The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay AD Deluxe Heater Upgrade Instructions

There are many ways to make your heater work when upgrading to 12 volts, this is just one of them. This How-To describes in detail how to use your Stock Heater Switch with a Heater Assembly that has a 12 Volt Fan Motor. The entire exercise is primarily to have a completely stock looking system, so the new motor looks just like the old motor, the original switch is used. So from the interior or exterior of the truck, you can't tell it has been modified unless you look very closely.

http://devestechnet.com/Home/Native12VUpgrade#heatersystem

Comments or suggestions appreciated. I have on my To-Do list the bench testing and assembly of a 12 volt system using a 6 volt fan motor and original switch putting the resistor array in the fans air stream so there is something for most everyone.

Deve,

I have read you complete technical article on the 6 volt heater switch and the problems with heat at the 5 watt resistor attached to the switch. I am curious why most of the bolters are still using this switch with a 12 volt system and have not come up with a solution as you have? Although I find your solution a bit cumbersome and labor intensive for those of us who have already installed the heater unit, I commend you for a solution! What I'm getting at, is it would be nice to see a resistor unit that could be installed that is not so labor intensive. You know as well as the majority of us that removing and installing that heater unit is NOT an easy task. Any ideas to condense this unit and make it easier to install?

Tim

That is so true Tim. The best ideas come from these types of inquiries. I have tried the idea of a bracket above the switch but if the switch is in its correct place, the bracket is really in the way of other things.

I made this so you can leave the heater in. The two screws that hold the bracket in the air stream are right on the outside of the heater and the air outlet is right there as well. To make it look all neat and everything takes a little work while on the truck, but I think it can be done. If you are old and have a bad back like me, its not easy playing under the dash, but it was designed to work that way.

Everything is give and take. Having the resistors in the air stream was done to keep things cool and what brought me to that conclusion was that is how car heaters are done today.

I am always hopeful people here will suggest a better way. Thanks!

Deve,

I have been looking for miniature high watt capacity resistors with the required 1.5 ohm and 2.5 ohm specification, but it doesn't appear that such an animal exists. I agree that a bracket near the switch would be in the way of a lot of other things and placing the resistors in the air stream of the heater will definitely keep things cooler. The only problem I see with working under the dash is that I too have a bad back. (lower back surgery a year ago)The wiring of the blower motor and resistor wires look to be the problem for me. I will continue to give this some thought and maybe come up with some ideas to make it easier on us 'Ol guys. Any other suggestions from you and other bolters would be most appreciated.

Tim

Thanks Tim. Yeah, I am 8 years out from two back operations that left me with 4 rods, 13 screws, and 2 plates in my lower back and even after this long, it's excruciating to bend and contort like that.

This is why on the bracket I made, I welded nuts to it so that when you take the sheet metal screws out and put the #8-32's in you can just screw them in without dealing with the nuts. I am thinking it would take about 15-20 minutes tops to install this mod, but I agree, that's forever.