Midget heater box seal

[Yatesy350i]

Hi All

Does anyone know where I can get a heater box to bulkhead seal from please?

Or is there a suitable material to make one from? Mine had disintegrated so bad it was just wet dust so hard to tell what it was.

Cheers Karl.

[nta16]

Karl,
I'd have thought all the usual suspects but you could probably make a better one yourself, any heat resistant hard wearing stuff

whilst the heater box is out clean inside out of the matrix then flush/back flush/flush again whilst giving it a good shake when half filled with cleaner and then water on the flushes

also renew the foam that wraps around the matrix inside the box as this will also help to get the heat to the cabin

don't forget to check and clean the heater valve too (and same goes for the whole of the cooling system especially scraping and flushing out the engine block)

[nta16]

as an example see item marked '4B9713' here - http://www.sussexclassiccar.co.uk/shop_factory_haz...

[Yatesy350i]

nta16 said:

Karl,
I'd have thought all the usual suspects but you could probably make a better one yourself, any heat resistant hard wearing stuff

whilst the heater box is out clean inside out of the matrix then flush/back flush/flush again whilst giving it a good shake when half filled with cleaner and then water on the flushes

also renew the foam that wraps around the matrix inside the box as this will also help to get the heat to the cabin

don't forget to check and clean the heater valve too (and same goes for the whole of the cooling system especially scraping and flushing out the engine block)

Brand new matrix fitted mate. The old one split when I refitted the rad and filled the system after flushing the rad.

I had a look on line last night but could only find the seal for an MGB?

[Yatesy350i]

nta16 said:

as an example see item marked '4B9713' here - http://www.sussexclassiccar.co.uk/shop_factory_haz...

Thanks Nigel

Couldn't find any last night with google. I've just ordered one from the above site.

Cheers Karl

[nta16]

Yatesy350i said:

Couldn't find any last night with google. I've just ordered one from the above site.

Google ? Google?! wot ya using Google for to find MG parts, there can't be a classic that has more parts available than Bs and Spridgets !

you'd have been better doing a PH site search than a Google search

you've be offered info and advised where you can find some for yourself but you're obviously from the intuitive learning camp rather than the RTfM group

you sorted 8 spits remember, I do

[nta16]

Yatesy350i said:

Brand new matrix fitted mate. The old one split when I refitted the rad and filled the system

Sod Law's

but not common, might suggest the car's treatment history(?)

Yatesy350i said:

after flushing the rad.

what about the engine block even if it was from the wild one I'd still asked when (if) that was ever done and if not in the last few years or so I'd clean and flush, etc. because of the amount of crud that came out of the engine that I'd only cleaned a months before

spend a bit more time and effort now to save a lot more later

[wildoliver]

The wild one!!!!!

My reputation has preceded me.

It used to get regularly flushed and ran with proper anti freeze mix so shouldn't be bad. But yes I'd always flush any part of the cooling system on these cars.

The seal by the way can easily be made. But to be honest if none is fitted at all you probably won't notice a difference.

[nta16]

I like to see all seals in good condition and heating system clean and in good condition for the heating side to prevent this weird idea that the heating isn't more than adequate for the small cabin - the heating lacks control but not heat

'talking' to a B owners and some have to almost chisel out the crud that can build up in the B engine waterways

I like to get the cooling and heating systems and all the components in really good condition then put 4-LIFE in to show up any leaks and protect for at least 10 years then totally forget about it and drive the car in a spirited manner with confidence

[wildoliver]

I agree with you Nigel, I'm just conscious that this cars been off the road for ages and Karls probably getting sick of it, that seal helps but a Midget really doesn't struggle with it's heater with or without the seal, certainly not in the middle of summer, in Karls position I'd probably want to be getting it back together and see if the car could be liked by his wife as soon as possible rather than push for that extra degree C to roast his legs even more than usual with the slightly over enthusiastic Midget heater system.

A B however needs all the help it can get!

[nta16]

WO,
the number of times I hear the heaters on the Spridgets aren't that good ! ? !

even my wife sometimes doesn't want the heat on her feet in winter because it's too hot

and some say the windscreen don't clear of mist or condensation quick enough, usually the one that don't know about quaterlights and window winder handles

if you can't heat a windscreen and cabin the sizes on a Spridget things are inadequate

I see your point about the seal but it's a good time to get it done plus I did suggest making up his own - I bet Karl wishes he had when he see the new one - it'd niggle me knowing I'd left it

anyway this week is the perfect time to test the heater to max !

how many row oil cooler will be used

ETA: I was very pleased with the improvement in heating in my BGT using the original components . . . and then came winter, the heater was adequate but all the improvements seemed overall by the various draughts

Edited by nta16 on Saturday 6th July 21:03

[Yatesy350i]

Well I got the new seal through the post yesterday morning. Not expensive at less than a fiver. But when I saw what it was made of I must admit I was a little disappointed. As its the same material we use for airflow management in Data Centers and I have an absolute ruck of it lying around at work.

