Corvair Forum

So... a bunch of people i know kept talking about this WISH app for the phone, so me being curious, I logged in and almost immediately found this:

https://www.wish.com/c/59fc465da0386f706cc9df7e

This may be a very economical heat solution for most corvairs, vans, and fc. My biggest interest would be if its possible to throttle it. In my sedan if this thing is as powerful as advertised, it would take less than a minute to warm up the car. Anyway, thats all for now. Still mulling it over as my gasoline heater works fine.

One big concern that I would have about this 5kw @12v consumption unit (as advertised) is that it would take a 417 amp breaker in your car to run it.

I believe that 5kw refers to the heater output, not power draw from the 12 volt input. 5kw converts to about 17k btu.

Yeah I would hope the 5kw is heat output. if it was 5kw working current I would just go with a full electric heater.

If you believe "Chinese" product statements you are going to be very disappointed.

I have seen these cabin heaters for trucks and marine use on Amazon. They were diesel fueled but a gas version is probably available. I for one do not like the LM heaters. Stinks [emoji12]! Since I live in a warm climate I took the electric approach. Bought a 12v DC-Thermal heater that is 10k BTU 600w. Yes, 50 amps at 12v..... I moved my battery up front and wired the car with 1 gauge wire. Went with a 100 amp alternator. I was able to mount it so it directly fed the defroster duct and made a cap for the other end that supplies warm air for the driver and passenger. Made a heat shield so it doesn't melt the wiring behind it. So far my test works but I don't think it would be enough heat for really cold climates. The fan is only 100 CFM.

Bob Wilcox
Paso Robles, CA

1966 Turbo Corsa Convertible
1966 140 Corsa Coupe

jetcat wrote:I have seen these cabin heaters for trucks and marine use on Amazon. They were diesel fueled but a gas version is probably available. I for one do not like the LM heaters. Stinks [emoji12]! Since I live in a warm climate I took the electric approach. Bought a 12v DC-Thermal heater that is 10k BTU 600w. Yes, 50 amps at 12v..... I moved my battery up front and wired the car with 1 gauge wire. Went with a 100 amp alternator. I was able to mount it so it directly fed the defroster duct and made a cap for the other end that supplies warm air for the driver and passenger. Made a heat shield so it doesn't melt the wiring behind it. So far my test works but I don't think it would be enough heat for really cold climates. The fan is only 100 CFM.

Bob Wilcox
Paso Robles, CA

1966 Turbo Corsa Convertible
1966 140 Corsa Coupe

That looks pretty decent!

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I have a 69 corsa convertible. The heater runs me out if I run it on high. If it is cool and I put the top down I run the heater and it is extremely hot with the motor at 350 degrees. It is just a matter of keeping the engine clean and making sure the pcv system is clean and working. Larry

lalkie wrote:I have a 69 corsa convertible. The heater runs me out if I run it on high. If it is cool and I put the top down I run the heater and it is extremely hot with the motor at 350 degrees. It is just a matter of keeping the engine clean and making sure the pcv system is clean and working. Larry

69 Corsa?
I know the stock heater is very effective. Me personally, I rather keep my head out of the engine compartment when driving [emoji43].

Bob Wilcox
Paso Robles, CA

1966 Turbo Corsa Convertible
1966 140 Corsa Coupe

My error a 65 corsa hit the wrong button. Larry

In a mild climate the little electric heaters can help to take off the chill and keep the windshield clear.

It IS a lot of work to get the factory heating system to work properly and not STINK. Then again modifying the car to add electric heat is a lot of work also.

Since I had may cars all apart it wasn't a big deal to clean and repair the heating system. Now it works well and does not stink.

BTW - that 100 Amp alternator is probably a modified 10SI and of course you have to use the correct Corvair alternator fan which was designed for a maximum alternator output of about 70Amps (80Amps if the engine bay is cooler). Not to mention you only get 100Amps at the optimum higher RPM. So at lower RPM you are running partly off the battery. Works, but not great design from an electrical viewpoint.

