Hot Air Heater???

adavis

adavis

Senior Member
I'm about to get my 40 sedan on the road and I've been staring at that hole in the center of the firewall trying to figure out what to do. Yeah, it would be easy to make a little plate that blocks it off, but that just seems too easy....not to mention the fact that its nearly impossible to find a picture of a hot air heater. I'm wondering three things......first, is a hot air heater worth a hoot? Some of the stuff I have read says yes, but is it really? Second, can a guy actually find a hot air heater without having to get a second mortgage on his house? Finally (and probably most importantly), will a hot air heater work on a flathead with Fenton cast headers?

I wouldn't mind a heater in my car as it will be driven daily and I like the thought of having something you don't see every day, but I don't want to waste tons of money and time on something that isn't worth having in the first place. Any info or suggestions are appreciated.
 
Hot air heaters provided almost instant hot air in the coldest mornings. They got a bad rap about fumes in the car, they rusted out before the car otherwise became junk, and they got in the way when doing maintenance under the hood. It's not one size fits all, there were iterations for each year, so that in itself makes it nearly impossible to find one, even if you were willing to pay the price.

So, you have Fentons and you want a heater? Hot air heaters were specific to the manifold, so forget that idea. Get any one of a dozen or so hot water heaters that will take up less space, won't scare you if you catch a whiff of fumes, and deliver a decent flow of warm air for your morning run for donuts.
 
Thanks guys.....that's exactly what I assumed I'd hear. A hot water heater is what I had planned, but looking at that damn hole in the firewall for a few months had got me thinking crazy thoughts. At least now I know its not worth the effort. I like the Fentons and don't want to get rid of them. THANKS!
 
Some folks used the Stewart Warner Southwind gasoline fed heaters but you have to have the lines & fittings to hook them up. It still won't do much for the hole in the firewall either.
 
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Here are a couple of photos of the Southwind installation in my '36 Phaeton. They were originally designed and built by Stewart Warner. I haven't had any winter weather to try it in yet, but it does make a lot of heat -- needed in a phaeton with no side curtains. Photos show engine side of firewall and the interior side. Installation was fairly easy and it fired up immediately.

http://southwindheater.com/Home.html

A heater is a nice feature, good luck.

John
 

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I had a Southwind in the car I drove in high school. Best heater I ever had in a car! Almost instant heat.
 
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The hot air heater is not for me so I'll be blocking off the hole and going another route. I never really considered a Southwind simply because the idea of gasoline burning INSIDE the car seemed dangerous, but I think I'll look into them and see what I find. They definitely look cool under the dash.....
 
The engine must be running for the Southwind to work. The combustion is happening at manifold vacuum levels, so if the engine stops, so does the heater. The circuit for the hot combustion products exhausts into the intake manifold, so there's no real chance of having a fire or carbon monoxide in the car interior. Safe enough for aircraft use.

John
 
I had the engine part of a hot air heater on my 41. I tossed it. No need for a heater here in semi-tropical Texas. We get grumpy and stay inside for anything lower than 50F. I see where Seattle had 57F in the last week. Brrr!
 
I took this one off my 35, as you can see it replaces The stock exhaust manifold. I don't think I'll be driving the car in the winter up here.
 

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