Ive got the little east nearly there. Just a serious amount of cleaning and polishing required. The jury is still out as to the final outcome for the Midge. Mrs Yatesy did at least grace the little beast with her presence today and said the clutch pedal was perfect for her (About @@@@@@ time)

I would have liked to spend a lot of time blasting around Cannock Chase and the surrounding areas this weekend in her ( the car not the wife ) but when you have a drop top 3.5 V8 to play with I'm sorry the Midget had no chance. Somive done my bit for global warming at with the TVR and am now enjoying reading PH forums accompanied by several Ciders. It's still 26 degrees here which must be a first..

[nta16]

many of the better roads are more suited to the width of a Midget than a Wedge and you don't have to look for cars grouped together to make overtaking fun as you have the road practical to yourself - see my post here as an example - [urlhttp://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=168&t=1236002&i=160&mid=&nmt=[/url]

doesn't matter when you get the car finished as long as it's driven as there are many better driving days in late autumn, winter and early spring than even today

[Yatesy350i]

doesn't matter when you get the car finished as long as it's driven as there are many better driving days in late autumn, winter and early spring than even today
[/quote]


Don't forget those very rare sunny winter mornings Nigel. I doubt I would risk the Wedge as the mere thought of salty roads would have it falling apart at the chassis! But if we keep the Midge, it's so cheap to tax I might keep it taxed all year round for the odd winter blast.

Took the Westfield out one winter morning when all looked beautiful. Never again I was bl@@dy freezing no side windows. But the Midge may be just the ticket. and you can put the roof up in less than a week. Westfield roofs " put them on eBay and don't grouting the rain :-)"

[nta16]

Yatesy350i said:

Don't forget those very rare sunny winter mornings Nigel.

I don't and they're not rare - in SORN season (start 1st Oct) we were out in the Spridget 11 of the first 20 weekends at least one day of the weekend and all were roof down so above 5 degrees and dry and sunny! - even when the snow was still at the roadside verges

Yatesy350i said:

I doubt I would risk the Wedge as the mere thought of salty roads would have it falling apart at the chassis! But if we keep the Midge, it's so cheap to tax I might keep it taxed all year round for the odd winter blast.

if you don't you'll hardly use it and the hibernation will undo a lot of the good work and driving you put in plus the many great driving opportunities you'd miss

just rinse the underside and wheel arches, very easy and quick to do

Yatesy350i said:

Took the Westfield out one winter morning when all looked beautiful. Never again I was bl@@dy freezing no side windows.

yeap I know what you mean I used my Wesies some days over winter, I went out once just in a thick jumper as the day was warm but didn't allow for the sudden lost of sun and daylight and almost had hypothermia but the time I got home, I only used the hood and sidescreens on my first Westie at the start and learnt you got wetter with than without them, I never used the sidescreens by themselves

Yatesy350i said:

But the Midge may be just the ticket. and you can put the roof up in less than a week.

yes and the small cabin and windscreen heat very easily in the winter ! so you can leave the roof down just wear a hat, scarf and gloves as required

Yatesy350i said:

Westfield roofs " put them on eBay and don't grouting the rain :-)"

I put mine in a magazine advert (not sure if eBay existed then) I didn't realise how sought after they were and I could have sold them 20 times over that week only, I had to leave an answerphone message that they were sold and still got messages left, a couple of them angry that I'd already sold them

they went to the very first guy that rang and almost begged that I didn't sell to anyone else as he'd need to travel quite a way to collect them a day or two later

some magazine 'lifted' my advert and about 18 months later I got another (smaller) flood of calls

I agree Westies are no fun in the rain, you have to go slower than a vicar in a Metro and you get the surface water round your kidney and into your underpants, your right forearm and elbow dripping water with the inside and outside of the windscreen a blur with rain and the lenses on your glasses (or goggles as I wore)

I've been caught in the rain many times in my Westies, fine if it's like today as you can blow dry again within a few miles, I once got caught in hail, that hurt felt like someone plucking your stubble

one New Year's Day we went in the Westie dressed in our usual flying jackets to a soapbox race, the weather was so warm that day that I when I stood in the sun (as an 'official') I had to take my jacket of leaving it open wasn't cooling enough

on the other side we went to an early morning start for a club tour ending in Brighton for the London to Brighton run in November and the sun was up early but the weather was actually freezing, our legs were very cold but not our tops because of the flying jackets, one white van (well it would be wouldn't it) had the morons inside it shaking their fists at us and mouthing obscenities as they went by us on the motorway no doubt angry because we were idiots in a sportscar out in the cold with the roof down(?) - again as the day progressed it got nicely warm as the sun remained with us