The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs Heating an AD Suburban -in the rear section area?

Has anyone felt the need to run a heat or auxillary duct with a plenum to the rear or near center of their suburban to disperse heat and or A/C if installed? Has anyone experienced a need for it....especially on the wicked hot and humid days?

Been thinking about it..and how to best do it. Excessive or overkill?
tom

Here is a recent post on this topic,

Try a search on +suburban +rear +heater

It's been talked about before, some have mentioned the use of the under seat heaters from the 40's. The later suburbans actually have an A/C unit in the headliner that goes from front to back with individual controls. I have seen them in highly modified 1950's suburbans.

In 1967, GM installed rear mounted A/C units that provided cold air in the rear of the suburban. I believe these units can be installed in the earlier years, but I also think there would be a head room problem

Thanks for ther insight. Yes, I'll do some further research here.

look up things like "vintage Red Head" and other brands of stand alone heaters. "6 volt Heater" and "auxiliary heater" are some other good eBay searches. That should lead you in some good directions. There companies that make them for vertical or horizontal mounting of various sizes and of course, prices.
Here's a link to a modern company


And another
You could wire another cigarette outlet plug in the rear and run a little cheapy that wouldn't have to be mounted permanently. All sorts of ways to skin this cat.

I'm planning on looking into the roof panels of a later model Asto van with rear air to see what I can use for cooling. I like the 40s underseat heaters for heat. For now, got to get it running!

I suppose this could be a wasted effort for a Canopy Express?!
Thanks for the comments and insights. tom

Full-size passenger vans have rear, underseat heater and A/C unit that could be used, maybe?

Burbites,
I found on mine that Insulation and weatherstrip is the key.
I made wooden plywood bows about 2" thick and followed the contour of the roof and sandwiched Foil/Jute insulation foil
side up.Then put in the headliner.Same on the firewall and floorboard.Used the cheap bubble stuff in the doors glued to the outer skin.
My heater is the fresh-air version without using the mixer valve.Put in a 12 volt motor from NAPA and a reo-stat switch.
in 20d weather the entire cab is very comfortable.

Modifying or drilling holes or installing overhead ducts will de-value your Truck. Buy some better coats and wear shorts in the summer. Install a plastic curtain behind the seats to keep the underdash air/heat in a more confined space. Turning classic Suburbans into a family car is very difficult.

The suburban was built a passenger vehicle so it's already a family vehicle ! The custom suburbans are selling for a fortune.I don't think rear heat is a bad idea,if it's planned correctly.

Tim

And 56 Chevys have back seats, that's not the point. Why screw up a Classic rare Truck? Get an Asto van for $2500 and keep the mud and soda pop out of the Suburban! Daily driver? If your retired, but not if your still at the factory or office. You don't speed all that time and money to park it at Walmart all day.

Bartmos,you need to read the description of your 1956 GMC suburban.I will say it's beautiful and practical for todays use.

Maybe some people want to haul there family in an old classic and want some more heat in the rear.He just wants to know what his best option is for his situation.

Tom,I'm checking into a heater that mounted under the drivers seat of a Chevrolet car late 40's early 50's or mid 50's Buick that heated the rear section of the vehicle.
When I find what I'm looking for I'll let you know.I plan on doing the same to mine,and driving it.

Tim

IMO there are many reasons to fix up an old truck, some want to stay as close to original as possible. some want to make it drive like a new car and others just want to get them on the road again.

Let's face it, most of us follow the creed, "it's yours do with as you want" If it was just one group, most of these old trucks would have been crushed a long time ago. in some ways, it's the Hot Rodders that have kept this hobby alive, not the purists.

As far as putting in a heater in the burb to heat the back seating, really depends on what part of the country you live in. Tom lives in New Hampshire I think the seasons change dramatically and if a heater will allow him to drive it for a period longer than without it, I say go for it.

Tom,search for 1955 Buick heaters and see if it will work for you.


