I've always wanted to throw a poll out there, so here goes.

As some of you know, I'm in the process of selling my 3.2 conversion. It is completely unbelievable to me how many potential buyers have passed on the car because it doesn't have heat, and their idea was to drive it in the Winter.

I've owned 3 914s over the years, and admittedly none of them have had heat (4 or 6 cylinder). But then again, I always put them away for the Winter and have treated the car as a toy car for the most part. When the temps dropped, I dressed warm and that was that.

I've scoured the classifieds for other conversions that have been listed over the past year, and I know I'm not the only conversion car without heat.

maybe it's just the time of year.....maybe nobody will ask if it has heat when I relist it in the Summer

My first 914 didn't have heat. I didn't know about heat exchangers on aircooled engines when I bought the car. They were rusted out. Drove it one winter in high school in NJ. Never again.

Putting heat in my six conversion will cost a fortune but I knew that when I decided to drop in the 6.

It's always harder to sell a house without central air in the heat of the summer. People just aren't as concerned about the lack of a/c until the temp soars. I believe it's the same with heat in your car.

I put heat in my conversion (live in Wisconsin). Used GHL headers with heat. It got nice and toasty on the few cold fall days I took it out. I also kept the stock 3.2l electric booster fan.

Gotta have heat man..... driving in the rain, snow and ice is the fun part! That's what it was built for.
Fortunately I've lived in areas that don't use salt on the roads.

All of the /6 conversions I have done have stock heat exchangers and therefore, heat.

I guess some of you never drive with the top off. A 50’ temperature at 25 mph becomes 42’. At 45 mph it becomes 40’ degrees, and you can see where this is going.

Six heat exchanger are awesome with the top off in the winter time. You force the heat out the bottom vents and it keeps you nice and toasty.

My Dad tells me it's his fault. He brought me up in Northern Ohio where I spent my youth building street rods and customs. Heat was never an option. It messed up the engine compartment with ugly hoses. Besides, nobody drove the cars past the end of September anyway.

Water cooled guys just have some holes from the front trunk into the driver area. Plenty of heat!

No plans for heat in my conversion...someday I may add seat heaters if I see a need. Cost was the deciding factor...if I had the money I'd have a 3.2 with ceramic coated stock heat exchangers. I'll keep the heat tubes and cables just in case I come into extra money

I've got two other cars with various amounts of heat if I need a vintage fix in colder weather (only one working currently).

All my conversions have had Headers - no heat.

Heck I don't even heat my house. Yes I live in Florida, but last night it got down to the 20's - Brrrrr

I have stock 914/6 heat exchangers. Plenty of heat in the car.

Now Betty's 914 doesn't have heat... she won't let me hook it up. Says it smells.


But her's has A/C and mine doesn't (yet).

My 4 cyl car is up for sale and has a Kerry Hunter header ... I too have been amazed how many people have turned the car down due to lack of heater.

This is my second 914 and neither of them have had a heater and frankly even when I drove a 914 as a daily driver I never really missed the heater. I think people are wimps (but I'm not really one to talk as my daily driver PT Cruiser has heated leather seats and I don't think I could live without those).

The factory heat exchangers are the way to go if you want heat, they work great. I had the headers, but really wanted the heat for comfort and for defrosting the windshield. Keep an eye out on eBay and other sources for some good used ones and be done with it!

If only SSI would have been willing to manufacture the -6 heat exchangers..........

Have you seen the junk 914-6 exchangers on eBay lately going for top dollar?

I had heat via heat exchangers but i sold them because the headers were better suited to my cars displacement and are less restricting to the turbo. i would still rather have heat than not have it, maybe my next project since i've run out of things to do on my car.
Honestly i really haven't needed it, i dont drive my car when it's less than 40º.

Not a single one I've done.

The upside of your car having no heat is that it kind of proves that it didn't get driven in the winter,
I would say that is a PLUS for any buyer. Heat can be added later.
Now, what kind of discount do I get for that kind of logic?
Nice car BTW.

Dion,

Try adding heated seats.

The kits are cheap on ebay. I just put them in my 4 and they work great. For less than 200$ you might be able to move your 6 .



Per my car. I have busted my but to get the heat up to snuff. Dual blowers, new hoses, SS exchangers, replace dash controller with one with good contacts etc.

Living in Chicago leaves you only 4-5 months of driving with jackets and a towel to wipe the windows without heat at absolute best and that's roughing it. Brrrr.

my 2 pennies

3.0 conversion went with the stock 6 HEs. Driving without them in the NW is just too plain cold in the winter.

I'm going with headers on my 6 and am not as concerned about heat (in So. Cal.) as I am about defrosters.

I need to find an interesting 12v solution that I can rig into my defroster vents. Maybe some 12v travel hair dryers or the like?

Heat is for pussies Same for air conditioning and stereos. Dress appropriately and the sound of the six is music enough for my ears.

phil

My only concern would be defrosting my windshield, how do you do it without a heater

The last time my windshield attracted moisture was during a night time autocross in the rain in 1994, and that was also my first 914. It was also the last time I purposely drove a 914 in the rain. A rag did the trick.

Your talking about defogging the windshield. You need heat to defrost the windshield when it's below 32. Without heat, you have to drive with the fan blowing or windows open to keep the windshield from frosting up inside. Brings back memories....

The right price cures everything.

defog, defrost, I still don't drive it in the weather you are describing. And you know what, in my opinion that is a positive.

Let's not let the price of my car enter into the equation here.

well...here in Wisconsin if you are driving in "nice dry weather" in late fall or early spring where the roads are nice...you have issues with the window's fogging in early morning or at night. Heat is required unless you are only driving during the day. Or you are constantly wiping the inside of the windshield with a rag...been there, done that...and it's too scary.

I can't find the link right now, but aircraft spruce makes heater boxes to clamp around headers to provide heat.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppa...rsheatmuffs.php

Doesn't look like there will be enough volume to really heat up car but it would be great if it works! You need 12" of straight pipe on the header. Don't know if our cars have that available?

Behind the collector? It would probably work fine. Beats nothing at all.

I've seen these too. They would probably interfere with the O2 sensor installed on my header.

That is a great idea. If it heats up the cabin of a small aircraft, it should work for our cars. It wouldn't take long to heat up
for such a small area and they are relatively inexpensive compared to the alternative.

Putting GHL exchangers on my conversion. It extends the driving season and helps defrost. Still don't/won't drive after there's salt on the roads. Have a heated blanket for the passenger.

No category for my heat in the pole.

I have a large front oil cooler that operates all the time (when >180F) and block off ~20% of it when the weather gets cool. It takes about 20 minutes to install or remove the entire system. The rest of the year It hangs on the wall.

I got the idea from JT9146 who did this with his car. The only real differences were that his cooler was an auxiliary rather than the primary, and it was completely vented. I'm out of state but will add pix when I get back home.

A bilge fan with speed control and hoses through to the stock heater inputs makes plenty of hot air for both defrost and heater controls to regulate.

In the south with our moisture we need defrost at temps way above freezing. Even Clay would stay warm!

A gasoline heater like found in the old VW campers would work great in a 914, some were even sold ducted for 914's Any VW camper heater could be ducted to work in a 914. make sure you get a 12 volt version, not a 6 v.