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melissa33
Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2007
Posts: 12
Location: New Orleans
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 Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 11:54 am Post subject: heat/ac/power |
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Hello everyone!
While on vacation this summer I found a '74 Thing in Vegas and just had to have it. I'm a new Thing owner, though I have loved them for years, and have to admit I am not very mechanically inclined. Call me a wimp if you will, but my first priority is air conditioning. I don't know where to start and am looking for suggestions. Heat, while not at the top of the list, would be an added comfort!
Also, it is completely bare bones and doesn't have a lighter adaptor for plugging in anything. There is a hole in the dash that seems to be the right size for a lighter, but a mechanic told me it couldn't handle any extra power drawn away. I am not so sure about this or if he just didn't want to dive into connecting it. I miss my iPod! I've thought about getting a second battery to which I could connect my little electronic extras. Is this feasible?
Thanks in advance and I am thrilled to have found Samba!
melissa
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nwflvw
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2004
Posts: 78
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| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:21 pm Post subject: Heat AC |
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Hello. The cigarette lighters were dealer or owner installed. You can buy one from any parts house and run the wire over to the fused side of the hot wire in the fuse box. The generator can handle most anything you can plug into it. It would be a simple installation.
As far as AC. There were a few cars that had dealer installed AC units but they were never very practical in cooling a car with so many air leaks and no insulation.
There are aftermarket AC units made for the Beetle but not for a Thing. If you search you will eventually find a Thing under dash unit and condensor. I have owned several of them out of the 200 or so Things that I owned.
I would then contact I.C.E., Inc for one of their compressors and bracket kits. A good AC shop should be able to mate the items. You are probably going to spend in excess of $1500.
Best of luck with your new car. Vince (former owner of Things Unlimited) |
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bmwloco
Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2006
Posts: 1093
Location: Asheville NC
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| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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Putting an A/C in a Thing is kinda like building a damn with swiss cheese. It might work for a while...
Better bet? Get a bikini top to keep the sun off, and drive at a speed to keep the air moving. Even in the sweltering south, I found that to be enough.
Good luck! |
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melissa33
Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2007
Posts: 12
Location: New Orleans
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| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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i'm from New Orleans....we believe damn building with swiss cheese works 
thanks for the tips! i thought i might give this summer a go and just see how miserable it is. 
i am glad to know i can use a lighter adapter! at least i'll have my tunes in the heat. |
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GSD_Master
Samba Member
Joined: March 20, 2007
Posts: 138
Location: Arkansas
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| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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I have seen automobile air conditioners that work by simply plugging the unit into the cigarette lighter. I need to follow up on this one!
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Is that the new Hummer! |
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emersonbiggins
Samba Member
Joined: February 18, 2003
Posts: 1681
Location: Nebraska
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| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| GSD_Master wrote: |
| I have seen automobile air conditioners that work by simply plugging the unit into the cigarette lighter. I need to follow up on this one! |
The Koolatron?
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GPthing
Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2007
Posts: 54
Location: Pasadena, CA
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GSD_Master
Samba Member
Joined: March 20, 2007
Posts: 138
Location: Arkansas
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| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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| emersonbiggins wrote: |
| GSD_Master wrote: |
| I have seen automobile air conditioners that work by simply plugging the unit into the cigarette lighter. I need to follow up on this one! |
The Koolatron?
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The ones that I was thinking of are like what BRAIN posted. I think this is the website:
http://www.swampy.net/12vcombo.html
Where do we get the Koolatron and how does it work? It does not look like these ones.
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Is that the new Hummer! |
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colorider181
Samba Member
Joined: September 05, 2007
Posts: 39
Location: Fort Collins, CO
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npconnor
Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2007
Posts: 194
Location: Central Texas
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| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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Even with a hard top on, the air circulation is enough for me and I live in Texas. You get used to no music and no A/C after a while, don't worry about it! 
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'73 Thing
Austin Air-coolers Gang |
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Towel Rail
Horizontally Opposed
Joined: April 15, 2005
Posts: 4622
Location: SE CR IA US NA PE
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| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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VW *did* offer an air conditioner for the Thing, but an electric fan will give the most bang for the buck. 
