1970 s2 0453R Reassembly

[dakazman]

  This is what building anything is about, friends to share your goal.

[dakazman]

  Fuel tank installed and a TC fuel cap . At least I can’t leave it at the pump station.
My hat is off to members how installed it with a firewall in place. 👏👏
Dakazman

[dakazman]

  Another long awaited milestone ..A/C system install progress.
 My compressor bracket fabricated with 1/8 L Channel was flexing a bit so I’ll make another with 1/4 L channel. Adding a small swivel feature to tighten the belt. A small clearance issue with th topside of the firewall was easily remedied by shifting to topside inward 1/4” .
  I elected to install the evaporator assembly under dash where the heater is home. The heater is out and all the water hoses to it.  I purchased an electric heater / demister that will be installed behind dash.
   The supplied unit will be disassembled and modified of course. TheAC  vents will live in the center console in place of the ashtray. Well that’s the plan anyway. The condenser placement is still in question.
Dakazman

[GavinT]

I'm interested in the electric heater / demister to replace the stock unit, D'man.
Got any thoughts on brands, issues, fitting, suitability etc?

[EuropaTC]

The idea of an electric heater is cute. I'm also interested in how you're doing that, please post up some more info of what you've got and how it's going in.

I have no intention of driving my car in icy weather these days but having a screen that demists quickly sounds like something I would want anyway.  I've never been convinced about the OEM set-up, it does work but I remember plenty of mornings where I had to wait on the driveway for it to clear before moving.

Brian

[dakazman]

Gavin and Brian,
     I ordered a 1200btu unit , coming in on the 15th. I’ll do some test it my corvette to see what it can do  . I ordered off eBay and it’s very small 5x5x21/2.

  Time to reverse engineer the under dash unit an utilized the pieces as best I can. First was dissection,
Next reassemble and fit in place. Then finish look and placement. Joining layout will come soon but it’s in place and all behind dash.
 Dakazman
   

[BDA]

1200 BTU! That seems like a lot for such a small cabin! Is that the smallest you could get?

[dakazman]

 BDA, I could have gone for an 800btu. Better to be able turn it down than have not enough. Remember I freeze at anything under 65f. 🥶🥶
They both had the same amperage rating, and came with some ducting.
 DC 12V 800W Portable Car Dual Heating Heater Cooling Fan Defroster Demister US

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-800W-Portable-Car-Dual-Heating-Heater-Cooling-Fan-Defroster-Demister-US-/254467443569



Dakazman

[EuropaTC]

Oh that is brilliant, I never even realised such things existed. I found exactly the same the 800w model on Ebay UK and to be honest I am very, very tempted. 

When it arrives I'd be grateful for any comments you have on the unit because I reckon I'm going to get something like that myself. In fact the only reason I haven't bought it this morning is that it just looks to good (cheap) to be true !

Brian

[dakazman]

     My thought exactly on the price. It should also decreases weight . The stock heater weighs 8.66 pounds . No hot leaks in cabin, no cable pulls and piping in ngine compartment.
I’ll keep you posted.  If I take out my DB10 it will fit there.
Dakazman
 
 

[TurboFource]

Is the stock alternator etc. up to the task of running it?

[GavinT]

Thanks, Dave.

That unit looks much more compact than I'd imagined.
Like Brian, I also look forward to you thoughts when you get it installed.

Need to figure out how to get some ducting to work with the screen vents and the side cabin vents like the stock set up.

[dakazman]

   Measuring the current draw for the car is the best way to ensure the alternator has sufficient output for all of the vehicle’s electrical demands.  I’m going to upgrade the stock alternator anyway.
Fully charge the batteries before beginning. Partially charged batteries will result in inaccurate readings.

Attach a clamp-on ammeter around negative battery cables.

Turn on all accessories, including the heater, defroster blower fan, lights, wipers, radio, video monitor system, stop flashers and warning lights.

Take and record a reading.

Record the amperage draw of the special needs lift if the bus has one. While the lift is going up, take a reading and record it. Keep in mind the amperage draw may vary depending on the type of lift being used and its age.

Record a reading with engine on, high RPM and accessories off.

Calculate the recommended alternator amperage rating by adding all the readings together and then multiplying that total by 1.2. As a rule of thumb, the total vehicle amperage demands should be 20 to 30 percent under your alternator’s rated output.


  Gavin,   I sure will , . Separating the three air sources is going to get a little tricky. The normal blower received a lotus Elise blower with much higher CFM.  The heater will go to the demister vents and dump into cabin , non ducted . The ac  will have two directional vents in the center console . Tying the evaporator box to the dash vents may get “T” in.
Dakazman

[jbcollier]

I'd be concerned about the flames shooting out in every picture!

:-)

800w translates into roughly 65 amps.  If that's a steady draw, not just a transient high, that's a lot.  You will also need a larger battery and much thicker wires for that kind of steady load.  You're in Florida, right?  You're fitting AC IIRC.  What not just use an evaporator with a built in heater coil?

[gideon]

I don't think you need a resistance heater at all. The air conditioning system you're installing is a heat pump that can relatively easily be made to run in reverse, i.e. to pump heat into the cabin instead of out, if you add a reversing valve.  In the moderately cool weather you might experience in Florida a heat pump would be more efficient than any resistance heater, and you'd save on weight and complexity of the whole system.  I'm sure I heard of someone fitting an under dash unit from Vintage Air into a Europa to provide both heating and cooling.