Actually I took the alternator into consideration. It puts out 80 amps at idle and about 110 at full power. With lights (low beam), heater and ignition, I'll be pulling about 65A max. I used the Sedman pulley and fan on the alternator as well. Ran the sense wire all the way to the battery to make sure it reads the proper voltage. Mind you, the Corvair engine compartment (above the shroud) runs cool compared to a front engine with the radiator flow right into the alternator.
If I wasn't going to move the battery up front, I would not have installed an electric heater. Too much work for not enough heat. I'd just go with "heater delete".
If I lived in a cold climate and drove it as a daily driver, I would put work into installing a Diesel cab heater with a separate tank. They are extremely efficient, small and clean.

Bob Wilcox
Paso Robles, CA

1966 Turbo Corsa Convertible
1966 140 Corsa Coupe

I just assume the engine heater, while a good design when it works correctly, could suffer from some sort of oil or exhaust leak at any time. The gasoline or diesel cab heaters get hot quick, and they have worked well in the aircraft and rv fields for years. The newer ones even work well parked with the engine off.

lostboy wrote:I just assume the engine heater, while a good design when it works correctly, could suffer from some sort of oil or exhaust leak at any time. The gasoline or diesel cab heaters get hot quick, and they have worked well in the aircraft and rv fields for years. The newer ones even work well parked with the engine off.

This was the unit I was considering before I went the electric route.
https://www.webasto.com/us/markets-prod ... p-2000-st/

It would take a bit of work but I think it would be doable. It puts out way more heat than you would need.

Bob Wilcox
Paso Robles, CA

1966 Turbo Corsa Convertible
1966 140 Corsa Coupe

jetcat wrote:

lostboy wrote:I just assume the engine heater, while a good design when it works correctly, could suffer from some sort of oil or exhaust leak at any time. The gasoline or diesel cab heaters get hot quick, and they have worked well in the aircraft and rv fields for years. The newer ones even work well parked with the engine off.

This was the unit I was considering before I went the electric route.
https://www.webasto.com/us/markets-prod ... p-2000-st/

It would take a bit of work but I think it would be doable. It puts out way more heat than you would need.

Bob Wilcox
Paso Robles, CA

1966 Turbo Corsa Convertible
1966 140 Corsa Coupe

How much is that unit? Probably 1500$ or so. Then I thought keep the gasoline heater the way it is and piggy back this into it. I already have my heater setup so I can run the blower motor separately from the unit (for when it rains in the summer) and I need a little airflow on the windshield. That might work well and could keep the original look if I hide it in the lower part of the frunk.

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lostboy wrote:

jetcat wrote:

lostboy wrote:I just assume the engine heater, while a good design when it works correctly, could suffer from some sort of oil or exhaust leak at any time. The gasoline or diesel cab heaters get hot quick, and they have worked well in the aircraft and rv fields for years. The newer ones even work well parked with the engine off.

This was the unit I was considering before I went the electric route.
https://www.webasto.com/us/markets-prod ... p-2000-st/

It would take a bit of work but I think it would be doable. It puts out way more heat than you would need.

Bob Wilcox
Paso Robles, CA

1966 Turbo Corsa Convertible
1966 140 Corsa Coupe

How much is that unit? Probably 1500$ or so. Then I thought keep the gasoline heater the way it is and piggy back this into it. I already have my heater setup so I can run the blower motor separately from the unit (for when it rains in the summer) and I need a little airflow on the windshield. That might work well and could keep the original look if I hide it in the lower part of the frunk.

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

Amazon had the kit for $700. It would be a lot of work to install but should be way more than enough heat. If you have the original gas heater in the trunk, I would just get that to work properly. I don't like the engine heater in my LM.

Webasto AT2000stc diesel 12v https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078XML4HR/re ... AAbCH78536

Bob Wilcox
Paso Robles, CA

1966 Turbo Corsa Convertible
1966 140 Corsa Coupe