The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors `59 Chevy heater question

Got a `59 Chevy with the deluxe heater and I need to replace the heater control valve. Do I need to replace it with the expensive 1959 one or can I install the less expensive earlier one for 1955-58?

need to replace it with one that looks the same as what was in it, should be like this ... never seen a different one for 59 alone, link the pictures or source for the "less expensive"

Bill

http://www.oldchevytrucks.com/cart/index.asp?sdes=heater valve

Its $72 at this place. Its not expensive if you were to try to build it from scratch yourself. And the older one for the 1st series is $94 so I would call this the less expensive one. Maybe other places got it cheaper don't know.

That valve is 100% mechanical, unless it is all rotted away, you can fix/solder/weld/fab to fix if you don't want to spend $75. or at least try. Don't think you need the temperature tube. It does not have to end up looking exactly like the orig after you fix it, just mounting and cable and hose attachments. Ebay has them sometimes. 55-59 are the same no special one for 59.

Corrosion and the seal would likely be the reason it is having a problem. $75 is chicken feed these days, its an average tank of gas. Inother words its what $5.00 was 10 years ago. Problem is with that logic the pay we get is less than $3 per hour now.

Yes it's a fair price but some just don't have it to spare. If you have more time than money you gotta learn to fix it. That's what our folks had to do. I get great pleasure in fixing something that some would throw away. If I bust it or give up, then I buy. Depends on what it is.

Mine doesn't look like that one at all. Mine looks like this one.
[IMG]http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/olddaze/KGrHqRHJCwE9RbZcqHBPcNwnmLw60_1-1.jpg[/IMG]
and the best price I've found is $190 plus a $40 core charge. Thats why I was wondering if I could get away with using the earlier/cheaper one.

where did you find that odd thing, it's not from a 59 truck heater - got a pic of the heater? depends on which it is if you can use the "earlier" one, I suspect it's not a TF truck original but something some PO added in from some other vehicle

have you checked with this guy for rebuilding?

you could always get an aftermarket cable operated control from NAPA and mount it inline under the hood

Bill

Heater box (and everything else on this truck) is all disassembled right now,so a pic would be tough. Found that pic by Googleing "1959 Chevy heater control valve". Found it for sale at Bowtie Classics.com. Everything on this truck has been very original, right down to never having any bodywork done (or the oil changed I think).
It's running the deluxe heater.

Well good thing I rooted threw the parts. Here"s my heater box.
[IMG]http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/olddaze/PHOTO_20130816_110145.jpg[/IMG]
and here is my control valve.
[IMG]http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/olddaze/PHOTO_20130816_110243.jpg[/IMG]
The long temp/thermo tube threw me. The ones I find in the catalogs don't have that.

that's a car parts site, and a car heater part, not the same heater as a truck .... always add "truck" when googling about your truck or you'll get car-only sites

yes, you have the usual TF heater - GM dropped the Bourdon tube altogether on later valves and replacements, if you get a valve without one or a different length, doesn't matter

Bill

If you decide to take Bill's suggestion about a cable controlled valve from NAPA, you will discard the orig valve, attach one heater hose to the tube sticking out of firewall from core and run a hose thru firewall to other tube on core. You will install NAPA valve on that hose to control water flow. I believe that one is the incoming.

Does anyone have photos of the heater valve connected to the heater core AND how it looks inside the heater box? My heater valve is missing and I can't see how it will attach to my heater core and be inside the heater box. I have deluxe controls in my 59 Apache 36. The cable for the valve is attached to the dash control but is not attached to anything on the valve side. My core looks like what bartamos posted of his.
James

James, this is close, it shows the tubes from a Ranco valve still attached with the body of the valve removed - common "fix" back in the day when the valves started leaking

Bill

Bill,
Thank you. This is what I was looking for. I'm planning on buying a new original type valve and installing it. I see some new/old stock valves for sale and they have a external wire coil of some sort. Do you know what that is for? Do you have a preference?
James

that's a sensing bourdon tube that "automatically" operates the valve to the setting of the lever as water temp varies - GM dropped that later because it was a problem spot, and I don't think any of the repros have it, just some NOS - I'd prefer one without, temperature can be controlled well enough just with the lever opening or closing the valve as required - also be wary of NOS, the critical part is a rubber 'washer' that eventually leaks, likely sooner after 30-40 years on the shelf

Bill

Ah ha... good to know. I'll let you know how it turns out and take a few pics.
Thanks again,
James

Bill,
One last thing. Will I need and elbow hose that is 5/8 on one end and 3/4 on the other?
James

if you do you've got a mismatch - not sure that's available, but NAPA has a short elbow that fit the cores/valves I've found in most heaters, I think the 2 sizes are car vs truck, and you might need to shim one end

Bill

Can anyone tell me what amp fuse to use for the heater fan, dome light and brake lamps?

dome light and brake lights are fused already on the light switch, heater takes a 9 amp

Bill

AHA!! The same problem I ran into on my 59 GMC 370. It has the same deluxe heater as yours. My core was in perfect condition, no leaks. But the control valve was rusted up and leaking. As was mentioned before, some of us cannot spend $72 for this and $225 for that and $350 for that. Its a never ending money pit, even if you are just going for a daily driver and not a trailer queen. So you have to draw the line somewhere....
Here is how I fixed mine for less than $10.
I ripped off the old sensor box, soldered up the hole in the tube, got a new rubber elbow at NAPA for (something) for $4, went to the junkyard and got an inline valve for $5. Then mounted it outside the firewall in one of the hoses, then ran my control cable from the dash out to the valve. Same thing Bill says to do.
BUT---if your a purist, spend the $72.

