The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1955 thru 1959 Original Heater performance?

Guys just wondering how many of you guys are using the original heater and how well it works for defrosting and heating in say 20 degree weather?
I have a 1959 that has had the heater disconnected since I have owned it so Have only drove the truck in the summer months.
Thinking of going thru it and restoring it but was wondering if it is worth the money or should I scrap it and use a aftermarket
heat and defroster.
Thanks

Works horribly when the weather is truly cold. In a Colorado winter, the warmest I could heat up the truck was to about 40 degrees. And the defrost doesn't seem to really do much effective defrosting. I had to rely on anti-fog wipes in the winter.

I would personally use an aftermarket heater. And I probably will. I haven't had much luck with the OEM heaters working that well. I might consider giving up my old one if I do, but I have to stop short of actually offering it for free, or I'll get in trouble for..."advertising".

I kind of thought that would be the case.
If I remember correctly growing up in these older cars and trucks they would only get luke warm by the time we got where ever we where going.and a roll of paper towels in the seat for the defroster.

i had a 1953 car and it had the best heater ever in the 20s it would drive you out it got so hot but dont know about the truck ones yet but ill have mine going soon

I lived with the passenger cars and trucks of the years you are talking about, and never had any trouble with heating or defrosting during northern Wisconsin winters. If the heater was working properly, we (in the shop) never had complaints of poor heating/defrosting, even as temperatures went to -40°. At those low temperatures, the most common trouble was no-start: dead battery or flooded engine. Usually the flooded engine was the cause of the dead battery. But, the service truck was warm- a 1958 Chev half-ton 4X4. The other service truck, 1946 Chev wrecker, wasn't so warm with its smaller heater and drafty cab.

If your OEM heater is working properly, you won't have any trouble at the moderate temperatures you are talking about. A common mistake was hooking up the hot water hoses backwards at the heater core; then you don't get the full benefit of the hot water ahead of the thermostat.

Harvester

Also if there is more area for cold air to get in the cab than there is heater core area, you're fighting a loosing battle.

I will let you know this weekend. Will be driving 150 miles in my '59 and it's supposed to be 16 degrees. I'll be bringing blankets...

My truck does have the deluxe heater and it was pretty warm when we tested it out a few weeks ago.

Focus - which model heater do you have? any of them will defrost well if the engine's warmed up - the deluxe factory heater heats great in any weather - the factory standard heater works fine in my 58, but I avoid driving much when temps are way below freezing to avoid getting munched by others - the dealer installed heater I had in the 57 worked well for defrosting, not as well as the others for cab heat, but I've been comfortable with any of them around town or on the highway

what'll make a lot of difference is having some added cab insulation [peel n seal, etc], and letting the truck warm up before you move out .... and don't expect to feel like you're sitting in your toasty living room with the wood stove roaring

Bill

Drove my truck to work this morning in 35 degree weather. Heater works much better in it than it does in the Corvair. I was warm after 5 miles, instead of not necessarily cold after 20 miles. It has the standard heater and drafty doors.

Devin

55 3100

Bill,
Looks like I have the deluxe factory heater not sure if this
283 motor was the original 283 or not?
according to the vin it came with a 283 but I was told right before I purchased it that the motor had been rebuilt so not sure if original block or not.
But the heater hose connection to the motor have plugs in them one is in the front of the intake manifold and the other is in the water pump.
I noticed that hose listed for these are 5/8 hoses is that also true for the 283 V8 application too?
Thanks

sounds likely to be the original 283, but it doesn't matter what engine, check the heater core tubes for size, which are likely 5/8, the thread-in barbs for the engine will be available at a parts store ... the deluxe heater can heat you right up, but make sure you replace the rubber elbow inside it, and check the ranco valve for leaks, if it still has that

Bill

I never thought of reversing the heater hoses to see if that makes a difference. I'll try that. Maybe I'll actually get better than lukewarm air out of the thing.

Thanks.

Dad - I think if your heater is blowing lukewarm either you need to up the thermostat [running the engine too cool], or you've got a partly blocked heater core - the heater should be getting a good flow of water the same temp as what's pushing against the thermostat, tho' you could have the hose connections to the wrong place on the engine

not clear on how it can be hooked up "backwards", one hose goes to the water pump, which is drawing water from the bottom of the rad, and will also draw water from the heater, other hose is from the block on the hot side of the thermostat, pushed by the pump ... water can only flow thru the heater from the upper "hot" location back to the pump, and the direction thru the heater core doesn't matter

Bill

Defrosters before AC never did work well clearing the insides of the windshield, especially in a closed space with people in wet clothes breathing... throw in a recirculating air unit and you might as well just carry some towels and an ice scraper.

heater on my 55 was not getting real warm, checked cable linkage on heat control valve it was not opening valve all the way.adjusted cable works much better. also on defrost felt up under dash vent hose was hanging free tied it up have pretty good heat and defrost now

Drove 150 miles from my Dad's house to mine in the Apache yesterday. Temp was between 25-40 degrees during the trip. The cab was warm, although my left foot was a little cold. Unfortunately, the generator broke about 25 miles into the trip so I didn't use the heater for the remainder of the voyage. Heater is the deluxe version.

I have the deluxe heater in my 55 Cameo, and it was warm enough that I used the truck daily in 1968-70 in the coldest of the prairie winters with temps down to -35 F. At that time, I was running a 283 in the truck.
The one thing that I did to help keep the engine a little warmer, was to put some cardboard in front of the radiator so that the engine would run a little warmer.

is the block casted for side motor mounts? unless gm used left over castings for trucks 58+ had side motor mounts casted in block.