Adrian,
over in Europe we found a solution. What follows right now is a translated
article from the Dutch TRtraffic club magazine. The article includes two
pictures, one showing the finished unit and one showing the heater core prior
to installation. (For those interested in the pictures, email me!).
Hope this helps you and others.
Regards,
Alex van Zanten
'58 TR3a, TS38168L
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Published July 1997
For the owners of TR2-3-3a and 3b's the heater problems are solved as off
today!
During the restoration of my TR3a I too found out my heater was leaking and
needed replacement. Finding a heater in solid and working condition is
troublesome, and I didn't succeed.
The next step was to try to construct one working heater out off two leaking
heaters, but despite the very mechanical brother, this also failed. Then I
received from a TR-friend a copy of an article from a German magazine,
describing an alternative for the round heater core. Using a business relation
of mine I ordered the alternative heater core in Japan and hoped it would fit.
After a month or two a heater core was delivered and belief it or not, it
fitted on to the bottom plate exactly. The height however was one centimeter
shorter, but apart from that it was an exact copy of the original Smith
radiator (those Japanese carried around photo cameras in the fifties all
ready). It is used as an additional heater in the back of a 4X4, sold in
extremely cold areas.
Now we could reassemble the heater again. To compensate the one centimeter
loss in height, we fabricated an aluminum spacer enabling us to use the
original clamps to fit the top and bottom plates. The water inlet and outlet
were changed by a radiator company, as the are situated at the side (rather
than the top) and air would remain in the top part of the heater, warming the
heater only halfway up. The space between the two chambers was sealed using
heat resistant material and a copper clamp plate, so no heat would go lost.
Now everything is fitted to my car and I finally (after five years of
restoration) am able to drive my TR3a, it turns out the heater works
perfectly. It even produces more heat than the original heater. In the
meantime I have delivered heater cores to various TR-friends (six names are
listed as an example) and they are all enthusiastic about the result.
If you have heater problems, you can give me a ring.
The price tag up to this date is 575 guilders (roughly 285 US$) for the heater
core, aluminum spacer, heat resistant isolation material and copper clamp
plate, shipping not included. Beware of a delivery time because the are
shipped in small portions and for how long?
JAN DE BEUS
TUINFLUITER 9
3906 NP VEENENDAAL
+31 (0)318 511778 after 19.00 hours CET
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