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Fri Dec 13, 2024 3:20 am

Looking through the ankle vents and down the defroster tube openings I notice there are baffles directing the air through the heater channels. How far rearward do they extend from the defroster tubes? The reason I ask is that I'm installing a diesel heater up front and am running the hot air in the opposite direction through the channels. I'd like to cut a pair of new vents into the channel just behind the front seats.

Fri Dec 13, 2024 6:06 am

I’m 63% sure that the heated air runs in a metal tube inside what is always called the heater channels. That may not be true for aftermarket “heater channels”, but when I restored my first 67, I had to repair a rust hole in the bottom of the driver side channel, and I could see inside there. I was surprised to learn that there is a tube inside the channel that is actually where the air goes.

Maybe what I remember seeing was just part of the short tube that directs air to the heater channel from under the back seat, and doesn’t actually run the whole way forward. The rust hole was toward the back of the heater channel, so it’s possible that’s what I remember seeing. It’s been 25-30 years ago, which is why I’m not 100% sure!

Someone here will know for sure. You might edit your post to show what year your car is. Maybe VW did it different over time.

Fri Dec 13, 2024 8:17 am

see this thread - https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9990308

the inner tube runs from the rear inlet to the front

you will have trouble feeding anything into it - if you remove the bottom plate then you can replace the inner heater tubes - this guy used 2" dia galvanised tubing

Fri Dec 13, 2024 8:20 am

aquifer wrote: I’m 63% sure that the heated air runs in a metal tube inside what is always called the heater channels.

Someone here will know for sure. You might edit your post to show what year your car is. Maybe VW did it different over time.

Right you are about me needing to specify the year, it's a 1960. I did notice that our '70 Beetle does have round tubes running through the heater channels. I guess I should ask; in the earlier years did they have these separate heating tubes?

Fri Dec 13, 2024 9:06 am

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=493257
The thread above is a heater channel replacement on a 60 Cabriolet.
It should be the same for your 60 sedan. Scroll down and you can see the remnants of the rusted out inner heat transfer tube.

Fri Dec 13, 2024 9:12 am

dec 56 was the introduction of the inner heater tubes