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Mon Jul 21, 2003 9:38 pm

I've got the body off of my '56 beetle and replacing any rusted metal. I'm not going to have heaters at all in the car, and don't ever plan to. Do I still need to have heater channels in the car for support? I have heard that they are used for structural support and don't want to weaken the car. Can I replace them with something else(raw metal), and avoid buying expensive heater channels?

Eric(Kolapi)

Mon Jul 21, 2003 10:11 pm

You would have an easier time putting in real- aftermarket (or NOS)- heater channels, as they are the right shape and bend. I wouldn't consider them expensive either... The cost of restoring a 56 should be what is expensive!
Heater channels make up a huge portion of the strength in a bug, as the pan bolts directly to them... A convertible even more so!

Tue Jul 22, 2003 10:31 am

And besides, even if you don't want heat, the person you sell it to may. Since you've gone to all the trouble to take the body off, put in new heater channels now while it's easier. Otherwise, unless you don't tell the buyer there's no heat, you're going to get less for the car when you sell.

Tue Jul 22, 2003 1:50 pm

Kolapi,
A 56 doesn't have heater tubes in the channels anyway. If they're rusty at all, they must be repaired or replaced. In any restoration I recommend coating the inside of these channels with POR-20 or Extend, even if there isn't visible rust on the outside. The inside will be rusted due to the cumulative effects of condensation and poor priming at the factory.
Heater channels aren't expensive. Can you post some photos, maybe I can help you decide what to do. I have a 56 and have done this repair on both sides.

Major Woody
Portland, OR JHC

Tue Jul 22, 2003 3:53 pm

There aren't heater tubes in the channels? I haven't got the bottom of the rocker off yet, but it looks like it has 'em. I'm used to a '64 and was thinking along those lines. I just thought I'd add some raw comparable metal for support. The rocker is in good shape. Is there anything in there that I should be aware of?

This car is going to be a custom car that has high sentimental value and will never be sold(I'm sure no ones ever said that before!). 8)

Thanks, Kolapi

Wed Jul 23, 2003 9:41 am

On a 56, the tube which brings heated air into the cabin at the rear ends about an inch inside the heater channel, after it passes through the little fuzz-and-burlap muffler thing. In the front, the corrugated metal defroster tube enters a round hole at the top of the channel within the "A" pillar, right behind your lower hinge plate. Once inside the channel, a length of about six inches of it is bent backwards 90 degrees and held to the top of the channel with a cm wide, 8 cm long strap. Then it ends. Usually these tubes rust completely away where they enter the channel.

Inside the channel on a 56 there is NO tube for the heat. The uninsulated channel itself carries the heat. Later they added an inner tube. I don't remember when.

On my car, water had gotten into both channels for years through missing running board mount bolts and a leaky hood seal (not my fault!). So, most of the rust was in bottom plate of the channels. I ground through each of the gazillion welds holding the bottom plate to the heater channel. Removed the bottom plates, cleaned up the flange, patched up the perforations in the rest of the channels, rustproofed the inside of the channels, replaced the corrugated metal defrost tubes, and then plug welded new bottoms onto the channels. Then I drilled a little hole in the top of each channel where the carpet will cover, and funneled a pint of POR15 into each side and tipped the shell forward, left, back, right, and forward again to disperse the material. After it dried, I chased the threads in the captive nuts for the pan bolts. I would still say this is a better repair than replacing the channels outright, as long as the rest of the channels are pretty much intact. I can't see why you would want to just use plain sheet steel when replacement channel bottoms are readily available and once in place, look correct.

Chris
JHC

Wed Jul 23, 2003 8:56 pm

I might not have said it correctly. I was talking about replacing the inner tubes that carry the heat. I would leave the channel bottoms stock. I just thought I would beef it up a bit by adding some "roll bar" quality tubes inside for strength. Is this gonna cause any problems with anything else in the car? I'm assuming that a stiffer body is better? Any thoughts?

FYI - I used to have heaters in my 64 Beetle but, they weren't any good during midwest winters. All they ever did was melt the snow on the floor turning it into a two inch thick block of ice! I sealed, resealed and tweaked these heaters as much as I could. I sealed any drafts that I could find. I put up with no heat for so long that I just installed j-tubes and blocked the rear holes. Once I removed the heaters, the floor was cold but body heat warmed the rest of the interior. I also adapted a defroster to clear the windows. Problems solved. This car(the '56) will not be driven in the winter months. Strictly a fair weather toy. 8)

Eric(Kolapi)

Thu Jul 24, 2003 9:37 am

Ok Eric one more time repeating this and then I'm gonna go insane

THERE ARE NO HEAT TUBES INSIDE THE HEATER CHANNELS ON A 56

So you're saying you want to rip open perfectly good heater channels just to weld tube steel inside for crash protection, then weld on new channel bottoms?Personally I think this would be a total waste of time. If you spend your time goofing around with things like this, you'll never complete the restoration. If you want to add a bit of side impact protection, put impact bars in your doors about 24" off the ground. That's where a car bumper will hit you. A bug is terrible for safety anyway.

The heaters (particularly 62 and later fresh air heaters) put out a LOT of heat when in good repair. If you weren't getting any heat, I wonder whether your thermostat flaps were in place and properly adjusted, and what condition your heater boxes were in. The heater in my 64 would roast my feet off.

Fri Jul 25, 2003 4:45 am

I've heard the heaters are real good in a bugs, my whole life. I've never seen it in real life. They work great till the temps drop below freezing. I just want to KEEP the body straight, no safety concerns.

Eric