Sometime ago, we discussed adding a heater to a land-rover. I've
used the one I've built enough to report on it. What I've got is the
core from a late '70's Dodge full-size truck($10 for two, in case one
leaks), the blower motor and part of the housing from a '92 ford
Explorer($25), and various examples of my less-than-expert sheet
metal work(done from scrap lying around). The core is in a
five-sided box tucked under the passanger side footwell. The missing
side is against the top of the foot well, and allows the blower to
blow air through it; the front is screwed on, with a 2" slot at the
bottom to direct the airflow at the passenger's knees. The blower
housing was modified (with a hacksaw and some fiberglass) to allow
the motor to be turned 90 degrees from the way it faced in the donor
truck, and is attached to an L-shaped sheet metal bracket. Various
bits of bolts, angle iron, and so on hold everything in place, a few
bits of wire power the blower. I've not yet fitted a heater control
valve. Well, I've got the valve (inline thing from the donor dodge),
but no control cable connected to it; I plan to use a bike friction
shifter and cable, but that will wait for warm weather. The stock
Smith's shin-burner is plumbed in series after the Scheidt Mk. III.
I'm very pleased with it for the most part. Hot air leaving the
heater is about 130 F with the engine at operating temperature of
190F, and the fan on high, 20 degrees or so hotter with the fan on
low; air leaving the Smith's is about 125 F. Tonight 30 minutes of
driving in 15 F weather with both heaters on high from when they
started putting out heat resulted in a passenger floormat temperature
of 90 F; a dashboard surface temperature of 80ish F; the headliner
above the front middle seat was at 68 F, above the second row middle
seat, 63 F, and just forward of the rear door, 57 F. I only measure
air temperatures at the front passenger seat 95 F; my ignition
switch, 85ish F; and the second row middle passenger seat, 80 F. The
109 has decent door and scuttle seals, I've made laminated floor mats
(stock rubber mats bonded to rubber roofing membrane), and I've
insulated the door panels -- for that, I used what amounts to
aluminum foil sandwiching plastic bubble wrap. It's invisible where
I've got door trim, and one the front doors, which don't have the
trim, provides a groovy disco atmosphere. (This really makes a
difference -- the parts of the door skin that have the insulation
were about 10 F above ambient temp; the parts without it 35 F above.)
I need to do something about a heater control valve control, a better
choice in blower resistors, and rig some way to direct the air flow
out of the heater.
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