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/