Hi all!

Any advice on which heater motor is best to use on a scratch locust build?? want to ensure the wife can remain warm whilst out and about.........mostly lol! I plan on using an mx5 as my donor, has anyone fitted an mx5 heater motor before??? Any help/advice would be great, my dads uses a classic mini heater and that seems pretty good................

Size of the unit will be the biggest issue. The mini one is popular for that reason. Earlyish Polo units are fairly compact as well (I'll find some pictures later).

Polo heater...

[IMG]http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z282/adrianthorp/fury089-1.jpg[/IMG ]


[Edited on 6/2/16 by adithorp]

hi this is what I have,

http://www.t7design.co.uk/index.php/heating/heaters/2-2kw-micro-heater-12v.html

I took the cone off and made a box with 4 outlets(have a screen) or if no screen 2 outlets ued a couple of ball vents to the footwell and plumbed in to the rear of engine. made up a box for the front open at the top and a drain hole at the bottom, fitted it on the back of the bulkhead with about 10 10mm holes in a subtle pattern through the scuttle top. As you are not allowed to vent engine air into the cabin (iva regs)
It may be small but it puts out quite a bit of warmth and it "will show that you do care and love and consider your other half" oh and also give you kudos for those upgrades later on

Joking apart my own I wanted a car that I can abuse and WE can tour in so you are right to consider these things now,
also the reason I used westy sports seat rather than shell type

[Edited on 6/2/16 by garyt]

[Edited on 6/2/16 by garyt]

are you planning windscreen or no screen as if you are then you will also need to allow room for all the gubbins under the scuttle to.

Oh just a note ; and the mx5 loom wiper socket plugs straight into a '72 mgb wiper motor you just need to add an earth wire and adjust the spiral drive lengths

This is great. Thank you for the info!! and yes, i am planning on having a windscreen.

if you look through my photo archive you will see pictures of how I did the screen and I appreciate "there are many ways to skin a cat", but I used a wide body westfield screen and supports with some fettling to fit the scuttle shape also (not done yet) but I have a westy fw hood that I am looking to adapt/fit with a different roll hoop again to make the touring a bit more practical, I will have that , success or failure in my build thread once done
Sorry I don't have any pics of the heater installation and its buried now
good luck with the build

I tried a mini heater, but it took up too much space. In the end I bought one from T7 Design. The matrix is only 6 inches square, it is simple to fit and has 5 outlets. It works a treat, 2 outlets each side and a top one for demister.

I fancy fitting theses... eBay Linky

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Originally posted by johnemms
I fancy fitting theses... eBay Linky

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My mum always said I would get piles sitting on cold walls etc , she may have been right? Have a look at the SVC and Car builders solutions websites for small heaters

Seat heaters are ok, but they won't clear your windscreen (which you'll need for IVA). And judging by the size of the MX5 heater I removed, it's not something you'd want to reuse!

I'm planning on using the mini heater, but cutting the front off and welding the flap shut. Then fitting the switchable y splitters that CBS do to the side outputs for cockpit or demister vents.

Just be aware that the smallest heaters are not inline (with a fresh air feed) so if you have the heater in the engine bay you'll end up sucking engine bay fumes into the cockpit. Any oil mist from breather vents will create fun and games. I've pretty much making my own- lighter than the lightest micro heater but fresh air feed....

My T7 heater is on the tunnel below the dash with the lower outlet aimed at my knees. So takes the air from the cockpit. I take care not to fart as they would get re-cycled!

You just have to hope a hot water hose doesn't pop off with that arrangement.....

Another one for T7 design; tried a mini one and its just too large. The T7 one is very compact, and whilst I cannot yet speak for it's effectiveness the customer service with them was good.
T7 also do output valves; I'm using these for an on/off on the legs.

[Edited on 6/2/16 by Badger_McLetcher]

Someone posted some photos of scolding injuries caused by an internal heater hose bursting a few years ago so whatever you do be careful . I find the best heater is that big bright thing we sometimes see in the sky and yes I have driven my car all year round

I had a mini heater in mine. Installed through the firewall with most of it in the engine bay. Picked up fresh air with an elbow through the top of the passenger side footwell top. Worked like a champ even in icy cold conditions. Also didn't have a heater valve, but had it permanently plumbed in with a pwm fan controller to control the amount of heat. There might be pics in my archive...