TheSamba.com :: View topic - heater box cables too short? 68 pan 70 vert. body

Mon Nov 02, 2009 1:58 pm

as the subject says... i have a 68 pan with a 70 vert. body, yes it's a mutt but it works 8^)

any way my daughter is driving it and once the cold snap hit she asked for some heat. having owned many vw's this is the first that i have actually hooked the heat up in. after getting all my pipes/hoses hooked up i went to hook up the heaterboxes the cables and it seems that even with the heater lever down all the way the cables are just long enough to hold the boxes open wide- is that normal? is there an adjustment on the heater box?

I wired then full open for now... but would like to get it right eventually.

thanks-

Mon Nov 02, 2009 7:41 pm

The new ones I bought for my 73 were a little short but I made some longer end pieces that connect to the lever arms and cable ends and they work ok now.

Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:14 pm

when you say 'made longer end pieces'... any special way or method?

i have been considering just placing a few twists of bailing wire behind the fat end of the cable that is supposed to get clamped- then looping that through the lever on the heater box. ?

thanks for the reply.

Mon Nov 02, 2009 9:27 pm

Either you have too short of heater cables, or 1968-71 bus HEs which connect up to the cables upward farther.
Got image/s of where the cables connect to the HEs???

Mon Nov 02, 2009 9:43 pm

VW moved the shifter and handbrake several times so there are several different legnths heater cables. You can get the proper cables of just extend what you have. Personally I use a coat hanger and bent the cable end (nipple snipped off) all the way over into a tight J and do the same with the coat hanger then overlap each J so the wont fall apart and clamp the coat hanger into the barrel nut.

Tue Nov 03, 2009 8:10 am

i'll see about getting a pic... not sure i can get the daughter to stop driving it long enough to get one these days...

looks like i may just use a little shade tree engineering... not like its in perfect shape so we shall see...

thanks for the confirmation of length variation...

Wed Nov 04, 2009 8:00 pm

Get me some pics so I can see if they are the same and I'll make you some extensions for yours like I did mine.

Thu Nov 05, 2009 9:33 am

MachinemanDavid wrote: Get me some pics so I can see if they are the same and I'll make you some extensions for yours like I did mine.

ah.. i see now.. machine man... 8^)

i am guessing you turned some extensions- then maybe used a set screw to attach to the existing cable end?

ahhh i wish i had the tools for that...

i'll see about a pic this weekend if i can get the daughter to park the car long enough...

what is the going rate for cable extensions?

thanks by the way...