Heat duct pics/info needed....

Special K · 04-25-2004, 01:45 PM

Posters to the 914 Club, bear with me....

Okay...the PO of my '73 installed a set of the Mayuer (spelling?) stiffeners. I've never read the installation instructions for installing them, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't say anything about drilling holes (6 per side) all of the way throught the the longitudinal, and securing the stiffener with threaded rod, washers and nuts. My problem is that in doing so, he drilled through the heat ducting running through the longs. I absolutely will be using/needing heat in this car and was wondering what the ducts are made of. The little I can see of them looks kinda like the aluminum flex duct used on VW Bugs fan shroud, but I'm hoping they're a little more durable than that. I could always take a cutting wheel out to the '75 and let the sparks fly, but I was hoping someone on the board had some pics/info about them.

I went out and took a couple of crappy pics to illustrate the installation done by the PO.

John Rogers · 04-25-2004, 04:57 PM

On both of our 914s (73 and 74) there is nothing but some dust inside the side box sections. On the street 74, I run the factory flex hose from the heater flapper to the round connection on the body that directs the air into the box sections. At the front there is another section of flex hose that connects from the box section up through the dash to the air box in front. On my 73, there are inspection openings, sort of oval shaped that are on top of the box section that can be opened and you can look inside and reseal the opening when done. I opened mine when I welded the cage assembly onto the box sections and they were empty. Good luck.

Special K · 04-25-2004, 06:16 PM

Hmmm...Mine definitely has some kind of duct running through the longitudinals (sure hope I'm using the correct term for the boxed areas). Mark from the 914 Club BBS says that there's like a chicken wire tube, covered with loose insulation, with an aluminum tube covering that. Were yours that way when you originally opened them to do your roll bar welding?

sean_V8_914 · sean_V8_914's Garage

when I cut apart a 914 I saw inside teh chassis longitudinal box. it contained a black corrugated aluminum hose. the hose haD A WIRE SPIRALLED AROUND IT AND SOME INSULLATION MATERIAL AROUND TEH BUNDLE. I remember thinking....how did they get that in there? IIRC it was aprox 3.5 inch dia

John Rogers · 04-25-2004, 09:42 PM

I thought there was supposed to be a duct of some sort in there as that is why I opened the ones on the race car up since I did not want to catch them on fire. There was nothing there though? If you think about it nothing is needed as the air comes in the rear and out the front and there should NOT be any holes for it to leak out.

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

Originally there was something in there. I'm not sure exactly what it was made out of, but I think it may have been similar to the hose from the heater blower to the heat exchanger ducting. One of its main functions, from what I have read, was to quiet the noise of the engine fan (or heater blower fan) when you had the heater on.

--DD

Special K · 04-25-2004, 11:49 PM

Quote:

One of its main functions, from what I have read, was to quiet the noise of the engine fan (or heater blower fan) when you had the heater on.

That makes sense...kind of like a muffler (glass pack

)

sean_V8_914 · sean_V8_914's Garage

ok I confess. it was more like 3 914s that got cut into pcs. they all had teh hose inside the longs. 73, 74, 75