Heater

[herb427sc]

What brand or make of heater fits between the firewall and dash without having to completely rebuild the firewall??
I am not sure what Mark it is but the serial number is FFR1901K. Purchased November 1999.

[egchewy79]

Vintage Air

[GoDadGo]

If you only need heat for your passenger's feet then I have an option for you that works quite well.
All you need is a Jeep CJ-3 heater core, some heater hose, a choke cable, a 3" blower, a manual heater control valve, and some imagination.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/album.php?albumid=982

Hope this may give you some ideas to keep you from having to dig into your dash and firewall areas.
Please know that I created this for my lovely better half because she hates having cold feet.

[Al_C]

What brand or make of heater fits between the firewall and dash without having to completely rebuild the firewall??
I am not sure what Mark it is but the serial number is FFR1901K. Purchased November 1999.

When you say "between the firewall and dash", what do you mean, exactly? The Vintage Air unit (noted by egchewy79) fits between, but there is also part of it on the engine side of the firewall. This is the unit that you can order from FFR. Were you thinking that the whole thing would be between firewall and dash, or just the core? On the Vintage air unit, the core is on the inside, but the blower is on the outside...

[herb427sc]

When you say "between the firewall and dash", what do you mean, exactly? The Vintage Air unit (noted by egchewy79) fits between, but there is also part of it on the engine side of the firewall. This is the unit that you can order from FFR. Were you thinking that the whole thing would be between firewall and dash, or just the core? On the Vintage air unit, the core is on the inside, but the blower is on the outside...

I am looking at the Vintage Air Gen II Heater with defrost (506101). This looks like it will fit with the only holes through the firewall would be for the heater hoses.
This will be a Tennessee and Florida car so a heater/defroster will not really be needed.

[Al_C]

I have the vintage air heater that was offered through FFR with my kit. It works well. Nevertheless, I've yet to use it. I also have seat heaters, which many folks here have also installed with good results. My suggestion is that if you really don't think you're going to need it, but want a little something, heat-wise, skip the heater and put in seat heaters. Just my 2 cents.

[herb427sc]

I think a defroster would be more important than a warm seat.
Thanks for all the suggestions.

[FLPBFoot]

For what its worth that unit is 10" x 10" x 5.5". I may be wrong but I don't think that will fit between the firewall and the dash. The two piece one that comes with the kit is tight and only the airbox is between. If you only think you might need defrost very rarely, how about some of the portable cig plug connected small units out there. Pull it out of the trunk, plug it in, and put it on the dash the few times you need it.

[herb427sc]

For what its worth that unit is 10" x 10" x 5.5". I may be wrong but I don't think that will fit between the firewall and the dash. The two piece one that comes with the kit is tight and only the airbox is between. If you only think you might need defrost very rarely, how about some of the portable cig plug connected small units out there. Pull it out of the trunk, plug it in, and put it on the dash the few times you need it.

I know it is a tight fit. I just wish I had one to try before buying one. Looking at the Vintage Air website, I have a few ideas to make it fit.

[Bill_VA]

Something to think about: At FFmetal.com, I sell a Firewall Forward kit (http://www.ffmetal.com/#fwfw) that moves the firewall forward 1.5", giving you a bit more room behind the dash - without compromising engine clearance or windshield wipers - and it's made from .090 thick aluminum, over twice as thick and sturdy as OEM.

[herb427sc]

Something to think about: At FFmetal.com, I sell a Firewall Forward kit (http://www.ffmetal.com/#fwfw) that moves the firewall forward 1.5", giving you a bit more room behind the dash - without compromising engine clearance or windshield wipers - and it's made from .090 thick aluminum, over twice as thick and sturdy as OEM.

That would work if I had a Mark 4.

[herb427sc]

That would work if I had a Mark 4.

I made my own firewall forward kit.

[Norm B]

I made a box to move the heater forward and make room for a 3 inch deep glove box. Not sure if this meets your requirement of not rebuilding the firewall. There have been numerous threads on this subject over the years but, they are easier to find using Google than the forums search function. Here’s a picture taken during the build of what I did.

HTH

Norm

[rich grsc]

Well if you're adventurous, buy the smallest Vintage air heater. Separate the blower from the heater core, make your own plenum, mounting the blower on the side of the core. !00% fits behind the dash, not even the heater hoses show, ran them out the passenger side under the fender. Also made a distribution box the connect the hoses too. Pardon the wire mess, this was done on a finished car, while Jeff was painting it.
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[herb427sc]

I have a Vintage Air 506101 gen II ordered from JEGS. I moved the firewall forward 1 1/2 inches. I will cut the 2 inch tube to give the heater more room.
Every thing should fit behind the dash.