Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 17:14:13 -0700
Reply-To: Tobin Copley <tobin.copley@UBC.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tobin Copley <tobin.copley@UBC.CA>
Subject: Re: Has anyone tried to relocate a Gas Heater?
In-Reply-To: <002c01c02e4f$7fdda4a0$9e0c52d1@activate.net>
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At 6:07 PM -0400 10/4/00, 1980 VW Westfalia \"Pokey\" wrote:
>I've got one of those big auxiliary gas heaters that runs through
>the middle of my van (outside underneath) , I'd like to move it to
>make room for a larger gas tank does it fit anywhere else? Has
>anyone done this? Any advice?
I don't think you could easily move a BA-6 to another location--nor
would you want to. If you need the space under the van for fuel
tanks, and just gotta have a gas heater, your only other option as
far as I can see is to get a used BN-4 out of a loaf and install it
in your vanagon.
(The BN-4 is an older configuration of the Eberspacher gas heater
heater used in splitties and early loaves--pre-1975 I'm guessing?
Maybe pre-1972? The BN-4 fit in the far left side (FIF) of the
engine compartment.)
I do not know if a BN-4 would even fit in a vanagon's engine bay.
The rear deck may be too low, the "hole" in the sheet metal for the
engine may be too large, structural body work may get in the way,
combustion and heating air routing may be obstructed or difficult...
I just don't know. Maybe someone has done it, but I've never seen it
done.
I *have* retrofitted a BN-4 into a 1976 westy, and it was a
difficult, ugly, and anus-clenching job. Heavy sheet metal cutting
with sawzalls, drills, and hacksaws--some of it frighteningly close
to the fuel tank. If the bus hadn't been so rusty to start with, I
don't think I could have brought myself to do that kind of a brutal
hack job to a bus.
What about a vented propane furnace?
>
>Alternatively, I've heard of auxiliary heaters that go under the
>Z-bed, anyone have information or experience with these?
That sounds like you're talking about a Stewart-Warner gas heater.
Search the old archives for this. Never had one myself, but I know
they have received a fair amount of discussion on the list,
especially among air-cooled types, on the old list maybe 4 - 5 years
ago and before. My rather inexpert recollection of the comparison of
the Eberspachers and SW heaters was concensus was the SWs did not
have they same level of safety fail-safes and controls the
Eberspachers have, but they were thought to be OK. But do check the
archives.
Personally, I'd leave a working BA-6 where it is and carry jerrys if
required. Or if you just gotta hack, leave your BA-6 alone and hack
an extra syncro tank into your 2WD if you feel a biological urge to
carry 30+ gallons of fuel with you.
Or buy a diesel if you're looking for cruising range... ;-)
T.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobin Copley Bowen Island, BC, Canada 49deg 23'N-123deg 19'W
'82 Westfalia 1.6L NA diesel ("Stinky")
'97 son Russell =============
'99 daughter Margaret /_| |_L| |__|:| clatter
1995: 'Round US, Mexico, Canada 15,000 mi {. .| clatter!
1996: Vancouver to Inuvik, NWT 7,400 km ~-()-==----()-~
Previous buses: '76 westy deluxe (Daisy), '76 westy standard (Mango)
http://www.sfu.ca/~tcopley/vw/