Date:         Tue, 25 Jul 1995 11:41:33 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         jim@atcweb.atc.1dc.com (Rusty VanBondo)
Subject:      Re: Reenforced...Heater Tubes!

>On Tue, 25 Jul 1995, Mike White wrote:
>
>> > 1)  How do I replace it--a competent local welder?
>> > 2)  What about the "insulating" sleeve and the tube to the rear heater?
>> > 3)  Is there a kit?
>> 
Suggestions so far:
*PVC pipe!  
*Driveline from an old Ford from a junk yard
   welded into place.
*Old stove pipe painted grey (whatever).

Rusty sez:
As part of the '67 Westy resto from Hell, I ordered a replacment "main
heater tube" from one of the big name catalogue houses on the left coast.
When it arrived, *a week later*, it was the same tubing that is readily
available at any local muffler shop. It cost me shipping, was 2" too short,
and I ended up at the muffler shop anyway. From what I experiernced, if the
"main heater tube" is rusted out there is a greater than 50 percent chance
that the connecting tubes on either end will be in similar shape. Use the
muffler shop and local junk buses if they are available. Replacing the grey
insulating jazz around them is another adventure yet to come. Don't flame me
for being in Arizona where the mythical junkyards are on every corner and
they all have tons of bitchen dry stuff in them. Those days are long gone. I
had the *pleasure* of having to replace all of the heater tubes from the
front vertical piece in the cab back to the exit point beside the tranny. It
took me awhile to get decent replacement heater tubing pieces. I can imagine
the fun involved for y'all in the rust zones! *No .sig by popular demand*