Heaters...

JD Baillie · #1 26-04-04, 03:23

Hi all you dedicated M types! I've got a string of questions on the stated subject.. so in no particular order:

The M37 seems to have a couple of heaters.. there's a bumper mounted hot water cab heater, a gas/multi fueled heater, the Southwind 978 and a little pump thing for the back of the M43/152 which attaches to a 978-M... was the 978 ever mounted on the fender? If so how was it housed? It has been told to me that the 978 is a multifueler, anyone ever used it with diesel?
In the cab there is an add on box thing to direct the air flow to the windows. On the box vent there is the usually ignored notice to fasten your seat belts... and a data plate about how to start the heater... my confusion is that the data plate on the box vent is the same as the plate in the back of my 152 describing the use of the 978-M heater for the crew space in the back. Anyone??
Super Dave of this forum has been looking for a heater set up for many months now with little success... are these things that rare? It would seem to me that they should have been quite common due to cold winters from NWT to Wyoming... ???
Anyone know why the box vent seems to be rare? Anyone know where they were made?
I'm going to try to post pictures of the heaters in question... hope this works.

JD Baillie · #2 26-04-04, 03:25

Pics of the 978-M, pump and a diesel coolant heater (covered in other posts)..

Robert Dabkowski · #3 27-04-04, 19:30

JD, can only add to your confsion.

I have a fender heater NOS but have been trying to find the time to bolt it to the fender for 4 years now. Still "in the box" so no hands on experience. Mine is gasoline only though. Includes flexible ducts, a control cable, two data plates and a drab sown canvas radiator cover for cold weather use + nuts & bolts.

They are rare now because it continues to be cold in the ares that you mentioned and users have bought them up and installed them. Try eBay, Military Vehicles Magazine or remember that all MV roads in Canada lead to Brian Asbury.

To add even more information ... the US produced an "Artic Heater Kit" that does NOT include the fender mounted heater that you pictured. Instead a small gasoline unit is bolted over the knock-out on the passenger side wall, just ahead of the door and below the jerry can bracket located there. Hot antifreeze gets circulated under the batteries and up to a vent/heater box under the dash,near the glove box. NO windshield defrost with this one but, warm toes ! Have only seen the remains of one in a wrecked M43/workshop truck in Coleman's yard in PA and don't believe that these were in stalled in Cdn. trucks. But "Never say Never".

Robert

JD Baillie · #4 27-04-04, 21:31

Robert,
Well as for no box vent on the 978-M, as I stated the data plate on the box vent I've got has got the starting instructions for the gas/multi fueler heater. Perhaps the M43 you saw was a field expedient mod. I've got a similar question out on a U.S. forum. We'll see what turns up.

But do you have any idea where/who made the box vent?

JD