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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 4808
Location: Bemidji, MN
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 Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:51 am Post subject: Re: BrassWorks heater core unique and made in USA |
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| 16CVs wrote: |
I’ve never seen a factory Vanagon core fail. Save your money and put a new windshield in, they get a lot more abuse than a heater core.
Stacy |
i'm at 100% failure on my '87 and the '89. not outright gushers, but smelly leakage.
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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vanis13
Samba Member
Joined: August 15, 2010
Posts: 3107
Location: ABQ NM USA.... Except when not
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| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2024 11:08 am Post subject: Re: BrassWorks heater core unique and made in USA |
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| DanHoug wrote: |
| 16CVs wrote: |
I’ve never seen a factory Vanagon core fail. Save your money and put a new windshield in, they get a lot more abuse than a heater core.
Stacy |
i'm at 100% failure on my '87 and the '89. not outright gushers, but smelly leakage. |
My factory one smells of coolant also this interested in these reports
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83.5 Westy with Subaru 2.5, 4 spd manual, center seat, COLD A/C on 134a!, Winter camp heated with an Espar B4 gasoline furnace
www.SuperVanagon.com - some stuff I make |
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jlrftype7
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3583
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2024 12:26 pm Post subject: Re: BrassWorks heater core unique and made in USA |
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When I pulled our Core out , I think it was 2020, the edges of the core showed coolant stains. I didn't have coolant on the windshield, and didn't really smell coolant out of the dash either , but the stains were totally there on the Core itself.. 
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto |
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 4808
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:48 pm Post subject: Re: BrassWorks heater core unique and made in USA |
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the BrassWorks website says they have 11 fins per inch on the Vanagon core. they make a great product and this would work for 99% of you but if you live in extreme cold, take heed that the OE Vanagon core has 30 fins per inch. more fins, more heat transfer in general. pictured below is an OE core.
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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breakfastofvanagons
Samba Member
Joined: July 22, 2015
Posts: 15
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 7:12 am Post subject: Re: BrassWorks heater core unique and made in USA |
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| 16CVs wrote: |
I’ve never seen a factory Vanagon core fail. Save your money and put a new windshield in, they get a lot more abuse than a heater core.
Stacy |
My van is from 1938.5 which was the first water cooled vanagon. I was advised by Peter from Van Cafe (when they were still in Santa Cruz) to not replace the heater core because they had never seen one fail. Well... mine eventually failed and I found out by little puddles of coolant appearing on the driver side footwell or passenger side footwell each morning. The footwell it appeared in depended on the tilt of the van when parked. The leaking increased if I ran the heater while driving so I tried to not use it and just waited till I did an engine upgrade to upgrade all the cooling components at the same time and replace the ruined front carpet. My guess as to why it failed has to do with the steel coolant pipes that were installed in 1983.5 to 1985 vans. These pipes are universally very rusty on the inside and shed rust flake and rust dust though out the cooling system. This tends to cause issues especially at connection points where hoses attach, etc. This probably clogs up the inside of the heater core too and might perhaps increase pressure?
Either way, a new Brassworks heater core is going in (along with new stainless pipes, new radiator, new rear heater, silicone heater hoses, etc). My rear heater used to be more powerful than the front one and I’m looking forward to this artisan crafted heater core from folks that hand make brass radiators for Ford Model T’s!
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1983.5 Westy named Vivian the Vanagon |
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