Technical hiding heater hoses on cars without hoods

where do you run the heater hoses on cars without hoods? i have a 1931 model a with sbc and want to hide my heater hoses. pics would be helpful. heres what im working with. monkey patrol was for a kids fundraiser.

 

I ran mine down to the inside of the frame rails, copper tubes past the exhaust, back to rubber hose up through the toe board to the heater.

 

This is how I did it, nothing fancy.

 

Very clean

 

I also know of a guy that used the temp sender hole in the side of the head as his hot water source. No hose going up to the intake then.

 

I have run 'em this way too.^^^ Its doable and works well.

I have even run wiring this way down through the toe boards and in a conduit to the front of the car. Its a very old show car trick.

 

thinking of copying blake27 . or similar. thanks

 

I used stainless steel fittings which I polished then ran st. st. hard lines along the top of the engine between the head and manifold to the back of the engine. Piece of heater hose from the hard line to a special fitting (which I made) on the firewall down at the back of the engine then heater hose from the fitting to the heater. Stainless lines running along the top of the engine look way better than that rubber heater hose. Firewall fitting has 2 lines for in and out. Valves on the block I got from a plumbing supplies place, all nicely chromed. St. st valves are expensive.

 

What is this "heater" you speak of?

 

some of us drive our cars year round. hard to believe i know. lol

 

I hid mine in plain sight!

 

The best way to hide them is install a hood. HRP

Mine look like poop but I have a hood so they don't show too bad. HRP

 

I approve. I just didn't want hoses on my flatty so I built mine with an electric heater/defroster and seat heaters. I drive mine too.

 

I will experience having a heater for the first time in 31 years this winter, looking forward to not scraping ice from my breath on the inside of the windshield and not freezing my arse off. HRP

 

How well does the electric heater work? I used one in the 80's and it didn't work very well. If possible can you give the name or maybe a link to yours?

 

Don't tell anyone but It works pretty well. That would disappoint a few on here that were really banking on it not working. I have a 100 amp alt (at idle) and it taxes it but at speed it works better. It has been a warm summer but I did find a cool morning to try it out, parking lights on, seat heater on, heater on low and everything ran fine. I did notice the turn signal drag a little at a light and they sped up when I switched off the heater. I can imagine idling at night with the heater and lights blazing there is gong to be a good draw. I did wire it on it's own isolated circuit (not through the panel due to the draw).
Find it here https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/instant-heat-just-dont-add-water-tech-week.993340/

 

Thanks, looks good. I have the same heater on the shelf you used for the housing.

 

I hid mine in plain sight.

The line from the engine to the heater comes off the back of the intake. It runs down to a bulkhead I made for the firewall so both hoses pass into the interior close together. There is a shutoff in that "in" line at the bulkhead.

The line going from heater to the water pump (SBF) is a steel tube with barbs welded on the ends that runs along the top side of the intake along the valve cover. Uses intake bolts to hold it in place.

Once painted it pretty much disappears except the rubber hoses. Found nice molded hoses with the angles I needed at the local parts store.

SPark

 

I had a electric heater in my flathead powered 1932 Ford mordor and all I can say about it was it kept it above freezing when it was extremely cold but didn't make you want to remove your coat & gloves. HRP

 

If your using a SBC after market intake it's ez the use the crossover that's not connected at the rear of the intake For racing we tap and run lines up to the thermostat area but it could easily feed a heater from one; the pump would be needed from the front of the engine.

 

You could use jimmy six idea and the other hose could be run to the lower radiator hose at the radiator and run along the frame.

 

I built my own heat exchanger from copper tube and aluminum flashing for my Tropic Aire housing and had to hook it up to try it. Works pretty good.

Gary

 

as mentioned above I tapped into the sending unit hole on the passenger side head that is below the exhaust manifold. Cleaned up the usual messy looking fitting in the front of the intake on a SBC. Obviously I'm running a hood on the woodie but I just wanted a cleaner look when the hood is open.

 

could i run one from back of intake by dist, and other from side of head? would it still circulate? that keeps both at back of motor. once it heated up i think it would circulate wherever i put the hoses. unsure if it would cause hotspots in motor around the head.

 

No

 

I made a heater like the Corvair/VW had. Run air across the exhaust manifolds and into the cab.. Works like a charm and no hoses or water...

 

You need a hose on each side of the waterpump. Anything on the engine side of the thermostat is outlet side of the pump and any thing on the lower radiator hose side is inlet. Some newer engines this is not true they put the thermostats on the inlet side.

 

Vintage Air has some water hose fittings that allow you to use the new style ac hoses for water. That ac hose bends eaiser than 5/8 's rubber hose. Their fittings adapt the 5/8 to the new number 10 hose.

 

Here are mine; Need to clean up the engine a bit,though.

 

Mine going together for the final time. Look close and you can see the line coming off the left rear of the intake and into the shutoff valve on the bulkhead going thru the firewall. The top line brings it back to the steel pipe that goes forward to the water pump. Hidden in plain sight. No clamps yet.

SPark