Ketvrin's vent system/vent system general

[olav bergman]

Hi there,

Are there any alternative vent configurations possible?
I think the big black hoses running throught the underbonnetaeria are somewhat ugly just to get straight cold air while the heating does not suck in fresh air, it uses the air from under the dashboard.
I've seen Ketvrin re-routing the left hand underbonnethose to somewhere near the blowermotor..

I have never driven my S so I don't know whether the system is sufficient and whether it is good enough. I am planning on using the S as a daily driver so I am wondering what the pro's and cons are With the hood up.

Since my dashboard is completely removed this is the time to possibly change the vent setup. I would apreciate any advice/experiences or descriptions op better setups (even more complicated one's)


Cheers

Olav Bergman

[ketvrin]

Just to clarify, the re-routing you see on my nearside (LH) side is temporary as I have not yet bought the length of duct I need to route it all the way to the intake on the nose. I have routed it as far as i could terminating for now just under the airfilter.

I agree the air intake and ducting arrangements are naff and could be a lot better so will be interested in what comes up here...

Has anyone tried using vents cut into the bonnet or wings ? what do Griffs and Chims use ?

In my case the ducting seemed a bit academic when I discovered the mess of mangled ducting behind the dash just leaking whatever air got that far everywhere...

I'm back on the road ... but still have a lot of jobs to do...

K

[barkychoc]

So have I read this right, that the heater does not draw any fresh air from outside ?
I've just bought a V8S, is that the same ?
If so must steam up like hell.

Or have I lost the plot !?

[olav bergman]

I think the v8 setup is the same.. althought I don't own a v8.
But yes, you read it right. The S sucks air from behind the dashboard. The hoses that run through the engine compartment simply feed the vents on either end of the dashboard. No heating involved. The circulated/secondhand and heated air is used either for footwell or windscreen depending on possition of dash thing

I am wondering if other setups have been tried.

[pringli]

on my s2 the ends of the heated air duct were both open and just end under the dash on the drivers side and wedged down the gap between the scuttle and fusebox cover on the passenger side. Drivers side doesnt bother me but to keep my other half happy I fitted an eyeball vent in the front facing surface of the fusebox cover and terminated the open heater tube on there so she can direct the warm/hot air in any direction that pleases. I still stuff a rag in the drivers side though so I dont roast at the same time.

[Olav Bergman]

Good idea! I collected a few airducts an Alfa eyeballthings and I'll put them in the foodwell.

Is everybody else happy about the standard ventilation system?

[martijn]

Happy with the heaters, hmmm not really. But the routing explains why it works so marginally. I always thought something was loose or leaking. Luckily the roof goes down for fresh air but in winter or when wet it will be rather damp. The first solution, buy the anti fog towels from "HEMA" after years of misty rides with the 2CV I know that these outperform the others like Halfords and Valma!!

But now some more technical suggestions:
- Some air cooled cars have a box surrounding the exhaust manifold. Air from outside goes threw the box and off course takes heat from the exhaust. This "system" works very good on the 2CV, except that in that car you can not choose where the heat air goes. Furthermore you can not mix it with cold air and it didn't have a blower. So it's hot or not. But still the principle of exchanging some heat from any part of the exhaust should be usable.
- Kit car builders, mainly the minimalistic light weight ones, many times use 12V DC hairdryers to demist the front windshield in stead of making a heat exchanger in the cooling system. Off course the hairdryers will be much lighter and no complex routing and valves are needed. Just mount it in the cold air hose and switch it on when needed. Personally I was a bit reserved for this solution since you'll have a nice red glowing mesh and a lot of air. You'll probably need only some twigs and leaves to get it all ignited. Some filters at the intake will be needed!!