VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Heater adjustment

I have both a defroster and the under the seat heater on my 41. As far as I can see the only temperature regulation on either is the screw spigot at the water pump on the engine. Otherwise I imagine the only regulation of the heat was the speed of the fan or fans. Is this about right? Did one close off the spigot in the summers and open it wide in the winter?
Karl

Karl,

I don't think any came with the spigot. In most cases I believe it was an add-on.

It allowed interference of the water flow to the heater/defroster. Accordingly, the hot water could be shut off (probably not completely) by closing the valve. This helped to control the temperature in the cabin. Especially helpful in the summer in order to provide better comfort in most geographical zones.

In the event one experienced overheating, it could serve as another radiator, albeit a small one, as well. This extra cooling was real helpful sometimes.

Hope this helps,
Best,
Charlie

FWIW, in summer, if I don't have AC on a car, I bypass the heater completely using a 1 hose loop. It makes a big difference in comfort to get the hot water out of the heater.

Chevrolet sold the accessory "spigot" for that reason. It prevents the hot water from circulating through the heater/defroster cores.
They called it a heater shut-off valve and sold for less than one dollar.

I guess its time to open that spigot. I wonder what the heater will do with the 160 thermostat in place. Must be better than no heater at all. I don't feel up to changing the stat for the little fall-spring driving I expect to do.
Karl

The 160 degree thermostat just opens sooner, so you start getting heat sooner. The 180 degree takes the temperature higher, which can come in handy in extreme cold. But 160 degree coolant running through the heater puts out some good heat into the car.

Heaters didn't evolve to what we have today quickly. That is why many old cars have robe rails. A good warm car robe is not only a great looking accessory but also comes in handy.

Speaking of car robes, folks today look at the rail behind the front seat and wonder what it is used for.

My '48 4 door has the robe rail. As I am only 66 years of age, robes were out of fashion by the time I was old enough to notice such a thing. What exactly does a car robe look like?

Most I have seen were a plaid typically red and black. Most people today would call them a throw or blanket. The real fancy ones came from Hudson's Bay Company.

Instead of hanging a vintage robe on the robe rail a neat old blanket would look nice hanging from the robe rail too.

Come on, guys. You know the robe rail was for little kids to hang onto when they stood in the rear floorboard.

I can recall sitting on the arm rest with my feet in the seat of Dad's '38 MD Town Sedan! (He bought it new and traded it for a '40 Packard 120 sedan in early '41 when I was 4.)

No child safety seats in those days!

I didn't even know it was called a robe rail, much less what it was for, other than hanging on to. I still don't quite know what the advantage of a robe rail might be. If I had a blanket or robe on a frigid day in Iowa I would rather have it wrapped around my coldest parts than hanging from a rail.

The robe rail was for hanging the robe until you needed it. Afterwords it was neatly folded and put back on the rail for the next time it got cold or was the ground cover for a picnic or softer seat at the football game or ?????

For those in their 70's or younger here are two pictures of a robe and rail in a 1919 of Don Harbron's. What is really unique about the second picture is the reflection of Don with his hands in his pockets. For those who know Don he is the official human recreation of the "Energizer Bonny." You can also tell in the pictures that his wife Linda didn't fold the robe.

Nice discussion about robe rails. If I remember correctly in later years (40's & 50's) the design was more of a cloth covered rope along the back of the front seat.

Need to head back to one of the prior comments about the heater and the temperature of thermostat.

RichardJ noted that there would be heat from the heater sooner with a 160 degree thermostat than with a 180. I was always thinking that the temperature of the water going to the heater was determined was the temperature of the water circulating in the block. The thermostat controls when water is circulated to the radiator, not to the heater.

After you start the engine the water circulating in the block heats up at a rate based on how hard you are working the engine. The water pump is circulating that same water to the heater. I agree that the thermostat will ultimately limit the temperature of the water in the block and heater. The rate of warm up to that limit will be the same regardless of the temperature rating of the thermostat.

Now for an even more interesting twist. On colder days using the heater will increase the time for the engine water temperature to get high enough to open the thermostat. As noted by Charlie the heater is really a small radiator and will cool the engine water when it is being used. On really cold days the thermostat might not open very often or stay open very long.

So I asked my parents about lap robes. They are of the generation that grew up in these cars. They knew exactly what they were, both remembered the robes usually lying in the back seat but occasionally hanging on the rope. I asked how they differed from an average blanket. So they dug one out of the trunk it lies in, and measured it. It is smaller than a normal blanket, 60 x 70 inches. It is waiting for me to claim it for the Chevy.
I drove the Chevy to town today with the heat on full. It was a about 40 degrees and raining. The engine never quite made it up to 160 judging by the gauge, but it was comfortable in the car. Not too hot. And the windshield tended to fog over quickly, which meant I kept the wing window a little open. This car hasn't been so late on the road for many seasons.