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Electric heating elements instead of heater core???
I am doing a complete rest-mod of my 80. One thought I have is replacing the leaking heater core with a 12v ceramic 400w core instead.
This would eliminate any leaks and clean up the engine compartment of hoses. Yes I will need to fabricate a mounting system and a control system.
I just want to update it to the 21st century instead of early 20th century technology. Just like an AM-FM-BT radio in place of the analog radio.
The plan is to finish it this year. It was to be a 3 year project but with major health issues and old age coming on it turned into a 14 year project. Full frame-off, all parts were either rebuilt, refurbished or replaced, including a fully adjustable coil over suspension. Not a racer just a fine driver.
I have to admit I've never heard of anyone using electric heat on a 12 volt system. I'll be interested in hearing if it can be made to work. If I remember my high school electronics correctly, a 400 watt heater running on 12 volts would be drawing about 33 amps. That's a significant draw. Upgrading the alternator would probably be in order.
You say 20th century versus 21st century. Do you know of any manufacturer in the 21st century using an electric heater for a internal combustion engine powered vehicle? Replace your current heater core and you will never have to replace it again and invest your energy into other aspects of your project.
The problem I see other than a large electrical demand is that a 400 watt electric heater is not going to produce much heat. It’ll get good and hot but the volume of hot air is going to be minimal.
So I guess it might depend on where you live and how cold of an environment you plan on driving it in as to the level of success you’ll see.
A really good source of heat after the engine warms up is all the hot air under the hood, hole in the firewall and wala, heat.
Most the time its hot and if it's cold- more than likely not driving my C3.
I got rid of the heater core- added Vintage Air AC using an electric AC compressor.
Put heaters in my Corbeau seats and added small ceramic heated blowers in the dash to defog.
I haven't seen anything that's efficient on a 12VDC system. The electric cars are running 208V.
Nicely done! I think you have it about right. I was surprised how much room is under the dash once all the HVAC stuff is gone. If it's cold enough to need heat, I'm probably not driving the car. A defogger (not a defroster), may be all you need if you live in the right place, though I'm not sure Spring will ever arrive in Virginia this year.
400W is not going to keep you warm, though, but as was pointed out, that's about 30 Amps when the Alternator is charging the battery. The two units Richard shows are 150W each, or about 12 Amps each. Either way, you'd probably want a relay (or two), wired so they can only turn on when the engine is running.
My heater core is out right now. I might have to try this solution. It's amazing how widely varied the Amazon reviews are for these defoggers, though, when clearly there are only one or two manufacturers selling under many names.
Last edited by Bikespace; 04-03-2018 at 05:55 PM.
Reason: Amazon reviews
Lots of good thoughts out there. This is just something I am considering for the final phase of the build. I feel it is doable but more research is needed into the power requirements.
I had found a bunch of interesting info on some Electric Vehicle forums when I researched this. I came to the conclusion that the stock heater core (or equivalent replacement) is tough to beat if you need "HEAT!". It is the equivalent of several Kilowatts worth of electric heaters. To do the same with electric heat, you would need 10 of those 400 W units. Can your alternator put out 300 Amps? How about 1500 Watts, but at 200 VDC? http://www.evwest.com/catalog/produc...roducts_id=335
The other benefit of using radiator fluid is that it is limited to about 200 degrees. Hot to touch, but fine for most car parts. That ceramic heating element will melt plastic if air isn't flowing over it. To safely use in a car, you would need some additional circuitry (perhaps an Arduino, or equivalent) to ensure that the blower fan is running, and you don't have a temperature spike. It wouldn't be a big step from there to actively control the cabin temperature, though, so that may be worth it to you.
A really good source of heat after the engine warms up is all the hot air under the hood, hole in the firewall and wala, heat.
You could do a heat exchanger like the old VW Bug- probably work better than the Bug as the exhaust is right up front!!!
Originally Posted by indy99
Lots of good thoughts out there. This is just something I am considering for the final phase of the build. I feel it is doable but more research is needed into the power requirements.
The wires look a little light for 33 amps. Q and A says 200 degrees at 40 degree ambient air temp.
My electric AC compressor only pulls 32 A...
The 12VDC is converted to AC- separate power supply to run the motor
No way this piece will see 200º or the wires handle 30+ A....
The problem I see other than a large electrical demand is that a 400 watt electric heater is not going to produce much heat. It’ll get good and hot but the volume of hot air is going to be minimal.
So I guess it might depend on where you live and how cold of an environment you plan on driving it in as to the level of success you’ll see.
A really good source of heat after the engine warms up is all the hot air under the hood, hole in the firewall and wala, heat.
When I first got my vette there was a bung missing out of the firewall, driving just a few miles and the amount of heat in the cabin was terrible.
The PO's solution to this was to drive around with the window open! Old V8's are very good at turning fuel into heat rather than effective work
My first vette a 72 bb convertible ac car had a big hole in the evaporator box and even in cold weather it cooked, in hot fl days it was unbearable,
I patched it and could drive the car without melting,
This idea applied to some air cooled vw trike stuff,
Guys in the trike club wanted heat, lol , on a open cycle, ha,
But some clever guys used the stock vw heat exchangers ducts and inline fans to bring heat to their front in the faring
No, it wasnt like heat in a car but it did hit the drivers in ways that the ones who did this loved it,
As a modder, nothing is impossible but some things are not practical enough to persue, like electric heat in a car,
The idea reminds me of the very eccentric kit car guy i knew used the smallest ac wall, yes wall ac unit in the back of his laser 917,
He had a smallest i ever seen weedeater motor running a generator for ac power,
He had his reasons why he didnt want the vw engine to run the little generator,
He had ac wall outlets in the car, no kidding,
Practical? Not in my mind but so outsude the box i loved it,
Froze him out of the car,
The car also shot 20 foot flames for fun and used a zillion volt stun gun guts for theft deterrent ,
On a vette, i would believe a heat exchanger on one or two header pipes ducted into the cockpit with forced fan, would cook you out of there, and its simple.
04-03-2018, 10:23 AM
Electric heating elements instead of heater core???