If they don't like the way it looks,don't look! At least you've got heat! if you decide to restore at some later date,when time and money allow...

Yeah. Actually mine turned out to look original. By soldering up the tube where the valve was and installing a new rubber elbow, I still have both the original core pipes coming thru the firewall.
Then by running the control cable out to the manual valve (like in the above photo by Bill) It all looks pretty much original.
Like Cletis said: They are only original one time. lol

I have a 59 GMC 100-8. The heater hoses are disconnected at the firewall. I took out the core and fan and don't see any "control valve". The control knob in the dash is a click-stop turning knob with some kind of wire-coil (resistor?) on the back side. No sign of any pull knob that might pull open a valve to turn on/off flow of water. Where did the control valve go, initially? Engine compartment, or cab? How would it have been controlled for on/off?

I'm confused!

There wasn't one...
My heater is like yours.
That's just how some were done I believe.

Beyman, you have a 'standard' heater, just the basic core-with-a-fan, the 'control knob' is the fan speed with a dropping resistor on it - also deluxe heaters by 59 mostly no longer had the Ranco valve to thermostatically control water flow [see pics linked below for different heaters/controls]

Bill

Bill,
Are you saying that my heater should have water circulating through it continuously, getting the coil hot, and the "on/off" control is managed by have the fan on or not?

yes, the 'standard' heater had no water flow control, usually folks added a shut-off under the hood to stop all flow in summer [one was available from the dealer] - the only style heater for 55-59 that had flow control was the deluxe model

Bill

The defrost blowing out of the top of the dash to the windshield, particularly the driver's side, is not very strong. In testing the fan, it blows strong to the heater core. However, the air coming out on the other side of the heater core is considerably weaker. From here the weak airstream simply continues to the windshield. So is this simply how the defrost works? I know where the airstream loses it power. It's when it hits that heater core. I realize the heater core will slow down the airstream to some extent. But to what extent I don't know. Is this to be expected, or is it possible that a clean, working heater core is somehow blocking the airstream more than it should?
Other things I have inspected: The outlets, on top of the dash, are clear and clean. Both air ducts are properly attached to the outlets and to the heater box. All deluxe heater controls work properly; fan (all three speeds), inside/outside air, temp., and defrost. The defrost flap inside the heater box works properly. The temp. valve in the heater box works properly. The heater core that was re-cored 5 years ago, is clean with no obstructions, and works fine. There are no obstruction anywhere, including before and after the fan. There are no coolant leaks.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
James

is this also a 59? wrong fan blade? air inlet closed? air out can only be as much as air in, the deluxe heater works best with air in from the vent on the side

Bill

Hello... took my "standard heater core" to the local radiator shop for pressure test. Failed. Getting recored for $208. Question: When I hook it up, how do I route the hoses? Water pump to? Thermostat to? One of the tubes from the core is crimped and one is wide open. Can I add a manual valve in the hoses to shut off water flow to the core in the summer time? Which side of the system should it be installed?

Thanks in advance!

-Michael

It really doesn't matter how the hoses are hooked up. The hoses and the header form a loop, and water will circulate through that loop as the water pump moves water through the engine. But you should have nipples attached to the motor that feed the heater, unless those have been removed.

Yes, you can add an inline manual valve to shut the water off in the summer.

Bev: What the Eagle said. As far as one tube "crimped", if you mean the tube sticking thru into the engine bay, uncrimp it/re-form it nice and attach hoses as described by Eagle. The nipples he speaks of are the pipe thread on one end, hose nipple on the other end type, as you probably know. Maybe add valve on the hose from pump, that could keep water out of core during summer better..

Thanks for this info... the "crimping" seems to be designed in and on-purpose to restrict the flow on one side only. I'm thinking that you might want the inflow to be slower than the outflow to reduce possibility of pressure in the core. Does my logic seem plausible?

no, not plausible, the "flow" is the same in the whole system, you can't make it come out faster than it goes in, pressure in the core is system pressure [7# cap max for 55-59] and both core tubes should be identical

Bill

BEV: They always get "crimped" from someone pinching the hose with pliers trying to get the hose loose. You need to make it round again. This is assuming your word "crimp" means squeezed to an oval shape or pinched shut. If you are describing something else you will have to be specific. They both have a retention/seal lip (bulge) on the end. Find out where he got the core. Never saw any for TF. Or is he "making" one? Did he actually find one yet? The source for that would be a great addition to this post.

This "crimping" is intentional and consists of four V shaped indents around the rim to change the cross section of the open end to a smaller opening. My local radiator shop built me a new one and used the old "frame" and tubes. I'll try to find a way to post some photos.

yes, photos would help, that's not factory, likely someones hack to make it fit the hoses they had

Bill

Stock 1959 tubes are .75 OD with .040 thick wall. Do the math for the ID and if you are close to that, you have close to stock.