The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Deluxe heater

My 54 gmc came with a deluxe heater and when I got the truck it looked to difficult to get it to function so I put a round type heater in and it has been good .I took the deluxe heater off the shelf yesterday and took it apart to clean it up and noticed on mine has a cable that closes a door allowing the air in from outside the vent in the cab .Most ones I see on the net don’t have this door but has a cable that goes to defrost or heat we’re mine is controlled by a lever anyone know what the difference is .here are the two types ,found on Deves site. The blue one is the style I have .

here is an old thread with a little information on 47-55 truck heaters

GMC and Chevrolet used the same style heaters (I think with with different "name plates" - at least in some years).

Thanks Tim looks like I got the newest version of the deluxe style heater I am looking forward to getting it put in I think it will work better for keeping the fog off the windows.

kevinski,

That style heater works well in my 1954 Suburban.

That style heater worked very well in my 54/55 (Z-series) GMC 2-ton COE.

👌 good to know thanks

I was noticing my coolant looking a little rusty the other day, got to thinking about a flush, and realized that I know absolutely NOTHING about my heater. Shop manual doesn’t mention it from what I can tell. It’s the same type as Kevinski.

Am I correct in assuming that coolant is always circulating in the heater core and there’s no valve that controls it? My heater hoses need replacing anyway, and I was thinking a very low pressure backflush of the core might be good while I’m making a mess.

I don’t think a rinse would hurt anything bear in mind a heater core is about 250 .I would think the rust in the coolant would be coming from the engine block .if you have a drain at the back of the block on the drivers side a lot of the guys and gals say that is a area we’re it gets plugged up with corrosion and gunk

They are very low pressure either 4 or 5 pounds so a radiator shop shies away from testing them. I think I saw where someone literally put a blown up balloon on one or both outlets and submersed it in a tank of water to look for bubbles.

That blue heater in your picture has a neat feature which the earlier ones did not have. The cable you speak of, converts this heater from a fresh air heater to a recirculating heater, or a combination of the two depending on how hard you pull the cable.
The tall narrow door which you can see is actually the air intake for the recirculating feature. When this door is all of the way open, a linkage closes off the outside air from entering from the side cowl vent.

Yes that’s one of the things that I was scratching my head over the cable on the one changes the air flow to defrost /floor and on the blue one the defrost / floor is a leaver and the cable is for the fresh air doors to open or close.

kevinski Use a careful low pressure flush,it''ll act like a water heater you'll get some dirty water then run clean---not even close to clean !!IF IT FLOWS AND HEATS GOOD better leave it alone. On your block some time when you have the head off you can hurt that sludge that piles -up around 5 and 6 with a big screwdriver and hammer. Outside of that be glad it will run cool !!

Got the heater pulled apart and found a few surprise’s.Anyone change the hub on the squirel cage the origional had a wood screw screwed into it and the motor shaft was brazed with melted the alloy hub .I think I can drill a bushing and tap a set screw then weld it on the squirel cage.

Be real careful with heat on the blower wheel, it will warp and you'll have a heck of a time trying to make it run true. Maybe soft solder or silver solder would be safe.

Good point thank you,I may try to rivet it or solder like you suggested

If you have a spot welder that will reach into the squirrel cage, that would work. Wouldn't be an issue with warping the hub. That might even be an issue with a torch used for soldering.

JW51, I don't know about 54' but my 49', which has the same heater, has a valve control knob on the dash to control flow of coolant through the core. I can shut it off completely or adjust the flow. It has an air filled flat canister about the size of the diameter of soup can with a copper tube back to the valve that will help regulate the flow based on cabin temperature. Kind of an automatic temp control. All factory.

heater al new 53 recirulating on 53 chevy truck but not much air coming through defroster vent

Unfortunately my heater control disappeared so I was going to use a modern valve .The defrost control had two types one a leaver on the unit itself and the other by a cable that I think was under the dash by the heater switch.

If you can find an original Ranco heater valve the rubber seal is still available. I think I paid about 8 bucks at NAPA for one.

I will be tracking your solution for the squirrel cage attachment. Mine was not as bad as yours but it is definitely loose, or at least it is now after I finally got it removed from the shaft.

I will keep you posted I am in the same area as you as far as weather cold one day the next shovel snow hopefully soon I will get the garage warmed up . If you are looking for a quick fix there is one on e bay ending soon but in the pictures it does not show a clip or a set screw so I would message to get a better description before pulling the trigger.

The weather is getting better ,I fixed the squirrel cage hopefully .Used a flat washer welded to a tall adjusting nut I had in the scrap bin . Drilled it out and taped a screw in the side and riveted it back on the cage .

Riviting the squirrel cage looks like a good approach, I will probably do the same to tighten mine as part of my refresh.

Just make sure it is in balance when your done or bad vibrations will happen on high as it tries to tear itself apart.
Easy to balance

Just make sure it is in balance when your done or bad vibrations will happen on high as it tries to tear itself apart.
Easy to balance I see from the picture you already have a weight on the fins, You may just have to move it if vibration is present.

Yes I see the weight just clips on the fin ,I will have to try it out before I put it together completely.

Kevinski, Balance is not your only concern here. You have to be darn shure that tall adjusting nut you are using is perfectly perpendicular to the fan base you riveted to and also it has to be perfectly centered. If those conditions are not met, the fan will wobble and you will ruin the motor in short order. If it were me, I would look under a lot of rocks to find a usable fan. If you find one, then your only worry is balance with the weight. The weight alone cannot compensate for the first two concerns. I am sure if you post in the parts wanted section I would, ooops, strike that, somebody would reply that has an extra fan blade they would part with

Thanks Twin Jimmys you are correct I put it in the drill and it does have a little wobble ,l am going to try one more time I think it is off a little but close ,if that don’t work I will look under that rock.

Kevinski My 48 2 ton has a knob clear over on the drivers left to move that fresh air flap,is rusted fast need to free it. Need dry outdoor air to de-fog widows.

Like this