anyone have a clear pic of the recirculating heater box with the defrost tube set-up for a '54 f-100. mine has the box and everything but it only has 1 tube going to the defrost port (drivers side) and it has only 1 tube mount coming out of the box. I have a '56 shop manual ('54-'55 on the way) but it only shows the fresh air with the tube end....unless it's the same end just different core/box, but the '56 has 2 ports. Whenever I see the defrost tubes or ends there's always 2.

Thanks.

 

Does it have a duct for the passenger side, screwed on under the dash? Could it be that one is all it ever had?

 

is the pass side one above the glove box?, also did they come with one side only?.

 

I looked in all of my books and I don't have a picture of a recirculating heater. But I will look around to see what I can find. It sounds unusual to me to only have one outlet. But in certain vehicles like the delivery or panel where there was only a drivers side seat I guess it might make sense. Maybe it was out of one of those originally? Beats me!

Question is, is the top single outlet part of a larger plate that is removeable? If so, perhaps the heaters had the double outlet swapped out for the single in the trucks that only needed defrosting on the drivers side.

Complete speculation of course.

I would be tempted to find a similar heater that's shot with the double outlet, or, make a "T" (or "Y") on the top of the single outlet that supports two hoses. At Home Depot, they carry 1 1/4 inch rubber coupler "Y"s and "T"s that you could just clamp on.

Passenger side outlet should be above and behind the glove box.

 

ok going to double check before the rain comes again.

i checked, no pass side duct and the box looks different.

 

It looks like someone changed your heater from a 2 defroster plenum to a one defroster setup. My truck has 2 defroster tubes coming out of the top of my plenum. It looks like yours was changed by a PO. Perhaps the PO wanted more air flow to the driver side.

 

Try taking those screws out. You might find the 2 stock tubes underneath that homemade piece.

 

I had a recirculating heater in my 54, I'm sure it had tubes to both defrosters. I have the heater out in the garage somewhere as when the truck gets put back together it will have a vintage air unit. The heater worked OK, but being a wuss, I want air conditioning.

If you need more info, I can try to find it and get a pic.

 

i'm putting in a new harness and gauges over the holidays, so i'll get a better idea of what i have.

 

As Julie says, the base cab panel may have had only one defroster since it only had one seat, depending on part of the country it was built for that may have been sufficient.

 

Here's a heater that I pulled out of my 54 Custom Cab, it's not a recirc but you can clearly see the defrost tubes in the pic...

 

This pic proves what I was thinking: someone adapted your heater by putting a single homemade defroster duct over the stock 2. take it apart.

 

i will take it apart, but the '56 book looks like the same ends just different front. looks like they just add the front piece over the core (where the mallory sticker is). mine is all 1 piece no removable end where the ducts are......but i'll look more closely. if it is a panel box then that's ok only i need to see anyhow .

 

Before we add up 2+2 and come up with 5, lets remember a couple of things. First, Ford installed heaters - the Fresh Aire Heaters - at the factory, and most of the recirculating heaters were installed at the dealers. The dealer installed recirc heaters could be made by a number of different manufacturers. That's why all the manuals and catalogues only show the drawings of the Fresh Aire, but not recirc heaters.

The picture Charlie posted is a Fresh Aire Heater. It was characterized by two promenent features: First it had an opening with a control door on the right hand side that connected to a rubber boot and in the "Effies" a louvered vent on the side of the lower cowl. It's second feature was the long duct for the defrost tubes.

Recirculating heaters were quite different in shape. They were like a cube with vent slats on the bottom like the one 1old timer has, but at the top was a "Y" of round duct outlets attached to two hoses. Just because the one outlet cap on his is perminent now doesn't mean the heater was built that way. Easiest solution to this is to make a "Y" or "T" and mount it up under the dash and run it to the two outlets uder the dash. You could probably use 1" or 1 1/4 " pvc to make the splitter.

Here is a picture of my 51 Magic Aire out of the truck. The top "Y" going to the two defrost tubes is very prominent, and it is removeable/replaceable as yours should be. This is what you need or just make a splitter up under the dash - personal preference I guess.

 

here's the core itself. doesn't look like any other i've seen on the internet. so maybe it's a panel only box.