Installing a Heater in STALKERV6 #29

It seems a shame to relegate #29 to merely guarding the interior of the shop during the winter months instead of romping over the byways of north Alabama. The Stalker is a drafty ride that is very tolerable in warm climes, but the blast from the slipstream quickly becomes uncomfortable once the mercury begins its slide downward. The first step in preparing the Stalker for winter duty was the installation of doors and windows. This addition greatly contributed to the comfort of the car on chilly rides.

Even though a heater in an open car may seem pointless, the cabin of #29 when buttoned up with the doors and windows was cozy enough to entertain thoughts of a heater to take the edge off winter's chill. This was somewhat of a roll of the dice since the only way to really test the effectiveness of a heater in my car was to actually install one! Knowing that the heater installation might turn out to be a failed effort, I still was intrigued with the idea enough to begin research on available heaters. One avenue was to raid the junkyard for a suitable core and motor and cobble together some sort of mongrel heater. A better option was to check out auxiliary heaters often used in boats, farm equipment, and vehicles that didn't originally have a heater.

By looking in some street rod catalogs and on the internet, several possibilities were found. They ranged from 12,000 BTU all the way up to 45,000 BTU. I really had no idea what rating was going to be necessary to heat the cabin of the Stalker so heater selection was somewhat of a guessing game. It was also essential that the unit fit within the limited space of the Stalker. I relocated the coolant recovery bottle to a location adjacent to the radiator so the firewall shelf would be available for the heater. The unit I settled on is manufactured by Heater Craft and is marketed primarily for marine use. The model number is 1102H and is rated at 28,000 BTU. It has a three-speed squirrel cage blower and comes with two air outlets which suits the Stalker installation very nicely. It so happens that J.C. Whitney, provider of all things weird in the motor vehicle world, stocks this heater for $189.95, considerably less than Heater Craft's list price.

Here is what is included with the heater kit. I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of the vent hose and the vent box. Also included are mounting brackets, wiring and fan switch, and hardware with an installation booklet.

The vent box was an especially nice surprise. I had resigned myself to fabricating some sort of vents for the interior of the car but this little puppy took care of all the venting needs. One of the requirements I had for the heater installation was the venting of hot air into both footwells of the car. I realize some heater installations in sports cars are only for the sometimes very important passenger, but I wanted a comfortable driver as well!

The swiveling vents were secured to the box with retainer rings which had been glued in place. However, after some judicious prying with a small screwdriver, the glue popped loose and I was able to unscrew the rings and remove the vents from the box. The box was then cannibalized (guess the heater wasn't going to be returned to J.C. Whitney at that point.....) and square mounting plates for the vents were cut out of the box.

Holes were cut in the upper firewall above each footwell for the vents, and the mounting plates were used to dress up the vent installations. This is the passenger side: on the left is a 12v accessory power outlet, and the red knob is the heater valve control. A vent is also located above the driver's pedal box. This provides a huge, adjustable stream of air to be directed toward the legs and torso of the occupants.

The switch for the three-speed fan was mounted on the transmission tunnel cover just under the ignition switch. All necessary wiring and connectors are included in the heater kit.

This is the overall view of the heater installation. The heater core with fan is mounted on the firewall shelf with ducting to each vent. It would be customary to provide a fresh air source for the fan intake, but since this is an open car with adequate (!!) ventilation I felt that the underhood air supply would be satisfactory as long as no annoying fumes were pulled into the car. A bonus of this arrangement is the air is preheated in the engine compartment. Road tests have proved that the air is sufficiently fresh with no unpleasant fumes. Clamps were made up from scrap aluminum to secure the long hose to the firewall and it was routed so it would stay clear of the throttle pedal.

Hoses connect the core with the manifold and water pump connections on the engine and water flow is controlled by a valve.

The heater valve was purchased at Advance Auto Parts, and is Factory Air #74627. The valve allows for "pull for heat" action of the cabin control knob, and is installed between the intake side of the core and the intake manifold water outlet and mounted on a bracket that bolts to the head.

The remotely controlled valve is probably overkill since it will likely stay full open in winter. It would be simple to merely open the hood and shut a manual valve on warm days, but running the control cable was an easy task and adds refinement to the installation.

Once the water temp comes up to 180 degrees, the heater produces a prodigious amount of heat! The fan delivers a substantial flow of air on "Low", and practically a typhoon on "High". The first test drive occurred on an unusually balmy day in the 60's, and the heater produced enough BTU's to nearly force me out of the car. The heater will obviously be more severely tested on colder days, but I am confident that it will make a substantial difference in the comfort level of the Stalker during the winter months.

I know........I'm a wimp. Real sports car enthusiasts mummify themselves in multiple layers of apparel and go forth to tempt the winter weather gods. But, I rather enjoy the thoughts of tooling around the countryside in normal cloths, basking in the warm, tropical breeze wafting from under the instrument panel.

Epilogue: The heated Stalker now has accumulated a good number of miles in various winter temps. In my opinion, the heater is best suited to taking the edge off days that would normally be too chilly to enjoy. In temps down to the lower 50F's, the heater in combination with the doors allows comfortable drives while wearing a light jacket, and maybe light gloves. When the temps drop into the 40's and lower, it is necessary to wear heavy clothes which in turn insulate you from the heater!

The heater has been a successful installation since it has extended the driving season by a significant amount. When it is really cold, the car stays in the garage, but the heater allows comfortable drives in temps ~25 degrees lower than would otherwise be desirable.

Return to StalkerV6 Front page