Daily Driver with Heater and IDAs...initial thoughts...

[volkskris]

Hi Jim
Thanks for that additional information.  From what I read from your posts before, the exhaust also makes a big difference to temperatures?  This might be a slight worry if I am to run heater boxes?  However, I am still thinking I may keep the car 6 volt (not sure why, but I just like the idea) and a setup that does not need an electric fan etc on an external cooler appeals.  Perhaps it might be a case of 'suck it and see' and add an external cooler later if I find I need it?

Richard

CSP makes bigger heaterboxes. 38, 42, 45 and 48mm outside diameter (from the exhaust pipe).

http://www.csp-shop.com/cgi-bin/cshop2/front/shop_main.cgi?func=det&rub1=Exhaust+%2F+Heating&rub2=Exhaust+System-Modified%2CJ-Tubes+%2F+Heat+Exchangers&artnr=22333a&pn=0&sort=0&all=

[HERB]

I made my own heaterboxes with a wide merge exhaust from the Bergs.  I actually bought new heater boxes and put the tubes from my merged exhaust inside them.  I have since replaced the j-tub flanges with v-band connections.

This is the same system I purchased so many years ago. I just used the stale air boxes for a cleaner look, and I "think" they put out more heat as well.

[Lee.C]

I posted this picture in one of my other threads.....

This is the header I welded up for my 1200/40hp Pre-Cal engine last summer, See the x2 heater pipes I made up and then attached with x2 metal plates one top and one bottom.....

It worked AMAZINGLY well, Put out LOADS of heat 

[youngnstudly]

I don't claim to know anything about anything here, but having done the full heater box conversion (fresh air type boxes) for 1-5/8" merged exhaust on my 2276, I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you really want heat and you have the tools, skills, and TIME to tackle this job. The stale air heater boxes will be a little simpler and cleaner looking, but I decided that I wanted to use the fresh air heater boxes for my conversion. Admittedly, I wanted the boxes to look close to factory, but if you wanted to take a lot of the work out of building them, you could eliminate the factory style seam used to assemble the heater box halves and just stitch weld every 4 inches (oops, I mean every 101.6mm ).





Here I formed the tin to fit around the bigger 1-5/8" (42mm) pipes, but I went a little too far and they were actually able to fit 1-3/4" pipes snugly:


This is after I started shrinking the opening back down to fit the 1-5/8" pipes:




My engine uses 48mm IDF's and I wouldn't hesitate to use them again, but I can't comment on the IDA's since I only have limited experience with them. Some guys praise them, others curse them...but then again, many don't understand or want to learn to tune dual carbs, so that may be some of the cursing we hear about. I like the fact the IDF's allow for air cleaners, so that was a big part of why I used them instead of IDA's....well that, and they were less $$$!!! My Big Beef intakes don't allow the decklid to close with a standard size air filter, so I had to use these K&N tapered filters:


As for running with seat warmers, they are for little (sissy) girls....I know this because I installed seat warmers in this pair of seats I built so I could be a little sissy girl....a WARM little sissy girl! The problem is seat warmers don't defrost windshields!:


Andy

[Jim Ratto]

Hi Jim
Thanks for that additional information.  From what I read from your posts before, the exhaust also makes a big difference to temperatures?  This might be a slight worry if I am to run heater boxes?  However, I am still thinking I may keep the car 6 volt (not sure why, but I just like the idea) and a setup that does not need an electric fan etc on an external cooler appeals.  Perhaps it might be a case of 'suck it and see' and add an external cooler later if I find I need it?

Richard

I know a lot of guys "get away without" an external cooler, using only the stock VW doghouse. Personally, I would love to eliminate the weight and tangle of my external cooler and lines, etc, but I have never been able to keep oil temps where I want them, without an external, in the 26 years I've been building engines for my own car. I've never been one to build the motor mildly, in an effort to NOT use an external cooler, either. All my motors have run 94mm, and have had some compression. Almost all of them had some spring pressure in them too. All that adds oil heat. Not getting fuel curve where the motor wants it will too. I like my oil temp, on a 100-105F day, to run around 185-190F, under steady state cruising. Under load, on the highway (long grade), 200F-210F max. I use a Setrab cooler with two fans, fed by cold air duct under RH torsion tube. Fans are switched on manually from toggle on dash. This has worked for me since 1997, on pump fuel, latest motor 9.9:1

[RichardinNZ]

Thanks everyone for the input....still watching the posts and listening to what is said.  We are heading to our long summer break here and have plenty of work to complete before then which is why my responses have been infrequent!

Richard

[56BLITZ]

Andy

Very nice job Andy . . . . those are bitchen!

[youngnstudly]

Very nice job Andy . . . . those are bitchen!

Thanks! They turned out nice. I keep thinking about building a pair out of stainless steel (with some form of fins) in the future, but we'll have to see if I even have a need for them. Would be cool though!

Andy