55.2-59 need to buy heater...defrost?? advice

[Missyblue]

Hello, frosty mornings are coming before i know it and i need a heater and worried about defrost. I had chosen a unit from vintage air due to previous recommendations and what they offer. the unit offered heat/ac/and defrost as an underdash unit. Sadly they are currently unavailable and no clue when or if they will be back..so asking again for experience with aftermarket companies and effectiveness? also trying to decide if no defrost is gonna be a mess in colorado weather? The cab is small so wondering if the heater will warm it enough to not need defrost....truck is not garage stored.
1st. choice for options
https://www.vintageair.com/custom/pr...pn=11300-VUZ-A

2nd choice for looks if defrost cant happen
https://www.vintageair.com/custom/pr....php?pn=674013

1. recommended companies? and or units?

2. wondering if anyone ever spliced the heater hoses somehow to add defrost? hard for me to imagine without having the units and materials in hand so maybe I'm insane haha

[mr48chev]

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/v...SABEgKozvD_BwE summit shows to have 8 in the system. Make positively sure that they physically have it in stock before you ordeorder.

[leegreen]

defrost is worth having, but it does not need to be chilled/dry air from a AC unit. Warmed air or at least moving air will do. At least up to a point.

If your chosen heat/AC unit does not have provision to connect to defrost ducts, maybe just get a small fan you can easily connect to the defrost. Something like this could be connected to the accordion defrost tubes and tucked away under the dash. https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005004478089747.html
(in case the link dies, it is a 50MM round 12v fan mounted in a PVC pipe

If nothing else get a 12V fan on a suction cup you can stick the windshield.

[dsraven]

if you have time you could also check the marine sites as a lot of boats have a heater under the seat. not ac though if you need that. school busses, work vehicles, industrial stuff, semi truck sleeper heater, etc. lots of options you just gotta find one that fits. a lot of guys have removed the glove box to accomodate the heater and ac unit. if you just want a heater you could look for a really common heater core unit that would fit your heater area chosen and then make a box around that and put a fan on one side with outlets on the other. its what I did with my boat because they don't make the size of core I needed.
just some ideas to think about. a local rad repaier shop may have some ideas too.

[mr48chev]

http://ht tps://www.vintageair.com/i...1300-VUZ-A.pdf

This is the instruction sheet. Pretty simple and straightforward forward if you can live with the box hanging down below the dash.

[SideStepper]

If you are looking for a quick & inexpensive heater suggestion, buy an auto/truck 12-volt electric blanket that plugs into your cigarette lighter. I know guys who drive the old school open roadsters that use them all winter to keep warm. Amazon has many to offer & the electric blankets can have double duty use in any of your everyday driver cars too. Also, if you wanted a nicer permanent heating system in your truck, you could install electric heating elements in the seats just like the new trucks have. Additionally, one more idea, I would think that someone would offer a generic type in/under-dash electric heating unit with fans, but I have not found one yet.

[dsraven]

how about a heater for a UTV like a polaris razr or something like that. they have a compact heater usually and have connections for defrost tubes

[leegreen]

someone oh the board used one something like this https://www.amazon.ca/Portable-Acces...dp/B093PSY46M/

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by leegreen

someone oh the board used one something like this https://www.amazon.ca/Portable-Acces...dp/B093PSY46M/

Just an idea i had. I took a unit like this and put it in the 54. I used the last port as the defroster and plumbed the air flow back and up to the vents using real 1.5" pvc elbows. Not pretty but tucked up under dash out of way and will roast you on low if you don't add the heat valve on the incoming hose. Rotating vent covers snap right in and can be closed when max defrost is needed.

[mr48chev]

The defrost or "defog" setup is just as and in Vintovka's hood possibly more important than heat or ac.

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

The defrost or "defog" setup is just as and in Vintovka's hood possibly more important than heat or ac.

Ran mine to a simple 1.5" PVC T and then to each factory under dash vent. On 54's the dash trim spreads the warm air nicely and has saved me several times when it fogs up both in and out. The triple vent is almost too much for the tiny cab and the 2 vent may work better. Does heat and defrost better than all its multiple predecessors over the decades. Just the thought of some of the old boxes in winter still makes me shudder!

[mr48chev]

I remember driving my 48 to work and back in 20 below 0 weather wearing my insulated coveralls and a heavy coat and still being cold. That was with the grill completely blocked off with cardboard. I had one of those perculator engine heaters in the heater hose that kept the engine warm enough so it would start in the morning.

[hogfarm]

I would wait until the vintage air came back in stock. my truck has been put away for the winter, so I would have the time. Why do the job twice, unless you drive your truck year round

[Jesse72]

I mounted this to the firewall on my 59, basic kit that works well
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/vta-506101

[Daze57]

i still use the original deluxe heater that i rebuilt works great in my 57 --- i have a 2 80 model for A/C ----Roll the 2 windows down and go 80 mph
dats how we roll kids !!!

[dsraven]

if you have a console an under seat heater will work as well. place the main unit under the seat and run the tubes for the defrost through the console.
if I remember you don't have a console or plans for one
a heater from a donor heavy equipment unit, backhoe, etc, may work too. if you have a surplus store you may find something a well.
b uilding one would be my go to as the stock unit is marginal if you found one. I would find a heater core, find a fan unit, build a box around the core, mount the fan and install some outlets. done deal. thgin gauge aluminum is a great medium to work with or sheet steel if you wanna keep the costs down. you can bend it over the edge of a plank to form a square tube around the core, then build some end caps that will rivet onto that with holes for the core inlet/outlet, place some "shelves" on the inside for the core to sit on with room for some canopy tape to insulate against mechanical damage, then mount the fan and cut a hole for air flow on one side and then opposite that cut the holes for the tubes to go.
BOOM
done in a day

[vintovka]

Like 48 said (and i agree) good defrosting can be much more important than heating so keep that in mind.

[dsraven]

when I was still on the job as a firefighter the fire engine cab would fog very badly after a big fire in the winter and 4 or 5 firefighters coming back to the station with soaking wet duty gear. we had dash mounted fans that could blow air across the windshield to help clear the fog.that idea could be used with magnet mounted fans so you only see them when you pull them out and use them. plug into a cig lighter possibly