Heating Idea for Early Bus

Floyd · Post by **Floyd** » Sat Dec 21, 2002 3:24 pm

While in the Junk yard today, I pulled an auxilary heater blower from a late model bus. the kind with two outlets.
It was only $5.00 so I could'nt pass it up.
I was thinking... why not mount this sucker in the 65 Split, run the silver flex heater hoses to it and cap the outlets on the doghouse?
Put a switch under the dash and have extra heat. The benifit would be more heat than normal when at a light and hopefully more heat all around. Also extra cooling for the engine in the summertime.
My question is, would it blow stronger than the air coming from the doghouse?
Has anyone esle tried this?
On a seperate note, I've also thought about adding a plexi divider between the cabin area and the back to keep warm air up front.
No sense in heating the whole bus if I'm the only one in it.
Floyd.

[This message has been edited by Floyd (edited 12-21-2002).]

Vanman_spud · Post by **Vanman_spud** » Sat Dec 21, 2002 3:36 pm

I have a similar idea for my bus but I am going to use both, standard blower (fan shroud) and secondary blower. I will connect them with a Y piece for each side.

I was also thinking of making a hole in the boot (trunk) floor and ducting to the inlet on the secondary blower, to give some re-circulated heat.

I am a little concerned about the blower forcing air back into the fan at idle so was thinking about putting a 1 way flap on the fanshroud side of the Y piece, like the ones inside the secondary blower.

I hope you can understand my description?

Floyd · Post by **Floyd** » Sat Dec 21, 2002 3:58 pm

Vanman,
I understand your discription.
If the Y is truley Y shaped and not T shaped, it should work.
I'm also gonna insulate the ventalation system all the way forward as well as between the doors and nose area.

Floyd.

Bob Ingman · Post by **Bob Ingman** » Sat Dec 21, 2002 5:39 pm

Floyd ,I worked as a line mechanic for a Volkswagen Of America dealership in the mid seventies. It was common practice to install a blower beneath the front floorboard in the tube itself. The theory being that there is plenty of heat available in the heater boxes but the method of utilizing it was inadequet. The blower really worked well. An air chisel was used to make an opening then after mounting the blower it was wired to a switch. Good luck. Bob Ingman

Eaallred · Post by **Eaallred** » Sat Dec 21, 2002 6:12 pm

Ironic, I was thinking of doing that same thing, but just haven't had the time to search a junkyard for the fan.

In the meantime, I went to Home Depot, and picked up a roll of pink fiberglass insulation, , and put it behind all the paneling (one roll was enough to do the entire bus, front to back), and now the heat actually stays IN the bus! After driving about 10-15 minutes, it is comfortable with a sweatshirt on when it is 30 degrees outside, but still want to put the fan on, to help heat the bus up faster, and also to maintain heat while sitting at a light.
HUGE difference with the insulation though. I suggest all bus owners to put some in. The thing to it is not to 'pack' the insulation in, but to let it stay expanded to it's normal rate, which means you will have to pull it apart to keep it from squishing. Not hard to do, and actually makes the insulation spread over a lot more area. $8.80 well spent there! LOL.

Now, if I could find some time to hit some junkyards for that fan.......

------------------
Eric Allred
64 Bus
64 Bug

Floyd · Post by **Floyd** » Sat Dec 21, 2002 6:18 pm

Hi Bob,
I had one of those in my 70 bus. Was easy to install but made a lot of noise. I think I bought it out of JC Whitney. Came with a 3 position switch.
If I did it again, I would want one that was not so noisey.

Floyd.

Bert · Post by **Bert** » Sat Dec 21, 2002 6:18 pm

The idea of the insulation is good , the only thing you may be concerned about is humidity, a friend of mine had a camperized chevy van and did this over time the insulation got damp and held the moisture close to the body of the van and it started to rust from the inside out near the seams and outlets , maybe if you could put some kind of moisture barrier it might help or ust the rigid foam insulatiion and just kinda carve it , I'd hate to see a great bus rust from the inside out !!!

