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Post by varka on Nov 23, 2017 21:01:44 GMT
Can anyone tell me the wattage of the standard heater fan please?
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Post by bondbug750 on Nov 24, 2017 15:40:05 GMT
Don't know - generally Smiths motors were used ...e.g. Smiths 7221658 - Reliant would have sourced these from the midlands part bins ...quite probably land rover or mini
Critical dimensions are body length approx. 2 3/4" bracket approx. 1 1/4" down from the top face
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Post by ayrbugger on Nov 24, 2017 16:52:23 GMT
I could not find one so went to the evilbay.
What I used was a computer cooling fan, lots of choice and sizes, from memory used an 80mm one can't remember the throughput, but it needs to be 12dv.
Just check its blowing in the correct direction
Bill
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Post by cdb15 on Nov 24, 2017 18:41:40 GMT
Can anyone tell me the wattage of the standard heater fan please? Please don't take this the wrong way, but why do you need to know?  If you are replacing the original with a pattern or OEM part then the wattage will be the same. If you want to use some modern equivalent, then you need not worry - the efficiency and output of pretty much any fan you can buy will, like for like, be massively better than the old originals. I've recently replaced the blower fans on my Middlebridge. The originals were Smiths, and most likely from Land Rover production. Replacement plastic bodies are available for around £40, and a complete 'replica' original with motor will cost you over £120 - I spoke with the chap who makes them for BL/Rover restorations, and whose firm made the originals for Smiths back in the day. What I and several other owners have fitted instead are Seaflo bilge fans - marine 12V units, all plastic so no corrosion issues, and with an air output around 16 times better than the Smiths originals (my own tests) yet pulling less current - so no need to worry about fitting relays, or will the wiring take the load, etc. Plus, they cost only £15 each, delivered. Against this, there is no argument at all in favour of the original units unless you are looking for a total accuracy restoration, cost no object. These units won't fit the Bug, but the principles remain the same - as others have suggested, any modern 12v fan that physically fits the space will be virtually certain to be an improvement, and not need any change to the wiring. In the course of this work I, like you, made extensive efforts to discover the specifications of the original units, but it seems there is virtually no information readily available. Certainly in my case there was no plating on the originals other than the brand and the voltage. |
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Post by tod on Nov 24, 2017 20:21:20 GMT
My uncle had a clear out of old Ford parts he had which he gave to me . Among them was a heater blower identical to a Bug one , but I don't know which model of Ford it was fitted to . Could have been Anglia or MK1 Cortina .
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Post by varka on Nov 25, 2017 17:26:44 GMT
Can anyone tell me the wattage of the standard heater fan please? Please don't take this the wrong way, but why do you need to know? If you are replacing the original with a pattern or OEM part then the wattage will be the same. If you want to use some modern equivalent, then you need not worry - the efficiency and output of pretty much any fan you can buy will, like for like, be massively better than the old originals. I've recently replaced the blower fans on my Middlebridge. The originals were Smiths, and most likely from Land Rover production. Replacement plastic bodies are available for around £40, and a complete 'replica' original with motor will cost you over £120 - I spoke with the chap who makes them for BL/Rover restorations, and whose firm made the originals for Smiths back in the day. What I and several other owners have fitted instead are Seaflo bilge fans - marine 12V units, all plastic so no corrosion issues, and with an air output around 16 times better than the Smiths originals (my own tests) yet pulling less current - so no need to worry about fitting relays, or will the wiring take the load, etc. Plus, they cost only £15 each, delivered. Against this, there is no argument at all in favour of the original units unless you are looking for a total accuracy restoration, cost no object. These units won't fit the Bug, but the principles remain the same - as others have suggested, any modern 12v fan that physically fits the space will be virtually certain to be an improvement, and not need any change to the wiring. In the course of this work I, like you, made extensive efforts to discover the specifications of the original units, but it seems there is virtually no information readily available. Certainly in my case there was no plating on the originals other than the brand and the voltage. Thanks for the detailed response - very helpful.👍 |
