The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs Heater upgrades from std. heater for Suburbans '62

Okay, aside from the fact that I've never had any barn door weatherstripping for my 62 GMC panel, the standard "recirculating" heater just does not seem to be cutting it... When I had the back door stuffed with rags, and a full load of cargo in the back (thus greatly reducing the heated space), I was barely able to keep it comfortable on the Thanskgiving day drive an hour on the freeway.
Not sure if I am missing something, but my standard heater just sucks in one side and blows out the other, or else blows through the defrost ducts. Are there supposed to be other ducts hooked up to this style of heater, and where do the vents go on the deluxe heaters? In the GMC dash, or mounting under the dash attaching to the bottom of the dash?

I don't really like the look of the deluxe heaters at all (under the hood), and am thinking there has to be a better way to go. I read in one thread that there was a dealer installed option for an auxiliary Suburban rear heater. I am thinking i need something more... the heater in my 89 Suburban (a good 20" deeper cargo area) has some serious output, and I want something that heats this large area that well... I have wondered about swapping that in, but that would mean butchering the firewall up for the swap. Then I thought about 67-72 heaters, an maybe hoped the SUburban models might have had something larger.
Maybe I should just swap the brand new 180 degree stat for a 190 degree stat????
At any rate, I think I'd like a ducted heater, and my only other thoughts were to maybe get a vintage air system or similar, designed for a retrofit to our trucks, and just use the heater box and not get the A/C compressor/filter/drier/lines. Then I am still left wondering, is this system designed just with the pickup truck cab in mind????? My 7-1/2 foot panel would be the equivalent of 4 pickup cabs worth of space to heat!

I'm sure other northern guys with panels and burbs have had this problem, so I'm hoping for some insight. My 89 is a solid running truck, but the body and body related electronics are all totally falling apart, driving the 62 most days that there's not snow or salt on the roads.

HELP!

-Chuck in Ohio

poking around parts supplier's www sites, I found that the deluxe (fresh air intake) heater's core is 9-1/2" long vs the standard (recirculating) heater's 6-1/8" length. These cores are 2-1/2" thick, thicker than 67+ heater cores, so I am thinking that I might possibly modify my heater case next winter when I have time, do some sheetmetal fab and mig welding, to make the larger heater core fit into it, and then build a box off the single outlet and make duct connections, and duct my heater to some vents that I would have to add under the dash in 4 or 5 locations. That would save some money, keep parts still as readily availble as they were (have to possibly modify heater core hose connections with some tubing, refrigeration copper fittings, and a torch and solder...).

I was looking at all sorts of suburban and van heater cores, and it looks like the deluxe fresh air unit has the best donor core for this project. my 62 uses the same cores that a 61-63 would use. looked up a 66, it's 2" smaller than the 61-3 deluxe core.

I think using one of these larger cores, be it the deluxe or the 66, increasing the area, and using a 190 degree stat, those might be enough to help heat a suburban/panel truck a little better.

Still thinking of the vintage air evap kit that would basically let me bolt their heater right into my truck without using their A/C, but if their fan isn't any bigger, there might not be a point other than to save me doing lots of fab work on my stock heater case.

also checked, the standard and deluxe heaters use the same blower motor. no way for me to verify the size of the blower wheels between the two units, but they might likely be the same if the motors are.

Chuck,
I used a school bus heater and mounted it behind the front passenger side seat on end.Cook you out and run you engine to cool if you are'nt careful.I no longer use it if you have a need for one.

The current issue of Hot Rod Deluxe magazine has a story I did on installing a factory '54 Buick under-seat heater in my '62 Suburban. I have a '54 Buick, and liked the underseat heater on it, so found a donor and installed it.

It's a pretty easy installation. I just got the core back from being repaired/pressure tested at the radiator shop this week, so I can't say exactly how good it is. however, it mounts directly under the driver's seat, and has some ducting that spits heated air out toward the front seat passenger, the driver's feet, and the rear seat passenger's feet. And since hot air rises, I think it will do the job very well.

I bought a 3-position heater fan switch from American Auto Wire and will mount it in the factory Choke cable hole in the dash. When the truck gets that far, I'll swap the knob for one of the Deluxe chrome knobs, and it'll look like a factory job.

The whole step-by-step in the magazine covers 8 pages.

-Brad