Tim

While this is true to some extent, not many of us can afford a concours level restoration. Often these old trucks have undergone previous modifcations so they are filled with numerous holes and other modifications. So while it's helpful to always keep Kens advice in mind, I try to keep another "professional restorers" advice which was to not worry much about modifications, but if you do them, keep the junk in the trunk. JMHO

I did, in fact, give him some ideas, which is what he wanted. At the same time gave him some other food for thought. I have had people tell me not to do some things and after thought, they were right. That's what is good about forums. If you want a bunch of "yes" men, call Obama's people. BTW, I bought a 1971 FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser to fix up. It came with a rear heater unit that sits on the floor and you run two hoses to it and 12V for the fan. About as big as a big air cleaner and 6"-8" tall. 64-74 had them at least. See the link below for pic. Would fit under seat and hoses run down the frame and up thru floor? Switch under dash. Don't forget you can mount stuff to the seat keys if you don't have all the seats. I mounted an old trunk to them that looked like I was carrying vacation luggage, I had my big jack, tire iron and emergency stuff in there. Bartamos


[IMG]http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk158/bartamos/CCeVjHQ2kKGrHqQOKigE0nShMhUEBNLO0Hmeo_12.jpg[/IMG]

I have a rear heater out of my 66 GMV ambulance that mounted behind the seat 2when it was built. there is a bit of plumbing that goes with it to tie into the stock heater. I don't know what I am going to do wit it
if you require some pics I could dig the stuff out and take some pictures of it for you
ron

You may also want to check out marine heaters for boats. They are 12V fans and some with 3 spd. switches, different types of outlets,ect. They use the cooling anti freeze from the engine.

Thanks for the insights. I am more curious than anything if you find your Suburbans cold and or hot in the rear area, and if a heater/ac would provide a little more comfort especially for long haul traveling with the wife after retirement...such as the desert southwest, and or north to Matanuska or K2 in Nepal. )I want to put a bumper sticker on it that says this Old Burb Climbed K2! (humor.))

Seriously, there should be a creative way to to discreetly install a rear heater/ AC unit with very little if any changes to the stock body. IF IT'S NECESSARY? An easy-install, easy remove kind of design. I'll check into the recommendations. Keep the dialogue going.. I appreciate it.

Talk to Mike at:

Welcome to Rainbow Products online Rainbow products offers a comprehensive line of high performance air conditioning components designed for street rods, trucks, 18 wheelers and performance ...
www.rainbowproductsonline.com/

I have delt with him for years when I needed something like this.
He can probably come up with everything you will need at a fair price.

Whatever you do insulate the cab everywhere you can, seal all the doors and windows well.

If you have not paited it yet consider lighter colors especially on the roof.

thought I'd drag up this topic in the summer so y'all can be getting ready for next winter .... I just scored one of the Land Cruiser rear heaters that Bart referred to above - fits '68-'84 and will work admirably as under the seat heaters for the panel/burb - look like this - the one I found had the hoses still attached, including a pair of brass "Y" fittings to split the hoses to both heaters

Bill

I have had my a$$ chewed royally by total strangers for modifying my Burb. They mostly tell me that I have ruined a classic truck. I built it to go to local cruise ins and if I have to keep up with Interstate traffic I can. It has 283/TH350, power front discs, seat belts, power steering, and IFS none of which is stock or original. I consider it to be as safe as my 06 Silverado. In Wisconsin I have the Hobbyist plates and one restriction is I can't drive it in the month of January so the under seat heater is pretty low on my list. If you want to put in a rear area heater I hope you find the stuff you are looking for. It sounds like a good idea for NH.

Weeds

hey Weeds, let them strangers chew anything they want, it's your truck and your money, they're welcome to build their own and savor the taste of your rear until then

mine will have a 283 as well, and although that's not too 'modified' for a '57, it's just had a 700R4 fitted, and the Toyota heater will be sunk into the double wall behind the non-original driver seat - I'll have regular plates and drive it any day of the year like I always have with any of my old trucks

Bill

Have a 52 under construction right now that has a Lincoln Mark VIII independent rear (perfect width) and a Pacer front, also perfect width. Probably going with the late model computer controlled engine and trans for trouble free starting in any weather and a demand sensitive trans for best economy. 20mpg may be a reality with the smaller displacement and lighter engine. If Vintage Air doesn't have a heat/air combo that will fit nicely for the rear I'll work with Old Air in Ft. Worth to try and come up with a custom unit that does. The sliding rear glasses, the cowl vents, and the door vent glasses will all be sealed since they will no longer be needed. I did a study on keeping an AD interior cool (hey it's Texas) at 70mph. Usually the outside air moving past all seams sucks the cool out faster than the a/c unit can produce it at speeds above 60mph or so. Briefly, it involves an outside air duct with a flow control flapper that is directed into the evaporator unit housing. The Burb will not be chopped or dropped but just made into a dependable cruiser whose first trip is not a wimpy 10 mile drive to the Sonic but a camping equipment loaded trip to Yellowstone, Little Big Horn, and the Black Hills. MY kind of ride.