Currently available late model heater channel comparison

[MrVWGuy]

Alright, this may not not be a very exciting update, but I believe it will at least be informative. If you have followed this thread at all you are aware that last summer I purchased some heater channels from a very well-like supplier for my '73 standard build. The quality of these heater channels was so poor that it stopped my project dead in it's tracks. I absolutely refused to weld them into my car. So I reviewed my options, and had hoped to procure a set of OG heater channels cut out of a donor car. There were a few available, but the shipping cost I was quoted was ridiculous. So I did some reading, and found a number of people who had said Klokkerholm heater channels were very poor quality, but a company named Dansk made some that were better. I located them at CIP1.com, and when they went on sale I ordered a pair. They arrived today & I am very happy to report the quality is much, much better than what I had. Let's start with the metal thickness. The Klokkerholms' top section measured in at ~.032" thick:

The Dansk however measured in at the OG thickness of ~.045":

The bottom plate of the Klokkerholm measured in at ~.032":

While the Dansk bottom plate is a very impressive ~.055"!!:

The difference in thickness of these parts was impressive. But the difference in total weight was borderline shocking. The Klokkerholm channels weighed in at 11 lbs:

The Dansk however weigh in at an impressive 15.5 lbs! That's 41% heavier!!!

That translates to 41% stronger.
Take a look at the difference in the stamping quality:

I doubt I have to say at this point which is which.
I've saved what I believe to be the most important for last. Take a look at this:

That's is the inside of the heater channel pictured from the back. Notice it's bare metal. How long till it starts to rust from the inside out? Not long. Now look at this one:

It's been E-coated. (read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrophoretic_deposition)
Bare metal, only sprayed from the outside:

E-coated:

Bare internal metal:

E-coated:

I laid a channel down on my chassis (OG pans mind you) and it laid nice & flat & all of the threaded insert holes lined up perfectly with the pan holes.
I was only able to find info one these two manufacturers for late model beetle heater channels. I know Gerson is working on earlier beetle heater channels, but I don't know of any other manufacturers for the late models. If there are in fact others, feel free to share that information. I look forward to finally restarting my project with these heater channels. Thanks for looking.
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'63 Bus (camper of unknown origin)
'62 Beetle
'68 Kombi
'76 Westfalia camper, the wife's

[jeff plock]

i see the handy dandy car stand is doing its job havent been doing anything on mine moved to colorado now i gotta rejet the carbs good luck jeff
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[conrad1468]

WOW!! Awesome write up on the channels. A lot of good info!! Thank you
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[Motomazzo]

Yep. I found out about Dansk after it was too late. Best channels on the market besides Gersons. I would buy them and put them in any car without hesitation. Very nice comparison and thank you for the pics.
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[Glenn73]

Kicking an old thread.

If you are buying sheet metal Klokkerholm is... okay. But getting heater channels...? Get Dansk.
I recently got a set of Dansk channels from CIP1.
Mine are for a Super and they are nice and heavy and have almost no wrinkles in the stamping at all.
And they measure in at .056" for the bottom and .045" for the top.
So for Super or Standard the quality is there.
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[blienemann]

I also opted for the Dansk heater channels and was very please at the quality. I have a cheaper welder and had no issues with burn through on these since the metal is a thicker. Not to mention they have very clean lines.
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[vwpolo1]

A great read shall never buy them again.

[wcfvw69]

Great job writting this up! This is the kind of info that is so helpful for others when deciding where to buy parts. Good job.

It was disappointing to see Wolfsburg West on the cheap heater channels. I'm surprised they'd sell such a poor product.
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[striider]

Man, those Dansk are the way to go. Did I see rust already on the inside shot on the Dansk though? Look at the rear duct- its wide open along the seam on the Kraphammer ones - WOW!

[ADDA]

I know this is an old post but its always relevant as long we are restoring Beetles. I've been looking for good quality heater channels and all I could find in the UK was klokkercrap so I searched for Dansk ones and found some at Machine 7 let's hope they are good quality or they will be going back and a big thank you for the advice.
Which leads me to thinking the popularity of Beetles has given us an oversupply of substandard and pure quality parts I've had some crap including repop winders that broke in half when I tried to wind the window so the advice is do your research and don't put up with crap. Beetles were simple machines robust and well built or VW wouldn't of sold them in there millions so it's only right we restore them with quality products

[green1303]

If you want the best and don't care what it costs, German Memminger heater channels are available.

http://www.feine-cabrios.de

Standard 69-up
https://www.csp-shop.com/en/body/heater-channel-69-top-quality-801-045-111lo-25407a.html

Super
https://www.csp-shop.com/en/body/heater-channel-top-quality-801-045-113lo-25409c.html

Or buy Klassicfab for earlier models. JP Group heater channels have good metal thickness but B-grade stamping and manufacture.
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1973 green Super Beetle

[SdAufKla]

So, are the Dansk heater channels for 1970 standard Beetle available from anyone in the US as of June, 2018?

