Electric Heating Options for 3.6 Conversion

[peritus]

The 3.6 conversion doesn't have heat exchangers - and it would be nice to expand the seasonality of the car into some colder weather.

I read an article in Excellence about an electric 914 that wired hair dryers into the heating vents.....ok....

Anyone have any creative ideas on how to warm up the cabin?

[shahram]

Why it does not have HEs? Putting HEs on a 3.6 conversion should not be a big problem though.

[Jack Olsen]

993 heat exchangers with flanges is the cost-effective way to go. B&B headers with heat exchangers are the pricier option.

The 12V heaters are useless, in my opinion. You can get a 12V heated seat cushion, although it won't do anything for defogging the windows or keeping a passenger from complaining.

And you're in Canada, where it gets pretty cold.

OEM 911 Webasto gas heaters sometimes come up for sale. Webasto still makes gas heaters that truck drivers use -- but they cost more than a set of B&B headers.

[peritus]

Originally Posted by shahram

Why it does not have HEs? Putting HEs on a 3.6 conversion should not be a big problem though.

This car was stripped to weigh about 2400 lbs, so all the heating guts were taken out and TRG Headers and Steve Timmins' Happy Crap muffler were installed.

I don't want to readapt it have factory heating, and in the past, I have rigged my heated vest for my motorcycle suit to the cigarette lighter!

I just need a small amount of pressurized hot air to warm it up a few degrees and defog the windows on those brisk fall and spring days.

[peritus]

I was thinking of somehow connecting a hair dryer to the heater hoses for the dash and cabin vents, which are still in place - but keeping warm is less important to me than having a MacGyver duct taped contraption... as it might take away from the car's natural luster.

[sixgt]

They make 12V car heaters. Check J.C. Whitney or RV places.

[peritus]

Originally Posted by sixgt

They make 12V car heaters. Check J.C. Whitney or RV places.

The only 12v car heaters I've seen locally don't work well.... I'll check out your source though - thanks.

[spence88mph]

I have the same problem and have been thinking of attaching stainless pipes to each header bank and letting the footwell blowers draw in the air. Protomotive just use a very simple bracket that hangs off the rear engine tin facing a back cylinder on either side and again use the footwell blowers to drawn in the heated air, they say it's pretty effective but I'm yet to try it.

[peritus]

Originally Posted by spence88mph

I have the same problem and have been thinking of attaching stainless pipes to each header bank and letting the footwell blowers draw in the air. Protomotive just use a very simple bracket that hangs off the rear engine tin facing a back cylinder on either side and again use the footwell blowers to drawn in the heated air, they say it's pretty effective but I'm yet to try it.

Unfortunately, I don't have footwell blowers... A coupla hoses are all that's left.

[Porsche_monkey]

To busy to draw the entire 'solution', but you get the idea....

[peritus]

HA! That's me, with my electric heated vest... but the windows..... the windows.....

[tcar]

Friend had a daily driver Ferrari. Old one.

Got a 12v dryer that plugged into the lighter socket. Every 5-10 min would blow on the windshield. Said it worked pretty well.

If he ran it more than about 30 seconds it blew the fuse.

FWIW.

[47silver]

I caution you that your alternator cannot make enough electricity and you wiring is not thick enough to carry an electrical heating load sufficient to do you any good.

a 100 amp alternator may makes 1200 watts (v * amp) running flat out and that is less than most hair dryers and in no time the alternator would fry.
a 12 volt hair dryer at 1500 watts would need a 100 amp fuse and a battery cable wire to not burn up. Now if you connected directly to the battery terminals you would be able to get the amps you wanted but the alternator would say goodbye.

i owned a vw at one time that had a gasoline heating unit in the trunk.

that would be an option to look into but the gas heaters are treacherous beasts that can destroy a car in 5 seconds, if they malfunction.

[Christien]

I don't remember what the backseat of your car looks like, but would it be possible to just simply run some kind of hose into the interior from somewhere in the engine bay? I'm thinking just moving hot air from one area to another, with concerns to aesthetics, and of course clean, non-exhaust-fumes air.

[johnsjmc]

Shades of the forced fume heating in a Corvair. If there are any oil leaks from within the shrouding the fumes will enter the cabin. The HEs from a 993 are very good headers and my heat works better than with the former 3.0. It requires a lot of hot dry air to defog my windows these cool mornings in late Aug. and Sept.

[Jim Smolka]

Not that I recommend this, but some early 911's had a gasoline heater in the front trunk.

Yes, a 12 VDC heater does not generate much heat.