Date:         Thu, 18 May 2000 13:37:08 PDT
Reply-To:     "T.J. Sheffield" <kl7ts@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "T.J. Sheffield" <kl7ts@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Heat in an air-cooled Syncro (long, boring, self-involved)
Comments: cc: edevinney@ANENT.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Staying warm in Alaska is something we think about a lot.  The porsche
engine conversion has a certain appeal to Vanagon owners, but the question
of how to pull heat from the 911 motor has always stumped me.

One idea I've been kicking around is direct electrical heating.  Suppose you
were able to find a 2.5 or 5.0 kw generator that could be adapted to fit the
air conditioning mounting brackets on the 911 engine.  I'm thinking of a
220v or 408v generator that might be found in commercial or military
aircraft applications.  In theory such a generator would be smaller and
lighter in weight than it's industrial counterpart.

The generator could feed a nichrome heating element, safely enclosed in a
properly designed and insulated box, using the existing blower motor in the
dash to provide defrost and some cabin heat.  The nichrome heating element
wouldn't care if it was fed 220v or 408v, either AC or DC, and the current
carried by the system would be reduced based on the higher voltages.
Supplemental cabin heat would be available from a Carver P4 installed under
the rear seat.

You'd probably have to drive the generator using two belts, but I think it
could be done.  With this system you would have "instant" heat, meaning as
soon as the engine was ticking over you could immediately start making warm
air.  But then again, maybe this approach is more applicable to hot air. . .
.

TJ Sheffield
'87 Syncro Westfalia
Anchorage, Alaska

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