I've searched all of the vendor websites that I have bookmarked, and none seem to have them. Lots of vague "imported from Denmark" statements (which I assume means Klokkerholm) with only CIP-1 honest enough to state the manufacturer.

Any leads for these Dansk (JP Group) heater channels?

TIA!

[67ctbug]

[SdAufKla]

[green1303]

JP Group has several brands including Dansk, Jopex, and Classic. The so-called “deluxe” heater channels that CIP1 sells are technically Jopex brand rather than Dansk, but they come from the same place. Here is another source.

http://usstore.concept1.ca/Heat-Chann.-69-77-LH-DLX-%28951200-1-DK%29-951200-1-DK-34791/

http://usstore.concept1.ca/Heat-Chann.-69-77-RH-DLX-%28951200-2-DK%29-951200-2-DK-34788/

http://www.jpgroupclassic.com/productview.aspx?ID=8181800970

http://www.jpgroupclassic.com/productview.aspx?ID=8181800980

JP Group is a manufacturer and wholesaler, but they do not do retail sales to individual customers. Shops are often prickly about naming their wholesalers unless they have a good reason to do so, because a competitor could benefit from that information. Also, JP Group is a B-grade manufacturer, neither great nor terrible, and usually not the best available option. I have three or four JP Group parts on my car out of 406 replaced, and I regret two of them. The German Memminger heater channels for 68-up Beetles and Super Beetles are much more expensive and seem to be rarely used in the U.S.
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1973 green Super Beetle

[wcfvw69]

Having replaced a heater channel on my 69 with an after market part, I'd go to the classifieds on this site. Look for someone in the dry SW USA parting out a bug. Have them cut off the heater channel and ship it to you.

I'd never fit an aftermarket one again when I can get my hands on the real deal, even used.
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Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc

40+ years of VW repair, and VW parts and vehicle restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.

**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
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[SdAufKla]

Thanks, green1303 and wcfvw69. I appreciate the info and suggestions!

I knew that Dansk didn't actually manufacturer the parts, but rather just sold them as one of the JP Group brands, but it does help to know who the actual manufacturer is.

I should have dug a little deeper with Concept 1. Although I had them bookmarked, I've never done any business with them, so I failed to check their site.

I've actually purchased parts from different vendors that were manufactured by the same company with some of the parts sold as JP Group brands and others just "generic" from the vendor.

Most recently I installed all new brake parts on my project with some of the parts coming from one vendor, labeled and sold as JP Group "Classic" parts, and manufactured by a company in Poland along with other parts from another vendor made by the same Polish manufacturer but not boxed or labeled as "Classic."

The situation with trying to determine the origin and quality of air cooled VW parts is confusing, to say the least. Vendors who do provide the information on their manufacturers have an advantage over others in my book. When I get parts from a highly regarded vendor that are the same as those I get from another vendor that has been open about the source of those parts, I'll tend to go back to the second vendor because I have more confidence in exactly what I'm getting. A vendor's reputation only matters as far as my perceptions once I've done some business with them. I might pay up a premium price based on reputation the first time I do business with them, but if they're charging more for the same parts as another vendor that's open about the source of those parts... then their "reputation charge" doesn't cut it anymore.

In so far as the German manufactured heater channels, if I've looked at the same ones, the price, around Euro 1,500 each, makes them an uneconomical choice.

With shipping, that would be about US$3500 for heater channels on a car that won't be worth much more than US$6-7000 when completed. I'm sure the quality is unparalleled, but spending that much makes no sense on the project I'm working on.

[67ctbug]

[Volks Wagen]

[green1303]

Has anyone seen or installed a Klokkerholm heater channel that was manufactured after March 2015? See this link.

https://www.cagero.com/dl/modell/30363/Neue%20Heizkanaele_EN.pdf

I have worked with JP Group heater channels and found them to be B grade, while the old Klokkerholm ones were clearly garbage. I was wondering if anyone has seen the new ones and could compare them to the JP Group heater channels. I have read elsewhere that the JP Group heater channels are still heavier.
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1973 green Super Beetle