eyesore Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 Wondering... Is it possible, or at all practical, to install a heater core from a gen2 (84) Brat into a gen1 (78) wagon? I know this is not a direct swap, but can it be jerry-rigged to be functional? If not, Does anyone have a working gen1 heater core fore sale cheap? This will be the third winter without heat, and I'm really not looking foreward to it. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAP Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 I feel your pain. I have never had heat in my '78. The core leaks, and someone robbed the blower motor before I bought it. The worst part is not having defrost. Anyone comes up with any help would be appreciated, thanks, dave (second in line). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyesore Posted September 29, 2003 Author Share Posted September 29, 2003 Dave, I went to walmart and got a $15 ceramic "car heater". It's worthless for "heat", but positioned on the dash, it does defrost an area about 2 feet around. Better than nothing.... (and lots of Anti-fog wipes.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archemitis Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 i have a 79 panel truck with a heater core and blower motor in a cardboard box. just run heater lines into the back seat and fire it up! you can use a super big core and blower to heat up a little suby quick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 you're having problems with your heater? My 79 works like there's no tomorrow. I just hope it doesn't go out. I'll be a cold ride to school every morning in the winter:dead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyesore Posted September 29, 2003 Author Share Posted September 29, 2003 These things are like hen's teeth too. S-wings quoted me $900.00 to replace. (something like 8 hours labor, and they had to send the old core off to be rebuilt...none just lying around.) On a $500 car, I said "no thanks". If yours works, count your blessings!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asavage Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 Seems to me that I've been under the passenger side dash of a couple of old Brats and found some plastic protrusion broken off. Some kind of a pivot or cable clamp or lever clamp or something, looked impossible to fix. It's been about a decade since I saw that last one like that. I recall going to the Portland Foster Road U-Pull-It and going through every Brat in the yard (in about 1989) and not finding a single one that was in good condition. Trying to help out a friend (hello, Mark Overholser!) from school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 There is a bunch of plastic that can be "Modified" to make things fit better on a Gen 2 heater. I removed mine last night and with some Modifications (angle grinder:brow: ). I now have a heater in the Subuggy! I don't think you would have much of a problem putting one in if you don't mind removing certain plastic parts (with a grinder of course!:brolleye:) Glenn, 82 Hatch, transforming and now with a heater.... :temper: 01 Forester, jealous.....as usual...:madder: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyesore Posted September 29, 2003 Author Share Posted September 29, 2003 If you had seen the interior, you'd know the answer. So, in theory, a gen2 heater core can be installed in a gen1? (don't care if it's ugly, I need to be warm! And I have an angle grinder.) Pics, maybe? (always want more pics of the Subuggy anyway.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 You might want to check some vintage VW suppliers for an "add-on" type heater. JC Whitney may still carry something that'll work for you. Downside is that these will draw a lot of juice - not a good thing when you've got lights, wipers, defoggers, stereo all going at once on those cold winter nights You might also be able to rig a small heater core in your engine compartment (with a blower) that'll force heat thru your duct sytem. Might have to find somewhere else to stash your spare, though... Retrofitting something in your dash is something I would avoid at all costs. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 Someone out there has to have a good heater core! That would be my first choice. As for a gen2 to gen1 swap, judging by what you have done already, I'd guess your capable of making it fit! My gen2 is going in (with a fight) a custom frame with no duct work (not gen2 to gen1) so it was kinda easy? I can get you dimensions and a picture of the gen2 heater if that would help. Then tell me where your areas of concern are and I'll get that specific measurment too? Let me know, Glenn, 82 Hatch, almost completed transformation.....:temper: 01 Forester, still has an attitude.......:madder: I'll post another Subuggy update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBARU3 Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 Typically the heater control valve on gen 1's locks up. This leads to the failure of the slider that both opens and closes the heater valve and also a flap redirector in the heater box. The owner does not know when the valve fails and continues to use the slide dial on the dash. After the valve seizes, further use of the temp control slider will break a small white pivot on the side of the heater box and thus no use of the flapper in the box. Air is then not efficiently directed through the core on the hot setting. You have to set the flapper in the box manually and leave it there or fix the slider. You need the white plastic piece with a "cog" that fits into the heater box to fix correctly. I always remove the failed, leaking, control valve. (That might be what is leaking for most people). Hook the 2 hoses directly up to the core. Put an on/off inline valve in the engine compartment, that way you can turn off the coolant flow in summer. The cores can be repaired if they are leaking buy a radiator shop. Hope this helps. Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 Aparently they never fixed it....... My gen2 heater valve sticks if I put it all the way on hot! Now I never put it all the way to keep it from Sticking.:madder: Glenn, 82 Hatch, transforming.... :temper: 01 Forester, jealous........:madder: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 convert to a vw gas fired heater! Garanteed to keep you warm with the windows down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyesore Posted September 29, 2003 Author Share Posted September 29, 2003 I think my slider works OK, (it always did anyway) I could move between Hot / cold no problem. She'll still make heat, but it's sickly sweet antifreeze tainted heat, and is really nasty on the windshield. I turned the slider to "cold" 3 years ago, and have never moved it since. I assumed it was a bad core. Going on my description, what do you all think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBARU3 Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 I'd check the valve, the hoses, (where they go onto the core) I'd bet the valve is leaking. Of course, the core could be bad too. Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KENNETH Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 any heater core will work just lay it on dash it will get hot enough for a winddow defrost it worked for a 81 that had no thermostat or heater . i just taped it to dash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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