Hi,
I thought I'd post up what I think might be a solution to the demisting (or lack thereof) that I think we all experience with our original Smiths heaters.
I've always found their ability to warm up the car itself adequate, once they've warmed up themselves of course, so I have no real desire to install something else, unless it is very similar in design / look and doesn't involve a great deal of faffing about.
That said I have always found their screen demisting abilities somewhat wanting......
I have looked at the Smiths round heater with two closing front vents, as used in the early Landrovers but the price they want for the secondhand units is usually more than I'll pay for what is basically the same heater with a different front panel! And the front panels (on their own) have been way overpriced (IMO).
The Clayton Classic barrel heaters look good but again, the price....... https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source= ... 1147735171 All of which left me scratching my head, and this is what I came up with:
Smiths heater vent closer 1.JPG (1.27 MiB) Viewed 2004 times
Smiths heater vent closer 2.JPG (898.98 KiB) Viewed 2004 times
Smiths heater vent closer 3.JPG (1.36 MiB) Viewed 2004 times
Smiths heater vent closer 4.JPG (1.32 MiB) Viewed 2004 times
Smiths heater vent closer 5.JPG (1.33 MiB) Viewed 2004 times
Basically it's a slim piece of perspex, cut to size and sanded, to round off the corners and give it a good keying surface for paint.
The two holding pieces are simply three small sections, cut to size, two give the same depth as the vanes in the open section of the heater front panel, the third latches over and holds the closing panel in place, all superglued together and in place.
To get the shape, I boiled the kettle and (wearing rubber gloves) placed the perspex panel inside and left it a little while. This made it really malleable, so I then pressed it round the heater and held it in place with two elastic bands until it had cooled and the shape was set.
One corner is separate and held on my a (superglued) piece of leatherette, a similar piece was glued to the other side, so they would match. This gives the panel flexibility and makes it easier to slot into place and remove again later.
It was then all sprayed the same colour gold as the heater and the rest of my gold coloured dash panels.
With the addition of a piece of draft excluder to seal any gaps, it was ready to test, so I wired it up to a battery and flicked the switch......
And got a good blast of air up the vent that connects to the pipes for the screen vents, much improved on what was being directed up there!
I look forward to testing this properly once Sally is back on the road.
The other good thing about this is that it is a completely detachable addition and I haven't had to alter the heater panel in any way.
It just slots into place and can be removed, at a convenient point, once the screens are clear.
The eagle eyed amongst you will have spotted that I have a flick on / off switch instead of the rheostat with bakelite knob.
As per an earlier post of mine, I did get hold of a secondhand rheostat, to replace a black plastic flick switch that was operating the fan.
I was unable to get this to work, despite it being a really simple design and once cleaned up and reassembled it should have done.
Anyway I stumped up for a new one from ESM, to find this refused to operate the fan motor as well.......
So I have replaced it with a more period looking metal on / off flick switch, guess what....... it worked first time!!.....
I have no idea why it won't work with a rheostat, if any of you do I'd love to hear but for the foreseeable future the switch is staying.
Just as good as a rheostat anyway and a fraction of the price!
You'll have to excuse me now, I need to pick up the toys that the rheostat episode has caused me to throw out of my pram....... ( )
Best wishes,
Mike.
Last edited by jagnut66 on Fri Dec 06, 2019 9:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
Mike
Great minds think alike , fools seldom differ..
2017_1110leafsprings0009.JPG (372.08 KiB) Viewed 1989 times
2017_1110leafsprings0011.JPG (447.24 KiB) Viewed 1989 times
2017_1110bleedvalve0001.JPG (339.34 KiB) Viewed 1989 times
similar set-up made from some rubber sheet , along with opened-up fascia vents and a water pump fitted in the feed to the heater controlled by the rheostat...
Funnily enough I opened up the demist vents like you have done, on Abby, my old two door.
Whilst I've got Sally in bits I think I'll take the opportunity to do the same. So thanks for the prompt.
Incidently, one difference I have found between my earlier version and your black heater is that the black heater front panels are a bakelite type material and my earlier one is ally (or something similar).
Also, having broken a bakelite front panel ( ) and then spent ages glueing the body back together and all the vanes back in place, I know which I prefer.......
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
Mike
My spare heater ( Bakelite ) came with broken vanes but with a little plasticine ( a quick impression of the one in the car ) and some JBweld , the job set overnight , and fettled next morning ( filed and painted ) now un-noticeable..
The earlier cars tend to steam up more than the later ones as they have no air intake to help the circulation. I find having the quarterlight open a little helps greatly. It does let a bit of the warmth out as well of course but the demisting is at least improved
Yes, I find quarterlights useful too.
Modern cars are poorer without them.....
The broken bakelite front panel was my fault, it was a spare I kept tucked out of the way (so I thought) on my workshop / shed floor.......
Until one day I stepped back from the workbench and trod on it!
The irony was that I was, by that stage, planning to install it in a car, hence why I spent an age repairing, light sanding and then spaying it black again......
C'est la vie..............
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
Can't say I find anything wanting with the normal setup, if the ducting is in good order and the car is dry inside it should be fine.
Hi,
I tend to use my cars in all weathers, all year round, which means it can get a bit damp inside or the screen can get frosted over, so good screen clearance is a must.
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
For the life of me , I know there was a post recently of someone who changed the smiths fan for a more modern model. ( axial? ) ... but search as I may I cannot find it...
