Delaney Gallay heaters for Cobras (leaf spring cars)

[Dan Case]

One subject that comes up from time to time relates to cockpit heater and windshield demister assemblies that AC Cars installed in most Cobras. (427 Cobras received a much different design by another manufacturer.)

These systems are installed on the cockpit side of the engine bay fire wall. Only the lower parts of the assembly are easy to see while installed in the car. Taking an assembly out just to take pictures would be a lot of work never mind dealing with coolant getting loose in the cockpit once the coolant hoses are disconnected. (It didn't take but once to learn to flush the core well with tap water very well and use very low pressure (way less than 10 psig indicated) compressed air purge most of the water out before disconnecting the coolant lines to the core.)

Yesterday I reassembled the heater/demister unit for CSX2551. It has been apart and out of the car for several decades. It was passed old owner of the car to new owner several times. It was nasty. Somewhere in time somebody removed it, probably because the core was leaking around both brass nipples, did just a little clean up, glass bead blasted it all over inside and out just enough to remove the worst corrosion and dried antifreeze, and then painted everything but the vent hoses with two different shades of paint (one bright silver and one metallic gray). The wires, fasteners, vibration isolators, plastic fan blade, and rubber elbows for the demister hoses were painted over at least once. There was a fairly thick layer of crust inside the bottom of the housing that was painted over also. In all the handling the housing and mounting tabs got dented and bent. It looked pretty rough and was missing some small parts.

I robbed small parts required from the remains of the main assembly from CSX2332 that I bought circa 1985 for parts, also includes are some small parts from CSX2108 removed when the car went racing when new. I mostly removed the silver and metallic gray paint somebody applied long ago and repaired the housing. I stripped the paint chemically and then soaked in one of the modern ‘safe’ rust removers for days. These housings have large overlap and spot weld together fabrication details. I used standard metal working tools to work out the worst dents and bends. Everything I could get to, which was most of it, was mechanically wire brushed to remove most of the evidence of being glass bead blasted. This is not a restoration, just repairs. I did not hunt down an exact color match for the gray paint, it is close, but not exact. I did use a commercial metal treatment to put an iron phosphate and nickel surface conversion on the steel housing for paint adhesion and corrosion creep resistance. I did not prime and sand to fill rust pits or scratches it received over the decades. This isn’t a restoration to day one so the finish of most metal parts is whatever it was when at least most of the silver and metallic gray paint was removed. The mounting fasteners are new old stock ones I rounded up. It took some searching but I found some appropriate brass tube to cut some nipples (not shown) for the engine bay junctions in the heater hoses. I have never seen an original tube for sale but they were cut with a normal tubing cutter for Cobras.

Notes:
1) The first batch of chassis split between shipment to east and west coasts didn't have heater/demister systems. Those very early cars didn't have any heater/demister features of what would become standard soon after.

2a) Heater assemblies installed by AC Cars once heaters were added to the specifications for new chassis, usually had a maker's identification (DELANAIR brand name tag) tag affixed to their cockpit sides up to about CSX2200. CSX2201 and later units made to work with Ford electrical systems didn't have tags any more as far as I know. (The tags were reproduced in the 1990s but are now very rare again.)

2b) The exact design and materials of construction for the elongated ducts that attach to the underside of the cowl varied over time. In hunting replacement parts for any given original Cobra you want to determine which type was being used in your car’s time frame.

3) The dash control switch and wire loom shown in my Delaney Gallay Cobra Heater System Components album are for CSX2201 and later cars.

4) Not shown are the "DOUBLE GRIP CHENEY 087S/0" hose clamps AC Cars installed at the heater core under the dash cowl.

5) Not shown are the English made and style spiral wrapped long leg elbow hoses attached by AC Cars to the heater core.

6) Not shown are the rounded radii grommets in the firewall for heater hoses.

7) Not shown are the two known aircraft types (cross sections) of lashing cord used to tie supply and return hoses together between engine and firewall. The cord used on heater hoses may or may not have been the same used to lash speedometer cables and the main fuel lines to the left side main frame tubes, i.e. any given car could have had just one type cord or both types of cord depending on which technician(s) did the installation(s) and what they had to so it with.

8) Not shown is the coolant shut off valve installed in the intake manifold. The general design of the valve is very common and was used by many car makers for decades in different sizes and heights. The exact one used in Cobras has been so far just found in an original Cobra or as a spare part purchased from Shelby American in the mid 1960s. One peculiarity is the threaded stem. The vast majority of parts from the 1940s through 1960s had brass stems. The stem in the valves used in Cobras is plated steel with a faint yellow dichromate conversion coating. If a good corrosion resistant antifreeze was not used the stems would corrode badly. Note: The standard valve for a 427 Cobra is a different part and is even rarer than what Cobras used.

9) Not shown are the two designs of formed aluminum tubing between water pump and expansion tank that include side arm take offs for coolant hoses for the heater core circuit. Cars using 1962 model year Corvette Harrison made radiators and expansion tanks received the original design tube for a car with a heater while most cars, using Cobra only McCord made radiators and expansion tanks, received a second design.

Anyway, assembled and ready to go into a driver quality car was a good time to stop and take a few pictures. This is not a restoration guide. (Originally the motors had some text ink stamped on them and usually a paper sticker too. Leaks allow fluid to run over the areas with these details which pretty much destroys those details.) I uploaded a collection of images to an album. The link below should work.

Cheers.

Dan

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/s...y.php/cat/3225

[LMH]

Nice job Dan!
Was that heater used in any other cars from the time?
Larry

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by LMH

Nice job Dan!
Was that heater used in any other cars from the time?
Larry

Thanks, I thought you might be interested.

If they were I have not found them yet.

[legenmetals]

Whaaat! You have an original cobra PARTS CAR?

