Heater defroster

[Michael C Henry]

When I tear up my car I want to get it over and wright. I plan on installing a heater defroster with the emphasis on the defroster. I know that there are poinions on different suppliers and such.I have an EM I'm cosidering the EM kit Why or why not? What did you do different that was an advance?What would not do again ? Why?Which vents Would recamend the cast grills or formed sheet metal deflectors?

[Bruce Botti]

Michael,
I have used the Vintage Air unit. I can't remember the part #, but it is their smallest compact heater/defroster unit. I have used this in Unique Motorcars vehicles. It is a very well thought out unit and features vacuum switches and everything you need to install it. It has settings for off / heat / defrost / and heeat-defrost. It also has a powerful 3 speed fan. There is very little fitting that you need to do, as long as you can tuck it up under the dash. It sells for $199.
Take care,
Bruce

[Kirby Nelson]

Michael: I believe the part no. Bruce is refering to is VAA-50615-VUH. Parr Automotive sells them for $199. I used a unit from Southern Air sold by Southern Rods and Parts, a 7" cube that would fit under the Unique dash.($110) I had to fabricate ducting for the defrost vents and it does not have a true 3-speed motor. I used a 3-speed switch.
Parr 405-942-8677
Southern 800-787-8763
These guys and many others advertise in Street Rodder, etc.
Good Luck, Kirby

[Double Venom]

Mike,
Don't know enough about the underlyings of the EM Cobra, but we use the mentioned Vantage unit in all our Cobras and a lot of our streetrods. One hot wire to plug in, one ground, one vacumm hose and it's in. We use the chrome defroster ducts from Enzo.

Small, compact and really does work well.

Back to my corner.
DV

[Mike I]

Michael,

If the Vintage Air unit will fit, that's the one you should probably install. The E-M kit will cost you more than $200, although it does include all the defrost ducts, hardware, vents and hoses. The compact cube unit supplied with the E-M kit (maybe the same unit mentioned by Kirby) is very simplistic in design, is not very powerful, has only single speed, does not have controllable heat/defrost modes and the motor sounds like it has loose or unlubricated bearings in it (at least my unit does). The VA unit sounds like it is far superior and if I still lived up north and needed a strong reliable defroster I'd probably convert my system over. My recommendation to you would be to call Brett and ask him to sell you the ducting only, without the heat/defrost unit or maybe he can substitute the VA unit in the kit. He's pretty accommodating about things like that.

BTW, the cast chrome pot metal vents that came with the kit look pretty good, but the formed sheet metal vents are more authentic. It comes down to personal choice.

Mike

[Dave Cleveland]

Okay, this may sound a little strange but it might be worth your while. I used crevis tools from a vacuum cleaner. I know, I know, hardly authentic, but they seem to work well. I simply plugged the ends with a high temp. RTV and cut slots and holes in it as needed. The hose slips on the end and the whole thing fits neatly up under the dash. They only hang down about two inches and the hoses come in from the sides of the body instead of from the bottom.
I know it sounds silly, but it's working for me. Plus, I have more room under my dash.
At best, you've got inexpensive vents, at worst, you're out about 10 bucks.
Just my $.02

DaveC

[tim]

Michael, I used the E-M heater kit and I think it works great. The kit from what I remember only cost about $125.00 and it came with the defrost ducts and hoses. It fits under the dash well and if you have a glove box I know there is just enough room for this small square heater. It can be directed from heat to defrost simply by closing the heater doors on the unit. I put a resister in mine to make it a 2 speed (low powers through the resister & high powers around it). As for noise I can't say tha it makes any more noise than any other heater motor I have heard. I have a top on my cobra and it will run you out if you run it on high.
Tim

[Mike I]

Tim,

I think you're missing the point. The E-M heater/defroster system is certainly adequate for southern winters, but I have to believe that it would be marginal at best for the likes of what Michael will be exposed to in Tacoma. I don't know when you purchased your kit from E-M, but the last pricing guide I have from E-M (mid 90's) has the price of the kit at $207 and I doubt they've dropped the price lower since then. As for the heat vs defrost issue, when the fan motor is on, forced hot air is normally directed to both heat and defrost outlets unless the manually controlled heater flaps are pushed closed as you pointed out, then the hot air is directed exclusively to defrost. As I said, very simplistic yet functional, but without the degree of control apparently available with the VA unit. And you added the resistor to decrease the speed of the one speed motor. In all likelyhood, Michael will not need less motor speed, he will need more. I have tried to remove moisture from the inside of the windshield glass on humid nights and quite honestly, the motor does not produce enough forced hot air to do an adequate job without wiping it dry occasionally with a rag (it gets pretty humid here at times...). I'm not refuting what you say Tim, but Michael is asking if there is maybe a better choice. Bottom line, is the E-M unit acceptable? Sure. Is the VA unit better for Michael? Probably.

Dave, nice job coming up with a cheap and obviously successful alternate.

Mike

[Michael C Henry]

Anybody used the Vintage air but converted it to manual pull cables rather than vacum ? At this point I have no vacum taps on intake very low manifold vacum and no storage can,I thought I had ordered a Heater kit from EM but when the stuff arrived nothing was shown about a heater kit.I'd like to plan for something I could reach and control from drivers position while belted in,like pull cables on dash.