I want a new Heater / Defroster set-up for my P15

[48ply1stcar]

I was wondering if anyone has converted / modified the Vintage Air Heater/Defroster for use in a 6V pos ground P15.

When I installed my head liner I put a cheap jumper cable (minus clamps) over the passenger side doors from the kick pannel to the trunk.  My thought being that one day I would install a insulated boat style electrical box for accessories such as  chargers, GPS and mount my boat battery in the trunk. I have long considered using this 12 volt heater/defroster in my car, insolating it from the firewall.

I haven't had a heater or a defroster in my car since I got it back on the road in 95.  Please share your solutions.

 

[Young Ed]

I can probably hook you up with a factory setup if you can wanna go that route. No clue about using that later one on 6v

[Loren]

Okay just a personal preference.

If you want HEAT in 90 seconds after you start your engine, you might consider a Stewart-Warner South Wind heater.

They made 3 million of them from the 1930s clear up to the late 1950s, so a South Wind is period correct for your car.

It was invented by a Canadian who was dissatisfied with coolant generated heaters. Too slow and not enough heat.

I found a guy who rebuilds them and has the parts. His name is Larry Lewis and he'll sell you a complete kit to install one for $250 plus $60 for shipping.

email: llewis5411@rogers.com

What I like about them is they don't take up so much room under the hood and they are small under the dash.

They made several versions of defroster and even had a booster fan available, I assume for big cars or buses.

They are still used on aircraft. VWs had a version which was safer and a lot more pleasant than the hot oil smell (and fumes) from the exhaust heaters they came with.

You can see what the look like on eBay, but I've never seen an NOS heater or all the parts there.

To operate you start your car (they require engine vacuum) and pull the knob out. The fan goes on automatically when there is heat and off when there is no heat. On the bottom of the heater there is a flow director. Very simple.

Underwriter's Labs approved them so you know they are safe.

Just an idea.

[48ply1stcar]

22 hours ago, Young Ed said:

I can probably hook you up with a factory setup if you can wanna go that route. No clue about using that later one on 6v

I think now I might dig out the original box heater and defroster.  I tested the fan last fall when I ran across the defroster and it worked.  I'll let you know in the spring if I need anything to go with the parts I have.  Also, I have to figure out how to plumb both.  I only have the one hose from the pump to the pipe at the back of the motor.

[Young Ed]

Just now, 48ply1stcar said:

I think now I might dig out the original box heater and defroster.  I tested the fan last fall when I ran across the defroster and it worked.  I'll let you know in the spring if I need anything to go with the parts I have.  Also, I have to figure out how to plumb both.  I only have the one hose from the pump to the pipe at the back of the motor.

Sounds like you have the 2 connections on the engine so you will be pretty set under the hood. Just need a second length of hose to connect to the heater core and maybe a shut off valve if you don't have that already.

[Young Ed]

Oh another thought depending on what you're car originally had you might want to upgrade to the fresh air fancy heater if you want effective defrost

[48ply1stcar]

Ed both the heat and defroster have their own heater core. So I think they were both run in parallel off the main hose so that warm coolant would run to each componet separtely.  No matter what it will be my spring project.  My goal to go to Nationals this year with defrosters.

 

[Young Ed]

2 minutes ago, 48ply1stcar said:

Ed both the heat and defroster have their own heater core. So I think they were both run in parallel off the main hose so that warm coolant would run to each componet separtely.  No matter what it will be my spring project.  My goal to go to Nationals this year with defrosters.

 

You should post a picture of what you have when you can. That doesn't sound at all like a factory setup. Unless you have dual heaters which does have 2 cores but they aren't really separate for heat and defrost.

Do you have these?

 

[48ply1stcar]

2 minutes ago, Young Ed said:

You should post a picture of what you have when you can. That doesn't sound at all like a factory setup. Unless you have dual heaters which does have 2 cores but they aren't really separate for heat and defrost.

Do you have these?

 

Oh god no, my heater is a red box with two door and no fresh air intake.  It consist of a core with a fan behind it (I think) It leaked 25 years ago and I just removed both.

[Young Ed]

To answer your original question I would think if you could find an aftermarket heater that was cable operated you could swap in a 6v fan and be good. Not sure if such a beast exists though

[48ply1stcar]

Found a picture of what my hoses looked like, but I had another set going to the defroster. Two door heater, but fancy like this and seperate defroster

[Merle Coggins]

Looks like someone plumbed in a bypass loop to your heater hoses for some reason. That’s an odd setup. 

[48ply1stcar]

1 hour ago, Merle Coggins said:

Looks like someone plumbed in a bypass loop to your heater hoses for some reason. That’s an odd setup. 

Oh have nothing, removed it all 25 years ago when the heater leaked.  That image is how I remembered it plus a by-pass for the defroster.  I guess it had cable operated by-pass for both the heater and defroster.  Found my defroster about an hour a go. fan works.

Edited January 2, 2021 by 48ply1stcar
added info

[48ply1stcar]

Another day of digging in the garage.  This was the heater in the car until 1995 (leakly core)  It looks like a defroster in the back but it has no heat source (core).  The reason I started this thread is to fing out if anybody had modified a new heater/defroster set-up for 6 volt pos gd cars.

Edited January 4, 2021 by 48ply1stcar

[ccudahy]

It looks like you have a 1940's International Harvester Heater. 

 

The tan one pictured is a Ford style heater. The Ford style heater and the International works with a pull cable damper the changes the direction of the fan. The cable usually say DEF on the cable knob and when you pull it opens. That lets the air go up the diverter tubes attached to the fan housing into to hoses to the vents in the windshield trim. You still get some fan thru the open doors and gives heat to the passengers. If you want all defrost you close the doors in the front. If you want just heat the knob is pushed in and stops air going up to the windshield and open the front doors of the heater.

 

I don't see that there would be a need for a separate defroster from the heater. If this heater/defroster could be repaired.

Edited January 5, 2021 by ccudahy

[48ply1stcar]

Although the heater has tubes that could be used for defrosting there is not away to get warmth from the core to the enclosed turbine unless the fan reverses.  Even then I have to assume that the reason for the seperate defroster was needed for more heat than the heater could provide to the defroster..

[ccudahy]

The additional defroster was probably added for more heat especially up around Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

 

The heaters pictured are not house furnaces by any means. Having had a '47 Ford with a similar heater the fans don't reverse when you pull the defrost cable. The heater gets enough heat up to the windshield thru the ducts to keep it from fogging in fall and spring that's about it. The heater also had a fan speed control for off, slow, and not as slow, which is what I think the knob in the picture would control. I didn't say it was great by no means. Just trying to share info so you can make a decision what direction you want  to proceed. 

 

That's probably why Chrysler in its infinite wisdom had the 2 heater as its top option.