Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 16:13:12 -0700
Reply-To: neil <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: neil <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Fresh air control flap prototype PICS! (and long but possibly
useful info)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Hi all.
This is for air heads considering converting to water cooled and for those
who want to make a control flap for fresh air intake to fresh air box.
The cables that control flaps for hot air out of the heater boxes are the
same as the cables from levers to flaps on fresh air box. Yes they do have
an extra covering, but that is easily removed.
I cut my now defunct heater cables as "long" as I could. They run over gas
tank and are impossible to pull over gas tank so I cut them at either side
of gas tank. Anyhow, I managed to harvest 4 slightly longer than stock fresh
air/heat box cables. In my case, someone attempted to fix one of the cables
to the fresh air box. It is useless. Since these long cables are now
defunct, I will use one of them.
The control flap for fresh air intake is in the making:
http://web.mac.com/tubaneil/iWeb/Site%205/FreshAir_flap.html
It fits in fresh air ram and is hinged with a piano hinge. It will seal
with neoprene foam. It appears to function and seals most of the opening.
With flap positioned "shut", and fresh air box installed,lots of air drawne
in new intakes. And this is with flap only covering 80% of the opening. The
remainder of the opening, that has hard to cover curves, will be filled with
spray foam of some kind. The good news is that I can route a "new" cable
from old now defunct heat exchange control lever, to new flap (flap not
installed, but almost ready). It is routed through stock hole left over from
long cable. The end of the old cable has the correct pin to fit in lever
that used to control flaps at rear, (as it was designed) and appears to be
more than long enough to reach to control flap I'm making. There are no
sharp turns, so cable won't likely bind. The end of cable to new flap will
come from under and push up to seal or pull down. I will see what works
best. Likely "push" up to seal as thats what incoming air will tend to make
it do and "pull" is stronger on a cable so with air rushing at flap will
driving, this will be an advantage.
Hope this all makes sense. And for those who are quick to point out that
I've mangled perfectly good air cooled parts, they were of no use to me and
my supplier was having trouble finding new cables. Maybe those are easy to
get. Anyhow, the shortened cable fits the stock former heat control lever.
So there! (insert humour here)
In short, if you're converting anyways, those old long cables going to the
rear will yield 4 "new" cables for control levers to flaps. Good for
replacement or spares.
--
Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia.
http://web.mac.com/tubaneil