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by legenmetals

Whaaat! You have an original cobra PARTS CAR?

No but I have purchased many parts removed from Cobras being converted to racing or post 'restoration' (in modern common use restoration seems to mean make what you have into what you wish you had while being pretty and clean) that the owners/service providers were selling off since the late 1970s. Some things were literally set out for some trash removal service or another to pick up and haul off. There are many parts on a Cobra that have to come from another or you have to make yourself copies. Even today, taking a very high original content unrestored Cobra to a commercial restorer will very likely result in dozens to hundreds of original small parts being removed and separated from that one car. If you count screws, washers, fan blade retainer, and nuts I am using small parts from CSX2108, CSX2332, and at least two other Cobras to replace pieces lost from CSX2551’s original system. I occasionally come across a heater assembly in somebody’s pile of parts. I did earlier this year while visiting someone. He had the main enclosure, the motor was still mounted but the wires were a little rough, it had some typical handling damage, and was missing the hose elbows, hoses, hose sleeves, mounting screws, demister ducts, and demister louvers. He will have a difficult time finding replacement small parts here in 2014. The only way I had parts to fill vacancies is decades worth of collecting what others were disposing of.

[legenmetals]

I understand what your saying. I also will collect parts that have value and may be needed for a project in the future. I found humor in your post and the visual thought it projected of a cobra parts car knowing their value.

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by legenmetals

I understand what your saying. I also will collect parts that have value and may be needed for a project in the future. I found humor in your post and the visual thought it projected of a cobra parts car knowing their value.

One of my most fun acquisitions was a free bucket of junk. Imagine a very beat up galvanized steel bucket that was probably about a two or three gallon size when new. It was full to over flowing with shop floor sweeping parts. I wanted the bucket of junk so it found a new home. The shop apparently just removed small parts and either tossed them in the scrap metal bucket or swept the floor and put stuff in the bucket. There was a lot of floor sweeping debris but there were a lot of really nice small parts. There were parts in that bucket for everything Shelby the shop touched it seems. Over the years I have answered people’s want ads for 1965 street and race model GT350s, 1966 GT350, Cobras street and race, CSX31xx 427 Cobras, CSX30xx 427 Cobras, GT40s, and even a 1967 Group II Shelby Mustang. It is picked pretty clean now after digging out parts last year for somebody. There are some cars you might recognize that were beneficiaries of parts from that bucket. I gave most away for postage cost or tossed them in with something in a package deal.

[Dan Case]

I added a close up image of one of the brass tubes used to connect the hoses AC Cars put on the heater cores and the final engine installer heater hoses.

[PaulProe]

Dan
Any info on the big block version?

Paul

[LMH]

Originally Posted by Dan Case

I added a close up image of one of the brass tubes used to connect the hoses AC Cars put on the heater cores and the final engine installer heater hoses.

Heater Hose Connector Brass Tube - Club Cobra Photo Gallery

Dan, that brass tube is used where the hoses connect under the hood, correct?
Larry

[1985 CCX]

Dan

Always great to educate ...............

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by PaulProe

Dan
Any info on the big block version?

Paul

Sorry, no. I held one in my hands last in 1997 when I was working on a 427 Cobra for somebody. I don't recall much.

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by LMH

Dan, that brass tube is used where the hoses connect under the hood, correct?
Larry

Correct. That is also the zone that SAI lashed the two heater hoses together with one of two types of elastomer cord.

[Dan Case]

f.y.i....I added more detail to my original post, created a photo album just of Cobra heater components, removed the link to my photos, removed my gallery photos for heater components, added a link to the album, and added images of components in the new album.

Dan

[LMH]

Dan, just to clarify. On this photo, is this the glove box floor the duct is going through?
Larry

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by LMH

Dan, just to clarify. On this photo, is this the glove box floor the duct is going through?
Larry

Correct.

[ShelbyLuva]

What chassis number did heater installation begin at? Was it then a standard feature on all street cars, or was it an option as listed in the registry?

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by ShelbyLuva

What chassis number did heater installation begin at? Was it then a standard feature on all street cars, or was it an option as listed in the registry?

Good question and I don't know the answer. The answer should be in the invoices from AC Cars to Shelby at some point as a change in contract price. The earliest chassis sent to NY and CA didn't have any features for heater/demisters. AC had to add electrical including adding a switch to the dash, add holes to the fire wall for heater hose pass troughs, add the rubber grommets in the firewall holes, drill the mounting holes in the fire wall, start cutting slots and drilling holes for the bolt on louvers, modify the shape of the glove box, add a hole in the glove box floor for an air duct, add the ducts, add the formed aluminum bolt on louvers, add the heater unit apparently custom made for Cobras based on a pair of English Ford designs (thanks Roger* and Larry, add the English coolant hose elbow elbows, add heater hose clamps at the heater core, and of course all the required fasteners. Lots of materials and labor that would not have been free. I don't see any of these features in CSX2019 but CSX2034 has them. The best I can tell is once the change occurred heater/demisters were standard for street cars at the time they were assembled at AC Cars from then on. (Postscript: It is now known that CS 2030 was the first chassis with an AC Cars installed heater-demister system. See also post 25.)

*From Roger’s digging around: the basic design and external shape of the heater appears to be a derivative of a heater for a British Ford Prefect.

**From Larry’s research: the electrical motor shares a basic design with a motor from a British Ford Cortina. It is unknown if the motor’s internals are the same or not but the external wiring is not the same as used in a CSX2201 and later Cobra.

[ShelbyLuva]

Originally Posted by Dan Case

The answer should be in the invoices from AC Cars to Shelby at some point as a change in contract price.

Nedsel?

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by ShelbyLuva

Nedsel?

PM sent.