I painted and installed the
Air Flow heater in my '54 3100. Here are the details that I discussed and questioned earlier in this thread:
Clutch Head Bolts: I bought 1/4-20 clutch head bolts from Paragon Corvette. According to the '51 Accessories Installation Manual, a hex head bolt must be used in the center hole near the firewall. Can't reach it with a screwdriver; difficult with a wrench. The '54 manual implies that the bolt is left out. The new heater gasket is not punched for the bolt. I used a hex head in the hole.
Paint: I painted the heater housing with
Hammerite Rust Cap Bronze #HAM-41185. It is very close to the original color that I found
under the motor gasket. It has a more pronounced texture than the original paint.
Air Flow Decal: I used the decal from Jim Carter. I also bought a decal from Chevs of the 40's. It was not the decal pictured on line or in my earlier posting. It was like the Jim Carter decal, only not as shiney. I sanded the paint under the decal so that the texture of the paint does not affect the decal.
12v Motor: I used a 12v motor from a 1960 Chevy car. Probably got some sand in it when I sand blasted it, but it sounds ok and blows like a hurricane. It is a little smaller in diameter than the original 6v motor and the mounting bolts are about 1/8" closer together. I filed the mounting holes in the heater case to fit the bolts. The opening in the new firewall gasket from Jim Carter is smaller that the original and fits the new 12v motor
perfectly. I painted the gray metal gasket ring black. Note - square drive screws into the gasket ring look like clutch head if you don't look too closely.
Ranco Valve: The rebuilt Ranco valve has a maroon knob instead of black. Doesn't bother me. I painted the mounts for the temperature control and the recirculating cable to match the heater instead of the dash. Seems like the white "Pull ..." decal could not be seen on pearl beige.
Heater Hose Clip: I made a
clip for the heater hoses using photos that Gus (DADS50) sent to me.
Fan Switch: I bought a broken
fan switch for $20 to make the installation look correct and hooked a fabric wire in a dead loop as if it is connected to power. I replaced the broken porcelin on the resistor with plaster and white shellac primer.
"Real" Fan Switch: I mounted a 12v three-speed rotary switch to the kick panel above the dash so that it is
hidden. Although it looks close in the photo, the resistor is not near any wire.
The '54 Accessories Installation Manual says to mount the fan switch on the right of the air control cable, same as the '51 manual. My dash is predrilled to mount it on the left of the cable. I have pix of an unrestored '54 that also has the fan switch on the left. Wonder if the mounting was changed in '54 and not documented in the manual?
Thanks to everyone who helped and answered my questions.
- Lonnie
