Date:         Fri, 1 Dec 1995 22:42:01 -0600 (CST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         cheeses@arn.net (Cheese)
Subject:      Brrr!  It's freezin' in here!

Greetings, fellow VW Bus masochists!

Brrrr!  It's 80 degrees F out today and I'm freezing (or I know I will be in
a couple days, when we're expecting a blizzard)...  But that's normal for
the Texas High Plains near the Rockies.

I'm trying to get the heater in my '79 Bus working like new (meaning: it
gets pretty comfortable inside, on a bitterly cold day, about 20-30 minutes
after firing it up).

Problem is, the heater tube ducting is full of holes and/or split in several
places.  Too much off-road driving - over the rivers and through the woods,
dragging ass through the tall brush and murderous mountain roads - has taken
its toll.  I replaced the main center tube that goes from the Y where the
heat exchanger bellows meet, and then goes forward a few feet, a couple of
years ago.  I used a length of simple rubberized, spiral steel-reinforced
tubing, with two heavy-duty clamps and it's still fine.  The heavy-duty,
accordion bellows gizmos attached to the heat exchangers are in good shape,
too.  It's the three other heater duct tubes leading to the cab and back
seat area that need replacing.

Nobody's got 'em.  I guess they've always been a dealer item (probably had
to order them back then, too).  I've tried the obvious sources: The Bus Stop
(RMMW), Bus Boys, JC Whitney, et al, with no luck.

The biggest of the three tubes measures 70 mm I.D. x 1.7 meters long.  The
other two are about equal in dimensions: 55 mm I.D. x .65 meters long.  They
seem to be constructed of an inner layer of cardboard, then aluminum, more
cardboard, then rock wool insulation, and an outer layer of aluminum covered
with corrugated black plastic.

Neither the Bentley nor Haynes manuals seem to be of help here.

ANYBODY KNOW WHERE SUCH AMINALS CAN BE FOUND?  I've tried all the industrial
suppliers and truck/RV parts places in town, not to mention the VW
parts/service places here.  I walk in, place the alien-looking tubes on the
counter and ask hopefully, "You ain't got anything even close to this, do
ya?"  They usually try to be helpful and then say, "What the hell'd THAT
come offa?"

If a hose manufacturer would make this stuff, it could probably find eager
buyers throughout the advertisers in "Hot VWs," "VW Trends," etc. 

For the time being, I filled the kitchen sink, which is a large, very deep
one, with hot water and dish detergent, and washed the dirt from the inside
and outside of these hoses.  After 137,000 miles, they were a little soiled.
I decided to wash the dishes with the same water first; must be that
anal-retentive Scottish part of my genetics...

Tomorrow, when the hoses are dry, I'll wrap them all completely in duct
tape.  Not that cheap crap for me - only the best - this tape costs $5 a
roll - probably good enough to fix the Shuttle's  O-rings, keep the door
locks open at Watergate or fix a hole in Hoover Dam.

I'd really love to have NOS replacement tubes or the equivalent - partly to
give the restored Bus that bitchin' sano look the California surfin' dudes
so drool over, and partly so they would last a LONG time, without my ever
having to give them more than an occasional once-over.

Oh wait - my dad just told me to check with a heating/air conditioning
contractor friend of his for something that will work.  We'll see.   Anybody
have other suggestions?

TIA,

Cheese