VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Radios, Tools, Accessories Heater installation in my 1936 truck

A year or so ago I completed the installation of a heater in my truck. It is a genuine Chevy accessory as pictured in the 1936 literature. It shakes horribly from side to side to the extent that I'm afraid it will break the firewall at the bolts.
I am in the process of adding a 1936 Delco radio to my truck. It is much heavier than the heater. Am I going to have the same problem with the radio? Did one or both of these have a reinforcement plate as part of the original install kit?
Any suggestions?

Mike

The same heater is listed for cars and trucks. The parts book lists no special rienforcement for mounting in trucks.
If you have it mounted evenly and the firewall flexes that much I would think you could place a rienforcing plate between the heater and firewall and it would be mostly invisable.
For the radio mounting in a 1934 passenger car they show a big piece of plywood mounted to the front of the firewall in the engine compartment. Seeing Chevrolet did not offer a radio for 1936 trucks, if you do mount a radio in that manner some type of rienforcement or steady bracket will have to be engineered.
Good luck

I always assumed that those oversized star washers, that you always see on the radio box mounting studs, were to assure a good ground for the unit. If a hunk of plywood is recommended, it would disprove my theory.
Does anyone know the size of this plywood?

Mike

The instructions are in a 1934 Service News.
I can not find my 1934 S.N. at the moment but perhaps some one else will email you the info. I don't remember just what month it was in.

Thanks, Gene.
Any thoughts on my heater flopping from side to side?

Mike

Mike, I had a 36 Chevrolet Super Delux heater in my truck and replaced it with a 37 GMC Delux heater and neither shaked or wobbled, I can send you pictures of how they were installed if that would be helpful. Both used 1 1/2 inch fender washers on the firewall side.

Can you be more specific? Does the heater shake all of the time from road vibration when you are driving the vehicle or does the heater only shake when the heater fan is running?

jD,

That's a good point that needs to be known when trying to analyse the shaking. i think you are interested in knowing whether or not the fan may have lost a blade.

Charlie

The heater is a square core inside a round housing. The doors open to send the warm air toward the driver side. The housing has a small blue tag at the bottom with the bow tie/Chevrolet logo. The part of the heater frame that contacts the firewall is a ribbed vertical band, about 3" wide, as I recall. The 2 bolts are inline, one directly above the other in the center of the ribbed band. I used fender washers on the engine side. The water pipes are diagonal to each other.
When I first put the heater in, and before it was plumbed, I went for a ride and the heater shook constantly. I hoped that attaching the hoses and adding the weight of the water would solve the problem. It helped, but now it seems like the heater is just waiting for an opportunity to shake, and does so any time I hit a bump in the road. It turns out there are a lot more bumps in the road when you are driving a 1936 Chevy 1-1/2 ton truck, than there are when you are driving your mini van.
I think the shake could be cured by adding some width to the 3" band part of the heater frame to give it a wider base against the firewall. I just don't like making these modifications if there is another solution.

Pooch,
It does not make a difference if the heater motor is running. I'm still looking for a NOS heater motor.

Charlie,
No blades missing or other obvious reason for "out of balance" as a cause.

Mike

Hi Mike most of the heaters that I have worked on over the years had sponge rubber pieces placed between the core and the housing. All were in various states of decay and no longer provided a cushioning affect for vibrations and or rattles. A piece between the housing and firewall might help quiet it down as well.

The foam rubber was a seal to prevent water leaks and engine smells and noise to enter the car.

Right Gene, but I have also seen them placed between the core and the housing that the core is in. Which would only insulate against vibration and rattles. Maybe they did not do that in 36, but it appears to be quite common in 40's and 50's heaters that I have worked on.

The square core has a baffle around it to make it tight in the round housing. It doesn't really rattle, it shakes violently, from side to side, on any road surface that is not really smooth.

Mike

I think I might have the same heater and was planning on installing it in my 37,its been a few months since I last looked at it but there is not much there where it attaches to the firewall so since you are having issues I am going to look into doing something to firm it up.

Are your springs well oiled and the tires true? Do you have good working shock absorbers mounted? Does the firewall flex when pushed on? Is the firewall insulator in good condition behind the heater? My car heater is firmly mounted and doesn't wiggle the least. Maybe you need to work with a friend and push on different points and see what is actually allowing movement. Does anything else vibrate or wiggle in the truck while driving? Good luck, you will find a solution somehow.

J Franklin,
My truck is a 1-1/2 ton model. Stiff springs, good tires, new spring mountings, no firewall pad, no shock absorbers. The firewall does not wiggle, just the heater and yes, there is other stuff shaking when I drive, unless the road is unusually smooth.
Thanks for weighing in.

Mike