Heater

[PH4]

I have a Smiths heater that I am thinking about installing but before I do so was curious if it is worth the trouble or should I wait and save up for a mansfield from RN. I am in Charleston, SC so the winters are mild. Any experience/thoughts. Also, if I go the Mansfield route is there anyway to install in IIA without cuting hole in side panel?

[yorker]

Which Smiths do you have?

[PH4]

Round type

[luckyjoe]

As always, my first suggestion is to look for a Kodiak Mk.III or Mk.IV. If your truck didn't come with one, I wouldn't wast time with the round smiths. I have no experience with the Mansfield heater, and I've heard they perform well, but they are big bucks.

The kodiak Mk.IV has the fan mounted in the engine bay, with the fresh air intake routed to the front grill. This arrangement provides a forced fresh air feed. I use this as the 'low-speed' and it keeps the interior of my 109 really toasty. Flick on the fan and the heat is overwhelming. No intake hole in the wing either, so maybe you could do similar with the Mansfield...

Regards,

[yorker]

The round Smiths is probably the polar opposite of the Mansfield heater. In South Carolina it might be adequate though and if you have it you may as well use it.

If you find it is too little for your uses you can always use it as an auxiliary heater, and there are a lot of other options out there besides the Mansfield one too.

[PH4]

I am mostly concerned with the defrost/mist aspect of the front windshield, although, a little heat would not hurt a few days out of the year. My daily driver, 1972 109 SW, is stock with virtually no PO modifications and I am always reluctant to install something unless it is truly worth it. I was under the impression that Kodiaks were almost impossible to find and if you did were as expensive as Mansfield.

[luckyjoe]

Kodiaks may not show-up on eblag, or the 4-sale boards, but they are out there - usually sitting in an unused truck. I used to search for them regularly and a few good examples would turn up every year.

It takes persistence, but it's worth it. In my 109 softtop, in single-digit winter temps, I have to take off my jacket, hat and gloves. Pleanty of heat to the back as well and it keeps the screens clear of snow & ice. Running topless in cold weather, it's really nice to have the hot air across your feet and legs...

Regards,

[Tim Smith]

I've got one of the square shin-burners in the middle as well as an aftermarket heater for the passenger side. In combination, they are good at warming up my 88" (uninsulated hardtop) truck. But when you are on the highway making your way up to Maine, in February for WR, well everything freezes.

The flow is poor enough such that there isn't much of anything happening by the time the air makes it from the heater, through those tubes and then is lightly puffed onto the windscreen.

I gotta say that the square shin-burner is pretty awful and is hardly worth installing as a stand alone heater. Don't know about the round one.

That's my $.02

[yorker]

Someone recently had a Kodiak for sale for $30, I almost bought it as a spare but didn't need it.

For the windshield you can always get heated glass...

[SweetPear]

PH4,

Not sure if a heater assembly will fit your IIA from a III (1973) but I will be removing one since it will be just an accessory that isn't needed. I am not that close but not that far away either. About 1 hour north from Charlotte NC on 85. If you think you can use it, drop me a PM or post back here and we can work something out.

Chad