Propex 2211 heater install under floor (many pics!)

[Sodo]

[InitialWesty]

Looking good. Love the rubber mount idea. I screwed mine right into the panel. Looking forward to see the finish under the bench seat.

[Alaskaberrys]

[Sodo]

I try to balance all the plusses & minuses. The Propex (& 2nd tank) fitting into a previously un-accessible space is a significant victory that is worth the loss of a little underseat storage IMHO.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[Alaskaberrys]

I agree, the passenger underside seems like prime real estate and it would help offset the full camper load issue too (which will keep us from circling the country to the left )

Having the van down south and not in the garage is a bit maddening, but at least it's forcing me to have my ducks in a row. Only have 5 days and don't want to get halfway installed and run into that "oh s***, that's not gonna work!" moment. Thank you for the info!

Oops, another question. The silicone you used - anything special? And any bare metal treatments added? I can probably find anything I need in the Tacoma area, but having it there before my arrival is even better.
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'91 Westfalia, Bordeaux Red Pearl 2.1L 2wd Auto
'91 T3 Syncro Doka, Escorial Green 1.9L TD AAZ “Gremian” (to provoke, irritate, exasperate, vex...)

[Sodo]

>>>>The silicone I used - is it SPECIAL? Only that it's BLACK.

Today I started on a guard for the propex heater.

Welded of rectangular steel tube.

Mounting tabs are 1/4" and 3/16" thick

I used Riv-nuts for mounting - I like rivnuts. These are M6 size. I hoped to use M8 size but M8s won't fit in the center frame rail (see middle photo above) because there's not enough "depth" in the frame-rail assembly for the height of the (un-collapsed) M8 riv-nut.

I coated them with sealant before shoving them into the hole. I used "Permatex Ultra Grey" which sounds like it might be so ultra gray that it's black (but it's just gray as all good getout ).

Using a home-made manual rivnut setter. I keep putting the official tool in my Amazon shopping cart but fail to buy it for some reason. Then I use this home-made rig again, and it works fine, and I forget to order the official tool.

Heres the 5 mounting points.

I will add a blast fence for rocks tossed up by the the front wheel.

Planning to cover the bottom with expanded steel. That's tomorrow!
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[Steve M.]

Do you put your Riv-nuts in wet with paint on them for corrosion protection?
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This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them.

[Sodo]

Sort of - I put them in wet with Permatex Ultra Gray. Hoping it seals up against the bare metal holes (for corrosion protection).

[Sodo]

OK I got the guard done, and installed.

Someday I'll make a cargo compartment for the area (ahead of the heater) that will shield it from rocks and spray off the front wheel.

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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[jimf909]

Exceptionally well done!
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- Jim

[Sodo]

Got a question from a member that I didn't show the final warm air outlet. He;s right! So here it is.

Heres the ducts coming up from below into the rear seat storage area. I have not yet built my intake screen/box. The return air just comes in around the gap under the seat.

Dimensions where I cut my hole. There's a 3/8 in just about every dimension on this job. I don't know why.

Warm air. Normally you want your outlet far from the intake. But a van just doesn't have that much space. So here I'm hoping the moving jet of airflow gets the warm air AWAY from the intake area. It seems reasonable,, it's a lot of air moving fast.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[mandraks]

i solved this similar, but i put the heater away from the door to the driver side of my split to make sure i am not heating the outside.
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regards

Uli

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'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel

[Sodo]

I made another guard, mostly just to practice welding aluminum. I hoped this Aluminum unit would look better, lightweight and rust-free.

Hers a pic of the "old" and the new.
The gray is the steel guard I made in 2016.
Silver is the Aluminum unit (made today).

Some of the welds are nice. It's aluminum wire-feed, with a spoolgun, and the sq tube is .120" thick.
Most welds came out OK, but the three VISIBLE welds, are gloppy, dangit. It's strong cuz welded on both sides, but the three worst welds are visible under the slider door. If I did it again I would weld only the backside.

Sometimes the MIG welds easy, other times, with no apparent difference in method or preparation, it "welds crappily". Also I can't discern a weight difference between the Alu and the steel version.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[tarandusVDub]

If you feel like improving your technique and making another to sell, I'm in! Doing that install this spring.
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1990 Syncro 16" DoppleKabine 2.1 DJ 112i
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Sold: 1972 Bay Campmobile; 1984 Westy, base model, 2WD.

[Sodo]

I'd make another if you are happy with welds like what you see here cuz that's all I got. They could be better or worse. It would be plenty strong enough just welded on the backside (omitting the visible weld). Steel is easier, but then you have to paint it. Send a PM if interested.

Maybe a guy/gal could use the guard to support the Propex (rather than screwing the propex up to the bottom of the floor). You'd have to do a little further fabrication to attach the Propex to the guard. You can get aluminum shapes at HomeDepot and use self-tapping screws (or tap the holes).

Would be interesting to compare the sound/silence of mine (rubber mounted) to a Propex that's solid-mounted.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[tarandusVDub]

Anyone else who has done this mod, or is planning to, and wants to get a rock guard from Sodo, PM me! I'm doing it this spring, and think the guard is perfect. Best spot for the Propex, and way too expensive and time-consuming mod not to have it protected properly.
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1990 Syncro 16" DoppleKabine 2.1 DJ 112i
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Sold: 1972 Bay Campmobile; 1984 Westy, base model, 2WD.

[shagginwagon83]

I know a guy who did the Westy - passenger side additional storage 'box'. It required cutting out the floor...but he was able to put his propex, and aux battery in that storage box.
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Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan

[Sodo]

I made four of these Aluminum guards, sold two last spring.
Today I finished #3 and posted in the classifieds.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2343655

I'll put the last (aluminum) one together soon if anybody's interested.
It's a little 'less attractive' than #3, but does the job under-the-van.
These seem real simple, but they take more time to build than steel.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[Sodo]

Installed 6 years ago (2016) my Propex 2211 is putting out less heat than I recall.
I have a new Marshall regulator and propane pressure measures 11" WC.

TODAY, this evening the outside temp is 45°F.
Running the Propex:

thermostat knob at max
for 45 minutes,
westy camper top closed,
the inlet air temp is 165°F
The temperature in the van is 65°F

I'd like to get more heat out of it.
65°F inside is OK at 45°F but it took a long time to get to 65.
I'd like to be comfortable when it's 20° outside.
Apparently the outlet temp should be around 200°F so I'm certain that it's not putting out full heat.

Does anyone have suggestions to restore performance?
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[jimf909]

I've managed 180* F entering the van from my 2211 after adjusting the propane regulator. 200* F would be nice but I think we might be dealing with a heater that has limited capacity to heat the van.

The Propex is amazing in cutting the chill and I appreciate that a lot! Although I'm not sure if it's up to the task of converting 20*F outside to 65* inside. I've been considering a CDH for at least several years as a replacement. Syncro Jael did some comparisons a few years back that showed the improved heating capabilities of a CDH.

As for your questions, Karl at WestyVentures or the gang at RMW may be able to provide tips for restoring your out-of-the-box performance. You're one-step ahead in measuring WC.

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- Jim