Heat Exchangers - Rebuilt but unhappy

[edhnb]

I rebuilt my heat exchangers, but am unhappy with the finished product. Between all of my brazing, and how dinged up they were to start with, they look like sh!t.

Does anyone have experience with the Bus Depot heat exchangers? If they are quality I might just bite the bullet and buy them.
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1977 Asi Riviera

[busdaddy]

Planning on showing at Pebble Beach?, looks aren't everything, function is more important.

Sounds like they are "pretty good, more good than pretty".
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[edhnb]

I'm going to try spot welding the rough areas and grinding smooth.. I'll post pictures if the result is not too embarrassing.
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1977 Asi Riviera

[69BahamaYellow]

I understand your dilemma as I tried brazing an old set of heat exchangers for a Porsche 911 that just never looked right. They were fully functional, but were never as pretty as OEM. The heat from brazing just warps everything. Get yourself a wire feed MIG welder and forget about brazing and you will have much better results

[SGKent]

the set I had went to a professional welding shop. They used pieces of welding rod bent to the curve of the heat exchanger in curved areas, and filled them in. Used sheet metal where applicable. I ground with a dremel to smooth and painted. Count not see the welds. Later sold them and replaced with a NOS genuine VW set from BusOk DE. Like Mark said, unless you are going to show, function is premium. Do pressure test them.

Also the original F-tube and U-tube were covered with tin, and had asbestos in them. Unless you have those, what difference does the look of the heat exchanger matter? Be sure to leave the drain holes on the bottom open.
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[orwell84]

I spent a lot of time rebuilding stock heat exchangers. 3 sets to make 1. Lots of fiddly welding and grinding. Painted them with high heat paint as ceramic coating would have taken forever. They work really well. They looked amazing when I installed them. After 600 miles of driving in winter salt, they look like crap. I usually don’t drive in the winter, but I needed to that one time.

Regular bus maintenance will now include cleaning up the heat exchangers and touching up the paint. No way to keep them beautiful unless you put your bus in a museum.

[Whaanga]

I've also been working on replacing the heat exchangers for my 73 bus - luckily, I've found a person an hour from me that has a boat load of original VW parts (including at least 20 type IV engine cases, with tons of accompanying engine parts) - but I digress. In the stash, I found a very solid set of heat exchangers as seen here:

I've been working on them for a while and just sand blasted them yesterday in prep for painting as seen here:

BUT - I saw the post by Orwell84 with the heat components painted gray - (including the heat riser pipes, heater valves, etc:

Is this how these parts would have come from the factory in terms of paint color? I've never seen heat riser pipes and heater valves painted gray.

Thanks.
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Late 1973 Bay w/a transplanted 914 Engine

[Abscate]

A more matte dull grey than that. Looking good.
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[orwell84]

Heat risers and flapper valves are usually a satin black. The shiny light gray is my preferred color for everything around the engine. Makes everything easier to see.

[wildDogPizza]

[orwell84]

[scrivyscriv]

[airkooledchris]

if how your heat exchangers *look* is the problem on your radar currently - run em

[Whaanga]

[Abscate]

[ghiaghia67]

I bought a set of these last year $179 a each. Was replacing my original ones with the ends cracked and I had them taped them with Muffler tape but the heat was good. I got more heat out of them being original than Danke. Not worth to buy. I researched for 2 to 3 months before I bought these. I am now looking for some old new stock for good used ones

[metahacker]

if you want them to look nice and stay that way, then you need to have them ceramic coated.

motor runs better with dansk boxes (less restrictive/turbulent) but proper fitment is challenging (had to cut and reweld on mine) and heat output is reduced

[vwwestyman]

I redid the exchangers on my '73 probably 10 years ago. Didn't crack 'em open then, but now that I really need to take them off and clean them up well, I think I may open the shell and remove that mat that is inside that folks think may have asbestos in it.

My engine has leaked enough oil in there that they were getting pretty stinky; enough that at some point last winter, I removed the couplers and blocked the heat tubes to the front, and just used the BA6.

All that to say, I'm following along with interest.
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Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[Alan Brase]

I've said before: Dansk is Danish for "junk".
I can't believe they are now making all sorts of Porsche 911 stuff.
If you can find a dry country salvage yard, the heat exchangers will be very much better. Occasionally Bus Depot would find small stock of original German ones, but I think it' a pretty rare find.
I think originally they were zinc plated steel?
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Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home