> =20
> heater boxes on the exhaust, but they go directly into the cockpit of the=20
> car. No big metal channels running underneath the running boards. The heat=
> =20
> is so hot it could easily burn a person, and no the engine isn't running=20
> hotter than it should. It's hot even when it is 0=B0F outside or colder. =
> It=20
> does take a little time to warm up, but not much. The cockpit of the kit=20
> car is so small, that I always have to turn the heat down shortly after it=
> =20
> warms up, and this is in a leaky lousy kit that has not been well=20
> maintained. As to the defrosting capabilities, I have a separate fan system=
> =20
> for that, and it too performs flawlessly. So to make my dispute short, it=
> =20
> is not the heat exchangers, it is the ancilary ductwork that is a problem. =
> =20
> Further, the heater boxes probably produce 100=B0-150=B0 above ambient, but=
> by=20
> the time it gets in a "big" VW bug, you probably do only get 35-40=B0. I'd=
> be=20
> curious to see how much better a Ghia heats than a beetle.
>
Phil,
I think you're right about the heater boxes initially putting out
100-150 over ambient. When I said 35-40 over, I was referring to what
you actually get out of the vents of a Bus. The vents are 15 feet away
from the heat exchangers on a van. Should have made that clear.
Obviously for a Beetle or other car, the heat is much hotter. In the
cars, the heat runs through ducts built in to the body. Of course, when
these rust out, you lose your heat. Likewise, on the Bus, the heat runs
through a large paper/foil/cardboard hose up to the distribution unit at
the front. Many people have had excellent results with insulating this
pipe and also with insulating their VWs.
I've had a Beetle and now I've got a Ghia, and the Ghia seems to heat
much better. VW was one of the first to have front and rear heat :-)
which many makers are trying to do now. There are four heat outlets in
a VW car, two in front on the floor and two right under the rear seat.
The Ghia, being so small inside, really heats up well -- I often find
myself having to turn it down and that's before I noticed that I have a
huge air leak where the fresh air duct connects to the input side of the
heat exchanger on the right side. Gotta fix that.
--
Sean Bartnik
Fredericksburg, Virginia
'81 Vanagon Westfalia
'74 Karmann Ghia convertible
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