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Post by cdb15 on Nov 25, 2017 20:33:27 GMT
You've edited out the request for a link to Seaflo so I presume you've found it  I found the price direct from them was better than going via eBay or any other supplier. As you've probably seen, they are not appropriate for the Bug space (I imagine, haven't actually checked it!) but just to give a comparison between what was state of the art in the 70s vs what you can get today, I thought a few pictures might be of interest. Quite apart from the better air output, my old Smiths units weighed about 1.8Kg each, whereas the Seaflos are under 700g each. They are also much more compact. Mounting is an issue, but it's only a question of finding the fittings and technique that works for you. I used stainless steel eye bolts and cable ties to pull the fan body down into a soft concertina toilet adapter from Toolstation (don't laugh, sanitary fittings are the right diameter, cheap off the shelf and used for this job by several Scimitar owners). They are a single speed unit, but the motor has a resistance of just under 9 ohms. So I added a 10 ohm resistor to each, so that the supply can be wired direct to the motor, or through the resistor - halving the current roughly halves the fan speed and output, giving a 2-speed blower. As you can see, the MB Scimitar has these fans in the wings behind the headlamps, so they don't impact the aesthetics of the car at all, and there is plenty of space to play around with. These factors don't apply in the Bug, at least not to the same extent.       |
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Post by varka on Nov 25, 2017 21:10:19 GMT
I found the Seaflo fans and quickly realised that they would not work in the Bug - so I removed the request for a link.
My fan in the Bug works but, apart from being very noisy, the output is a bit feeble. I figured a modern fan would give me better flow. The heater matrix is not connected, but I want some better air flow up to the windscreen.
Same as you probably thought, I wanted to know what the current draw was to see if the existing wiring would handle up to, say, 8amps. I even toyed with bunging in some beefy wires and one of them plug in heater/fan units, but decided that was overkill.
I have decided to experiment with a pc case fan to start with.
I just want to be able to use my Bug all year round and in all weathers. Not bothered about heater, except where it helps keep the screen clear.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
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Post by karl on Nov 25, 2017 22:58:23 GMT
My dad used his bug all year round until he got a company vehicle. Heater in a bug never is good. It does the job, given time..... The only addition he done to help with cooling in traffic was to attach two small computer fans to the radiator and wire up to the heater switch. Hit traffic flick the switch and temperature drops. I know this is moving away from the subject  |
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Post by vannin on Dec 7, 2017 17:58:47 GMT
quite scarce the original bug "heater" these days.
easier and more effective just to wear gloves lol
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Post by Stiffy on Dec 8, 2017 11:11:21 GMT
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Post by cdb15 on Dec 9, 2017 20:18:52 GMT
Ouch ! some of those prices on the pipe fittings and couplers are pretty eye watering ! £9.70 for a T piece PLUS VAT ?? Toolstation and Screwfix offer this sort of item for around £1-2, in imperial sizes and a range of metrics from 10 - 22mm. And Holden's illustrations don't look too impressive to me - look like the parts were soldered on the bench in the back shed... |
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PAW
New Bugger
Posts: 9 
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Post by PAW on Apr 4, 2018 20:40:55 GMT
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Post by bondbug750 on Apr 5, 2018 8:09:45 GMT
It does look the same
...Reliant would have sourced these from the midlands part bins ...quite probably land rover or mini
Critical dimensions are body length approx. 2 3/4" bracket approx. 1 1/4" down from the top face
Buy one, measure it then send it back if its no good??? ....for my Bug I decided that the OE motor was not the best choice and instead I fitted a motor from the radiator fan of a modernish car in a scrap yard - this motor is very thin so doesn't mess with the air flow to the radiator in that area and is more powerful than the OE
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I found the price direct from them was better than going via eBay or any other supplier. As you've probably seen, they are not appropriate for the Bug space (I imagine, haven't actually checked it!) but just to give a comparison between what was state of the art in the 70s vs what you can get today, I thought a few pictures might be of interest. 
