39 Pickup Hot Air Heater

[GaryU.]

So back in the day my "Pops" would tell us how that old pickup had a heater in it. He described it as a bunch of pipes all over. When he gave me my 39 pickup all that was left was the firewall manifold and the defroster vents. Everything else had been taken off and discarded over the years including the engine mounted blower that I saw in a Polaroid I found that was taken in 1980. Well seeing how you don't see many(if any) pickups or trucks with a hot air setup I thought why not, can't be that hard. Fast forward years later and I think it's mostly correct, most parts are the same as a passenger car except for the long tube behind the air cleaner. Took a photo by a Barn member and a very lucky look on E-bay and the final large piece was obtained. Looks funky and maybe an after thought compared to the more stylish designed passenger car set ups but the holes in the firewall are finally filled.

[SofaKing]

Very cool! Just a safety tip for consideration: that type of heater will pump carbon monoxide in the cab if there is an exhaust leak within the muff on the head pipe. You may want to get the CO detectors they sell at any small airport or pilot shop that discolor in the presence of carbon monoxide.

[dave collette]

I have a hot air heater in my 1937 coupe.I love it ,you get instant heat. Really nice on a late fall drive. Dave C.

[oldandtired]

That is a very nice looking setup. You did a great job.

[Talkwrench]

Nice work!

[Tinker]

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Wow. Nice setup.

[KGS]

Originally Posted by GaryU.

Fast forward years later and I think it's mostly correct, most parts are the same as a passenger car except for the long tube behind the air cleaner. Took a photo by a Barn member and a very lucky look on E-bay and the final large piece was obtained. Looks funky and maybe an after thought compared to the more stylish designed passenger car set ups but the holes in the firewall are finally filled.

Great job! Question about the long tube that replaces the silencer
on the pax car heater. Is it designed as a silencer or is it just a long
tube?
I have a NOS in the box Novi hot air heater that I've been debating
installing on my coupe and I like your arrangement as opposed to the
original.
Ken

[GaryU.]

Not a silencer, just a long tube. No frills on the commercial setup I guess, looked for that piece for 5 years and one popped up on E-bay when I had resigned myself that I would have to build one. Seller listed a handful of parts and thanks to a photo posted here I was probably the only one who knew what it was.

[tubman]

Most older vehicles these days do not have heaters, so it's nice to see one. I had one in a '36 that I had in high school, and it didn't have the blower unit. It had a "funnel-looking" thing that the engine fan blew into and went down to the heat exchanger. But I digress; your setup looks very nice. You did an excellent job restoring it.

[Mike in Mass]

Learn somthin new everday ! Thanks Thats awsum !

[39portlander]

Very nice set up and detailed, that black and green offset nicely. Gary are you painting your fenders body color or black, I think black fenders will make this truck really stand out.

That fan shroud will make a huge difference and a nice score that you found one.

[GaryU.]

Fenders are painted black, maybe not original but will be a nice contrast. Now to get it all together.