Floyd · Post by **Floyd** » Sat Dec 21, 2002 6:43 pm

Found this old thread about the heating/recerculation idea at type2.com. http://www.type2.com/archive/vintagebus/029881.html

Floyd

bob mrazik · Post by **bob mrazik** » Sat Dec 21, 2002 7:07 pm

make sure that there is a vapor barrier over the insulation. (plastic sheeting) and make sure that it is COMPLELETY sealed with duct tape.
this will insure that no moisture reaches the insulation.

bob

amskeptic · Post by **amskeptic** » Sat Dec 21, 2002 7:42 pm

The auxilliary blower provided on the Type 4 engined buses had one-way flaps both at the blower outlets( black plastic flaps) and at the fan housing outlets (little rectangular aluminum flaps). They are necessary to prevent the auxilliary blower from blowing into the fan housing at idle, and to prevent the engine fan from blowing up into the aux above idle.
Colin

Floyd · Post by **Floyd** » Sun Dec 22, 2002 4:35 pm

I purchased a boat bilge inline fan from a boating supply house.
It's the same type that some dealers sell to boost the air flow.
I pulled off the old fiberglass insulation that runs the length of the bus. The conduet
looks good, slightley rusty but solid.
I think I'll mount the fan just behind cab bulkhead. The conduet up front is curvey and oval shaped in some parts. The long straight section looks like an easy install.
I am conserned about melting the fan from the hot air.
This inline bilge fan along with booster fan from a late bus should warm things up!
I'll re-insulate the ventaltion. The old stuff was made of fiberglass, any suggestions as to what to replace it with?

Floyd.

[This message has been edited by Floyd (edited 12-22-2002).]

type4bay74 · Post by **type4bay74** » Sun Dec 22, 2002 4:41 pm

there are a few interesting ways to rig a heater. i have a 74 bay that i modified the heater.

ensure all the heater tubes and exchangers arent rusted out. mine is a west coast vehicle and was good. my bus when i got it didnt have the the heater hooked up and was missing the heat booster fan. i found the fan in the junkyard for $20 buck.

i hooked up the booster fan with out the relay, the relay wont let the fan run all the time, I also added a 3 in boat bilge blower for $20 bucks from a boat shop, I stuck the bilge fan at the last y-section in the duct work. I dont use the rear vents just the one by the front seats and the defrost. I ran a re-circulation hose to the heater booster and cut a hole in the spare tire well and mounted a plastic vent.

the recirculation makes a huge difference espcially when driving at any speeds, cause the air scoops suck in cold air for the engine.

this heater mood works good. you can ride in your bus with out seeing your breath and dont have to wear hat and mittens. by the way I live in michigan and have been in 10 degree weather with no problems so far.

Vanman_spud · Post by **Vanman_spud** » Mon Dec 23, 2002 4:27 pm

The Y pieces i have are not actually in a Y or a T shape, they are more like a waste pipe fitting foung in your plumbing or gutter downpipes - a straight pipe with another coming in half way along at an angle, like this:

. | |
. \ \ | |
. \ \| |
. \ |
. \ |
. | |
. | |

I'm also going to insulate all the pipes when I find something to do it with, so far I've put roofing felt on most of the panels for sound deadening and some automotive underfelt over the engine, on the floors and on the back of some of the door cards.

I haven't had chance to do it all yet because it's 4 hours drive away having AIR fitted.

(The diagram didn't work, I'll try again)

[This message has been edited by Vanman_spud (edited 12-23-2002).]

Vanman_spud · Post by **Vanman_spud** » Mon Dec 23, 2002 4:36 pm

Oh well it didn't work, I'll try once more then give up.

..................| |......
.............\ \..| |......
..............\ \.| |......
...............\ \| |......
................\ . |......
.................\. |......
..................| |......
..................| |......

Hopefully the dots will keep the spacing right!

[This message has been edited by Vanman_spud (edited 12-23-2002).]

JK · Post by JK » Tue Dec 24, 2002 3:04 pm

My solution was to cut the heat log off. Put a stock beetle noise damper on that. Unscrew the other end of the beetle tube, fit some of the silver dryer hose over it. Next the hose goes to a 4" fan, maybe it's a bilge fan. On the output of the fan is another 15 ft. or so of silver dryer hose. I run it over the seat and point it wherever I want. Yeah it looks really funky, but so does the rust in the rockers.

It works really good. And I have it so when it's hot, I connect the wire from the dash to my oilcooler fan. Just don't touch that other switch on the dash.