Footbox fan and seat cooler

[Ponymedic]

Looking for some opinions and pics. What have others done with footbox vents/fans and seat heaters/ coolers

Thanks
Nick

[Boydster]

Seat heaters have been done by the hundreds on all kinds of seats. Only know of 1 seat cooler, one builder (edit to give credit: Straversi) installed open grommets in his seats a-la GT40 and installed fans on the back. Footbox vents, you'll get a bunch of responses to 2 opinions... some have done it, some (very experienced) say not needed. I installed a set of fans on mine because with the humid heat of Maryland, if I felt later that I needed em, after the build would be too late.

Cobraheat seat heaters are popular, come in either waterproof or not. There are also some on Amazon, but cant say for quality. The foot fans, you'll need to do a bit of research for the parts n pieces. You'll need the fans, electrical control, usually some kind of butterfly or gate valve, hoses, footbox wall adapters.

[DadofThree]

Seat Cooler and Heater that We purchased and works very well Click Here (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071DN282D/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1). T shirts that don't have back sweat is the big reason that we like it so much.

We put footbox fans in, but don't turn them on that much. We do keep the vent gate open though to try to help with air flow.

I think Sealing up and insulating the cabin from the Engine bay is the largest help so you don't need to find a way to cool the footbox area.

[skidd]

Not quite the answer you're looking for.. but...

Living in S.Texas, I stressed about cooling in the heat. In the end, I just couldn't convince myself that I wanted the "clutter" of foot vents and fans and stuff.
So.. I just put down a layer of heat insulation in my foot boxes, and made sure there was no air leaking in from the engine compartment.
I drove my car all last summer in gelcoat.. all the time.. I mean.. I commuted to and from work in it. Stop and go traffic.. etc.
I never once found myself wishing I had extra ventilation in my foot box. But.. I also really really REALLY like the heat.. so.. take my opinion with a grain of salt.

As for heating.. I drove comfortably in 30F temps with my ski jacket, thin pair of gloves and a 12v heated electric vest. Perfectly comfortable.
https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/hotwired-12v-heated-inner-vest-evo

my 02c

[Straversi]

I did all three. Seat heaters are easy and very useful. I’d say they are a “must add” feature. I added the foot box vents. I like them. I use them occasionally. If I was building another I’d probably skip them. I did build cooling fans into the backs of my Kirkey seats. More of a project to see if it could be done. You can see it in my build thread if interested. I like them but not necessary.
-Steve

[AC Bill]

You will probably find that as long as your cruising, and the foot-boxes are insulated, the heat build up in them isn't a big issue. It's when your in traffic that it can help to have some air flow down there. I am not a fan of heat, and feel it was worth installing a method to help with cooling. In the cooler months, the Vintage Air heater works amazingly well, considering it's an open top car.

Daring to be different, I installed a 4 speed squirrel cage fan in the trunk, which draws air through a small scoop mounted between the roll bars. The fresh air, controlled by a blast gate on the intake duct, is then forced down an insulated hose, that runs down along the tranny tunnel, to where it then T's off to outlets in each footbox. It's not AC, but it really helps. That style of fan can move a lot of air, but it does consume trunk space.

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