Heater Installation.
I have heard (or read) how well heaters work on a cool
evening!
As of 4-12-2006
I
broke down and ordered a heater from Summit Racing. It was one of the smallest
in size with the largest heating capacity that I could find. Also it was
relatively low cost. I tried to find one that would mount behind the dash
instead of in the passenger foot area but this one just did not fit. Also, this
would have put the heater above the top of the radiator and may have caused
problems getting all of the air out of the cooling system. One thing about this
one is that it really has a blower on it. It may even serve to cool you off if
the water valve is closed!
I
sat down and put my size 13s under the passenger side with no problems. Now I
just need to hook up the water lines and wiring. I have been researching a
heater control that uses a servo for the water valve and my order it in the
next few days. The switch that was supplied with the kit has a very short shaft
and wimpy looking knob so I will have to do something concerning that also.
The
control has arrived. I decided with a manual valve instead of the electronic
servo method. (How much is it going to be used anyway?) My wife gives me that
“you must be kidding” look when I tell her that the heater will work even in a
convertible! The Speed control and the pull type cable are all one knob. Now
comes the decision on were to mount it. I may install it between the two
switches for which I have wired one for wipers and one for fuel pump cutout. I
also have ordered another knob to replace the one that came with the control.
(It looks better than the other but still does not fit my other controls!) I had to flip the heater over to make the
supply lines enter on the inner side to allow enough cable from the control to
the valve. It should work as – Pull for Heat – so most of the time the knob
will be in against the dash. Also you can see that the valve just fits between
the firewall and the heater box. It seems to work very smoothly and I think
that I will be happy with it. Only time will tell.
5-5-06
Update: The knob is black aluminum and the switch is combination 3 position and
cable for the valve. I decided to mount it to the side away from the other
toggle switches.
While
working on the heater, I also mounted the voltage regulator on top of the
passenger foot box. This should be covered by the fender when the body is put
back on.
