Hi people
Lots of good mods here, on the forum.
Has anybody found, used a heater sytem for the air cooled motor? Oil cooler for example? I am always scarred to plumb oil into the tub...it is a 914.
Electric heaters, word is they just don't work.
I don't have stock heat exchangers any more.
Anybody have a decent solution
Thanx 1000 x
Cheers
Joe

Seems to me that Dan Root makes heaters out of sheet metal that jackets the headers and uses an electric blower to push the heated air.

DIY heat exchangers. Maybe he'll post pics?

KT

Excactly what I tryed to do 10 years ago, my exhaust was too rusty and burned holes through it. Would really like to see some pics
Thanx
Cheers
Joe

I have a friend with a 911, that he has a electric heater
that hangs down under the center of the dash. I have never heard him dis it so i guess it works well. ( Jump in anytime Tab. ) Dave

If you are running a header fab something around the tubes and feed it off the fan.
Best heat is 73-74 SSI HE's with all the tin and gaskets, repair all the hoses and stuff and it will cook you out in the morning.

Geoff

where is Otmar on this one? I believe he uses two 1800Watt Vidal Sasson hair dryers - Independant driver and passenger controls!! WOOT!

I'm in the process of refurbing and installing a BN2 VW gas heater. Its slow going so I'll post when its done.

-L

I took a ride in a members car that had an electric heater hard wired in. It worked fine. Just gotta make sure everything is wired correctly and you have enough juice. Certainly easier than fabing something around the headers.

2 1800 watt hair dryers, no way first they cant be over 1500 watts and use a normal plug, but that does not mean he did not change a plug. 2, that is one noisy way to get heat. 3, thats 3600 watts at 120 volts, or 30 amps at 120 volts, then lets say he had an inverter running from the alt and battery and it was 100 % effecent, that would be 300 amps at 12 volts, or enought to drain the battery flat in 15 minutes even with the alt charging it.


what i used was a coleman heater designed for use in cars, as a emergency heater if you broke down in winter, i mounted it under the dash. between the seats aiming at the back, it was enough to help my leaky HE at 20 to 30 outside temps, here is the one i used in my car. and i never had a problem the 914 is leaky enough to avoid CO stuff

but coleman also makes a 1100 btu heater, as they put it "for rec use in enclosed spaces. that would work by it self to heat a car

I have one of these Espar D1LC heater in a box. Bought it used for reasonable. Once I get the 914 back from aircooled racing, this is on the short list of installs.

QUOTE (scott thacher @ Feb 25 2005, 08:22 AM)

2 1800 watt hair dryers, no way first they cant be over 1500 watts and use a normal plug, but that does not mean he did not change a plug. 2, that is one noisy way to get heat. 3, thats 3600 watts at 120 volts, or 30 amps at 120 volts, then lets say he had an inverter running from the alt and battery and it was 100 % effecent, that would be 300 amps at 12 volts, or enought to drain the battery flat in 15 minutes even with the alt charging it.

actually, his car has more than just one battery ... and they're not that loud either ...

as for the heater, a aftermarket heater that burns gasoline is the way to go.
they were an option for VW-Bus and VW-Transporter.
i had one in my VW-Beetle. took about 5 minutes to get the car to sub-tropical temps in the winter with -10C outside ...

Andy

QUOTE (scott thacher @ Feb 25 2005, 08:22 AM)

that would be 300 amps at 12 volts, or enought to drain the battery flat in 15 minutes even with the alt charging it.

Not his battery(s).
Hint: his is an electric 914.

this is similar to the unit i had ...

http://www.webasto.de/oem/de/am_vans_heaters_833.html

they burn gas from your tank, blow the hot air in your car and the exhaust outside. in my bug i had it mounted under the center of the rear seat ...
Andy

The OEM unit the Bug guys use is made by Eberspacher, and a search on The Samba's classifieds sections shows several. Some are really cheap ($30), many are quite expensive ($700).

I always wondered what Webasto did. They have some huge manufacturing facility near my house in KY.

Making heat exchangers out of headers made of mild steel is a BAD IDEA! I will go so far as to say it is STUPID!! If you do this then you won't be able to argue this with me at some point in the future because YOU WILL BE DEAD!!!!!

Porsche learned this the hard way when the first 911's came out, and since then (something like 1965) all Porsche exhaust systems have tubing that is a form of stainless, albeit cheap stainless, but stainless none the less. In addition all Porsche heat exchangers have no welds in the exhaust tubing in the heat collectors, which is another killer.

QUOTE (cdmcse @ Feb 25 2005, 01:27 PM)

I always wondered what Webasto did. They have some huge manufacturing facility near my house in KY.

Lots of car-related parts, mostly sunroofs and HVAC stuff.

QUOTE (SirAndy @ Feb 25 2005, 03:57 PM)

this is similar to the unit i had ... http://www.webasto.de/oem/de/am_vans_heaters_833.html they burn gas from your tank, blow the hot air in your car and the exhaust outside. in my bug i had it mounted under the center of the rear seat ... Andy

I have looked into one of these for the 914, but I don't see a good place to mount it...

QUOTE (don9146 @ Feb 25 2005, 01:43 PM)

I have looked into one of these for the 914, but I don't see a good place to mount it...

passanger footwell, in place of the hard foam footrest. just build a alu-shield to cover it and have the warm air exit towards the center tunnel.

or, do what Dr. Porsche did, mount it in the front trunk and have the hot air routed into the stock air box, just like the normal heated air ...
that way, you can still use the dash controls to redirect the hot air ...

Andy

You people rock !!!

I posted this in the morning then left for work. Thanx for all the advise !!!
I have a lot to think about....
I am leaning to a electric heater set-up, I would have to find a heater that my 75 amp altty can handle. Its the easiest solution....but.....I think the gas heater out of an old bug or similar system, might be a better performing system, more dangerous ? Idunno.
It would be cool if someone that had a gas heater in a 914 would post, I can't be the first person to look for a solution....
Thanx again everyone
Cheers
Joe

Joe,

I just read your tag line with "Ring of Fire". Know how that song was written? The guy mistakenly grabbed a tube of Ben-Gay instead of PreparationH

I have an original Webasto in my 912, doesn't work so swell actually- but I think it sneeds come cleaning and tuning.
I've used dozens of gas heaters in many VW's I've had, the Stewart Warner models will melt a foot of snow off the roof of you car in minutes. I can build those blindfolded, but they take up some room. I think if you got an Eberspacher or Stewart Warner from a VW type3 or bug you could probably push the spare tire to one side where it usually sits and mount it in there. BUT! Those heaters can tend to get VERY VERY hot if you allow it to run for a long time- doubtful it would melt a tire, but it could damage it or anything else thats shoved right up against it. The center core of one I had installed in a VW bus would glow red typically..
The ticket would be the late 70's / early 80's eberspacher from a VW bus, they can bolt up on top of the tranny and are very flat and I bet you could plumb it into the cars heater tubes.
Bob O

While we're on the topic, does anyone have the Eberspacher Gas heater service manuals on soft copy? You see them on ebay all the time but you never know exactly what you're getting. Specifically, I'm looking for the BN2 setup procedures. If you google it there is a little bit of info/diags but not much.

-L