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Tue Sep 21, 2004 8:45 am

most likly this is a repetitive question, but here goes...

On a 57, is there an internal heater tube as with the 66 within the channel or it it hollow? I need to replace the rear 12 inches of bottom plate on the passenger side channel and was curious at to what I'll see when I do.

Thanks

Tue Sep 21, 2004 9:00 am

There is nothing inside. The heat tube enters the channel and just ends.

Tue Sep 21, 2004 9:03 am

Thanks for the info...

Mon Oct 09, 2006 3:09 am

Ok so this answers my question regarding a separate heater tube running inside a 56' heater channel - it seems an odd design as the air enters and fills up the rear of the channel rather than being directed solely towards the front where its needed. I'm wondering if I can insert a flexible tube/pipe inside to help the air go forward.

CS 101

Mon Oct 09, 2006 4:09 am

cyberdyne systems 101 wrote: Ok so this answers my question regarding a separate heater tube running inside a 56' heater channel - it seems an odd design as the air enters and fills up the rear of the channel rather than being directed solely towards the front where its needed. I'm wondering if I can insert a flexible tube/pipe inside to help the air go forward.

CS 101

I would think that the air would flow to the front to escape.

Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:38 am

cyberdyne systems 101 wrote: Ok so this answers my question regarding a separate heater tube running inside a 56' heater channel - it seems an odd design as the air enters and fills up the rear of the channel rather than being directed solely towards the front where its needed. I'm wondering if I can insert a flexible tube/pipe inside to help the air go forward.

CS 101

That would serve little purpose. The channel when sound is sealed tightly, so the only air outlets are at the front near your feet and the defroster vents. The problem is that the entire channel is uninsulated and so the air can cool off during its travel from the rear to the front. In order to make any difference with the heat, you would need to have the channels opened up from the bottom and insert an insulated tube with some sort of apparatus at the front to split up the flow of air.

Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:59 am

well i know the pre 58 channels should not have anything extra inside.

But what about this i found in my 56 Cabrio channels?

It works like separate heaterchannel, but i guess its there to strenghten it.

Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:22 pm

FWIW, MY March of 57 oval DOES have an internal tube within the heater channel. It runs the entire length of the channel. The car had not been apart prior to my restoration work. I remember Progressive refinements mentioning this but I could be wrong.
Peter

Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:26 pm

yes, after Aug. '55 the channels have an extra heat channel inside them, if the heat outlets have the chicken wire screens the rocker channels are hollow, if the outlets are louvered they have the extra internal tubes, one reason '56> are heavier than <'55s

Wed Oct 11, 2006 4:16 pm

My March 56 car does not have an internal tube.
Is it possible that the tube was added when the outlet was moved back for the 57 model year?
What does Progressive Refinements say?

Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:48 pm

Quoted from the 1952-57 Bentley Manual:

"On Dec 19th, 1956, Chassis No. 1 385 974, the hot air passage on the VW Sedan and Convertible was modified to make the heating system more effective.

The heated air is now guided through a duct enclosed in each of the two body side members (sills) up to the junction of the windshield defroster vents and the outlets at the foot level in the front compartment. The ducts, consisting of two halves, are dip-coated for rust protection prior to being spot-welded into the body side members.

The improved heating can be identified externally by the outlets in the front being arranged further towards the rear."

My Jan. 56 Beetle don't have the internal tubes.

Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:06 pm

so my early 57, with the heat outlet up by the firewall should have no internal tube?

Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:25 pm

thanks for the correction 56ovalbug so to answer the original posters question, you will probably see a rusted heat tube inside of your rusted channel, I completely replaced both of the channels on my '55 last year, I used the cheap hollow channels without the heat tubes, I need to do the same work on my '54 one of these days but I have had a hard time finding the hollow channels, BFY has been saying they are back ordered for about 2 years now, I may have to buy the later ones and modify them to look something like the original ones, would be a lot of work to remove the heat tubes from a new channel

Thu Oct 12, 2006 1:15 am

This explains why my 57' was superior in the heating department!

CS 101

Thu Oct 12, 2006 2:27 am

billmetric wrote: I have had a hard time finding the hollow channels

CIP1 hes them:

http://www.cip1.ca/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC%2D111%2D801%2D045%2DD

http://www.cip1.ca/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC%2D111%2D801%2D046%2DD

They call them 'econo' because there is no inner heater tube. These look closer to the earlier style one as well.

Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:19 am

I bought mine from a swedish company Classic VW up North

But they are supposed to be Brazilian.

No holes
No bulges
No heaterchannel.

Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:03 am

Lars B wrote: I bought mine from a swedish company Classic VW up North

But they are supposed to be Brazilian.

No holes
No bulges
No heaterchannel.

Ooh, are those available in the US anywhere? Anyone know??

Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:30 am

They have this label on the, maybe it can help

Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:49 am

IGP channels are the same ones that have been recommended for quite a long time as the closest match. The front heat outlet still requires grafting.

Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:57 am

Major Woody wrote: The front heat outlet still requires grafting.

Of course if it is going in a split you just need to cut a round hole in the correct spot, a hole on the top for the defroster hose and a hole (oval shaped?) in the back for the tube under the seat.

Chris