- Scott
_________________
1974 Thing -- under the knife
1967 Beetle -- spring/summer/fall driver
1996 Subaru OBW (EJ22, 5-speed, AWD) -- winter car, 3-seasons "don't feel like biking today" car
049 > 070 > 053 > 009 |
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melissa33
Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2007
Posts: 12
Location: New Orleans
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:53 am Post subject: |
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| npconnor wrote: |
| Even with a hard top on, the air circulation is enough for me and I live in Texas. You get used to no music and no A/C after a while, don't worry about it! |
i don't have far at all to commute and it is a low speed limit street, but speeding tickets seem cheaper than air
do you do anything for heat? bundling up may work fine for me. it doesn't get terribly cold here.
thanks for all the tips! |
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74 Thing
Samba Member
Joined: September 02, 2004
Posts: 7390
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wackert
Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2005
Posts: 147
Location: Chehalis,WA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 2:33 pm Post subject: |
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well there also is a good system that ive used in a few cars its called the 2 70 unit. you roll down two windows and do 70 down the road works pretty good.  |
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Ian Epperson
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2005
Posts: 2262
Location: Alameda, CA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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| melissa33 wrote: |
do you do anything for heat? bundling up may work fine for me. it doesn't get terribly cold here. |
Heat is the easy question to solve - all Things came from the factory with a heating system, so it's just a matter of getting it in good repair.
The '74 came with a fresh air heating system. Output ducts on the left and right side of the engine fan shroud blow over heat exchangers on the exhaust system, then blow through ducting into the passenger cabin.
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VW-181 shirts and stickers.
http://ian.epperson.com/vw |
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melissa33
Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2007
Posts: 12
Location: New Orleans
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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| wackert wrote: |
| well there also is a good system that ive used in a few cars its called the 2 70 unit. you roll down two windows and do 70 down the road works pretty good. |
wow...your Thing does 70??
i think i may have a heater that isn't quite connected. if what i am about to describe is not a heater, please completely ignore this post (and my mechanical deficiency!)
underneath the back seats there are open tubes that seem to be blowers of some kind. in the trunk, on the right side, is a metal box with tubing that runs into the gas line. i probably should take a picture.
maybe we should have a newbie forum for pictures that say "what is this?" |
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Ian Epperson
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2005
Posts: 2262
Location: Alameda, CA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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| melissa33 wrote: |
| wow...your Thing does 70?? |
My Thing goes over 95! Haven't gone to 100 yet... too scary!
| melissa33 wrote: |
i think i may have a heater that isn't quite connected. if what i am about to describe is not a heater, please completely ignore this post (and my mechanical deficiency!)
underneath the back seats there are open tubes that seem to be blowers of some kind. in the trunk, on the right side, is a metal box with tubing that runs into the gas line. i probably should take a picture.
maybe we should have a newbie forum for pictures that say "what is this?" |
Just post it anywhere in this forum, and the expert team of ... ahem... I mean, the peanut gallery will comment on the photo.
It sounds like you're describing the heater stuff under the back seats, but the metal box in the right side of the trunk sounds odd. Perhaps the PO (Previous Owner) installed a gas heater as well?!? (The 73's do not use a fresh air heater, but instead use a gas fired furnace (BN4 heater) under the hood)
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VW-181 shirts and stickers.
http://ian.epperson.com/vw |
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Skorzeny's G Ride
Samba Member
Joined: July 10, 2007
Posts: 291
Location: Gods curse on humanity...The Arizona Desert
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:27 pm Post subject: .. |
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That could be quite useful in Arizona. Especially when its 115 in the summer. That would also be really useful in other situations. Fishing, camping, etc. Hmmm. Has anyone tried one of those yet.
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...70 type 181
...59 Beetle
...62 beetle baja (new) |
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Ian Epperson
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2005
Posts: 2262
Location: Alameda, CA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:34 pm Post subject: Re: .. |
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| Quote: |
| Draws less than 5 amps... does not pull power from engine |
5 AMPS!?! That's 60 watts - more than the headlights! You'd have to run new wires to safely pull that kind of load from your dashboard.
Hopefully he means significantly less than 5 amps... like maybe 2. Or maybe it's startup current.
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wackert
Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2005
Posts: 147
Location: Chehalis,WA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 11:32 pm Post subject: |
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| well i actually havent drove my car yet its still under resto but im pretty sure the motor i built for it will allow it to go 70 plus but thats what im hopin. its a 1915 |
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