do work.
>
> It is one of the nicer one's they made, and it is in great shape. All
> parts are available, and there are a few people that referb them to new.
>
> 73 thing has no VW air heat or ducts, it only has the gas fired heater.
> 74 things had the VW air heat.
>
>
> --
> Jon Roche
> 75 palm beach
> St. Cloud, MN
> http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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'77 + 78 Kingsley
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