The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk fresh air heater

i recently bought a recirculating fresh air heate for my 51 3100 and paid $130 for it shiped in working condition did i pay to much or is this about right.the harrison tag says 2 04 53

Thanks
John

You may hate to hear this but something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. I would look at the catalogs and see if u can buy this part new or remanufactured. If not and this item works and/or does the intended job and u are happy with it then it was well worth the money. In LMC catalog the new 12 volt motoe alone is $64.95. I'd say u got a fair price for a complete working unit. Good buy.

Thanks Panhead59 this guy sold 5 of these in 2 days so i figuered it must be a pretty good buy but wasnt sure and needed a little insight from someone who knows. Stovebolters!

Thanks
John

John,

The recirculating heater was the less expenive of the GM heaters. The fresh air (air flow) heater was more expensive when new, and therefore it is most likely rarer.

Here are illustrations of both heaters.

As posted above, it is hard to judge a good price, due to differences in sheet metal condition and motor condition, and if it comes with an original switch.

this is a deluxe fresh air recirculating heater that connects to the pasenger side vent and also has the cable that mounts to the dash pull to recirculate. looks like the one on page 36 except it has the cable that says pull to circulate

i got a pic of heater on page 1 in my photobucket

For a Deluxe Airflow recirculating heater,as long as the heater core is good,you stole it.Did you get the Temperature control valve with it"Ranco"?


Tim

did not get the ranco valve. have you ever seen a heater like this?

John -

I agree that you did good. And, yes - I have seen a heater like yours ... mine.
> See my Photobucket album

Brad Allen has some good photos of heaters that you can use for reference.

Can't see if the Y splitter for the defroster hoses is attached. Looks like the floor outlet and "flapper" are there. It has the correct knob on the recirculate rod.

This is the type of switch that originally controlled the fan: Not sure if the one for your year said "HEAT" or "FAN"
> Brad Allen switch photo

Here are two links that may help:
> Deve's Antique Chevy Trucks - heater rebuild (Not an Air Flow)
> My '54 Air Flow heater

Search Stovebolt for more.



Good luck with your new heater.

Thank you lonnie, I also thought it looked like it was missing the y tube is this a hard part to come by.

I'm sure a Stovebolter can sell you a Y or point you in the right direction. I'm not sure, but the diameter of the outlets on the Y may have changed a little over the years. Don't think the change is a deal breaker if you find one that fits your heater body.

I noticed that your truck is a '51. The design of the Air Flow heater changed in '52 or '53 to include the small door in the front. Deve's heater in the link that I posted is a '51 Air Flow heater.

Here are installation instructions for a '51 Air Flow heater: '53 heater is practically the same. I can send your instructions for 1954 installation if you need.
> '51 Accessories Installation Manual.

Lonnie, the pics in your photobucket are worth a million bucks.Thank you very much. I AM A HAPPY CAMPER!

nmy 51 is not going to be an original but i want some of the better assesories for it

does this valve look worth rebuilding

[IMG]http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/johnneal12/rancovalve3.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/johnneal12/rancovalve2.jpg[/IMG]

They are not rebuild able with the tube missing

...pic...

Look up delco joe on eBay

Thanks DADS50 isaw this on ebay for $25 gues its not such a great deal.

Thanks
John

Is this the heater you're referring to ? deluxe airflow
deluxe airflow pic#2
This is one that I took apart and media blasted,repainted,installed a 12volt blower motor.Was planning on using it in my suburban,but not sure.

The ranco valve you have is missing the capillary tube like "dads" stated.

PM me if you can't find a ranco valve.


Tim

Thats the one.still search for the ranco valve.

IMG]http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/johnneal12/heater2.jpg[/IMG]

I posted a source for a rebuilt Ranco valve in this thread yesterday, but it was deleted by Stovebolt. Guess you're on your own.

do I remember seeing Lonnies source as an ebayer? a search there might find it ..... or maybe it was this Ranco rebuilder

Bill

John,

The heater in your photo is a 1953-1955 Fresh-Air/Air-flow heater, which differs from the earlier "deluxe" heater by having the cable-operated recirculating-air door on the front side. I think Lonnie mentioned these differences in a post that was lost (before we saw photos).

Just for correctness, the name Recirculating Heater refers to the less expensive GM heater that was used from 47-55. It had no Ranco valve.

The 53-55 cable controls the door, and the 47-52 cable controls the defroster flap. The defroster flap on your heater is controlled by a lever attached to the flap on the heater box.

Classic Parts will rebuild a Ranco valve for $50, but you need a rebuildable valve (as others have posted). You might have to resort to buying a new or rebuilt valve for more than $100.

As suggested above, check Bill's, Lonnie's and any other leads to a Ranco rebuilder, to see if they have a rebuildable core. Jim Carter might have one - also check BowTie Bits.

i saw the ranco valve that lonnie saw on ebay $125 ijust thought i would try to find one cheaper but it looks like this is a good price since i saw a rebuild kit for $110 online and i dont have one to rebuild. would you agree that i got a good price on the heater for $130 shiped.

John

If you're handy in the shop,they aren't hard to rebuild.The rubber seal cost $10 to $17 depending where you buy it. seal You will also need the control rod,spring,clip and bracket that operates the control valve.


Tim

Sounds like a fair price. It would depend if the core is good.

Here is an old post from 2010 on a Ranco I purchased with no core exchange required

If the line/tube is broken, you will most likely not be able to rebuild it yourself (unless you know Denny Graham, but I doubt if even Denny would try).

$130 for a unit with all the control parts and a good motor and no rust-out, is a good price. Did you get the switch that mounts to the bottom of the dash that turns the motor on at high-speed or low-speed?

DADS50's cost for a valve without having a core is a very good price, from what I have seen in the past.

John, if you find the tube your in good shape. You can rebuild them and there is on one "washer" looking piece that you need. I rebuilt mine and have the number somewhere if you need it. You can get them at NAPA and probably some other places.
Denny Graham had pics in his photo ablum of doing one and I think I posted a few pics in my album. Let me know if I can help.

The Napa part number is Balkamp 6601000 . This is the rubber seal inside the unit.


Tim

got this on ebay today for $58 shiped.

[IMG]http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/johnneal12/heatervalve.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks for the number Tim

[Did you get the switch that mounts to the bottom of the dash that turns the motor on at high-speed or low-speed?]

I did not get the switch do you have a picture of it.

Thanks
John

Lonnie provides a link or two to switches in one of his posts, above.

switch 1

switch 2

switch 3

switch 4 - AIR is on the paddle/flipper

The paddle/flipper on the switch is sometimes ivory or brown, and the word on the paddle is sometimes different, depending on the style of heater and/or the year (I think).