Jam Mad Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 i am planning to remove the heater on my xflow, and believe it or not, the girlfriend has sanctioned it too.. happy days ! is it simply a matter of undoing it all, and fixing one pipe as a straight through from where it previously went to the heater at the front of the car, straight to the engine block where it previously came from the heater ? obviously i guess i would have to then assiduously check the coolant levels until i knew it was ok. or am i biting off more than i can chew because it is more technical than i think ? j ps is it heavy enough that i will feel a difference ? hope so ! teeth.gif Edited by - jam mad on 26 Jun 2002 13:32:09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 And rivet a piece of Ali of the very large holes left over your feet in the front bulkhead. Otherwise inclemant weather becomes absolutely disgusting! Low tech luddite - xflow and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashaughnessy Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 When I removed my heater, I originally did as you have suggested, by routing the water pipe from the water pump to the inlet manifold. I had it this way for many years. However, I was later told by Roger King that this is not necessary. You can simply blank off the manifold water inlet. HOWEVER, I'm not sure I'd recommend this for two reasons. First is that the elbow piece that screws into the manifold is likely to be corrosion-welded to the manifold thread and will probably snap when you remove it (which is what happened to me, had to buy a new manifold) and Second, I don't know what you do with the outlet at the water pump that used to go to the heater. When I removed this piece of plumbing, I was converting to a sealed header tank system and this water pump outlet is what you connect up to the header tank. Otherwise, you'd have to blank it off somehow. I was often worried about the "spare" pipe into the manifold because it looked like a good place for air to get trapped. I'm happier now its gone. As for the weight difference, who knows but every little helps. It is certainly a not-insignificant weight. You will also something to blank off the holes into the cockpit. Assuming your heater is the same as mine was, it sat on the bulkhead and there are two or three large oval slots on the horizontal surface below it. Caterham sold me a sheet of ali that is riveted in place fairly easily and looks neat. All in all, a fairly simple job. Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 I remember when I first got my Seven, I read that you should always have a by-pass pipe in place because (especially in cold weather) water needs to be able to circulate within the engine to prevent hot spots, even if the thermostat is closed to the radiator. However, at a logical level, there is little difference between blanking the pipes off and turning the heater valve to off (except it would not be closed in cold weather). Low tech luddite - xflow and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted June 26, 2002 Author Share Posted June 26, 2002 thanks guys, i'm glad it sounds as straightforward as i thought. i'm going to find some way to screw a blanking plate on though, 'cos the next owners might want to put the heater back on. excellent.... there is always something satisfying about removing weight from a car... teeth.gif j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashaughnessy Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Rivetting the blanking plate gives a much neater look and drilling the rivets out in the unlikely event that you ever sell the car is really very easy. You could be really flash and use a carbon fibre blanking plate :-) Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 There should already be suitable screw holes that held down the heater - if you can get the blanking plate to fit the footprint of the heater and drill suitable holes to match, then you won't need to drill the chassis any more. As the area covered is so large, maybe put some neoprene foam under the blanking plate around the ventilation slots/hole. Low tech luddite - xflow and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted June 26, 2002 Author Share Posted June 26, 2002 unfortunately anthony, the car will be on the market in a few weeks.. but never fear.. i have BIG plans. the rest of the car is very much oriented towards the first owner's touring pretensions, so i want to make re-fitting the heater as easy as possible. it's probably something i'll do before selling it in fact. j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Brother Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Jam, Take a look in the winter rebuild section on the Se7en-Up website. There are pics of a homemade blaning plate and a pic showing the holes you will be left with when the heater is removed. I removed the heater and fixed a blanking plate in place with a few rivnuts and some cap head bolts. It looked pretty good when it was fitted but remember to run a line of silicon sealer around the outer edge before tightening down fully. Steve "The original X-Power" www.Se7en-Up.co.uk id=green> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted June 27, 2002 Author Share Posted June 27, 2002 call me odd, but i'm also considering fixing the blanking plate on with velcro. with some bonnet seal tape it ought to leave a good seal, but more importantly will make it removable for those hot driving days when some airflow around the legs, albeit a bit warm from the engine, will be welcome. thanks for the link steve... j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashaughnessy Posted June 27, 2002 Share Posted June 27, 2002 You're very odd! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted June 27, 2002 Share Posted June 27, 2002 In that case, why not blank off the central hole and use 'ventilation louvres' for the two over the footwell. THey would need minor modification to prevent them opening/closing when accelerating/braking, but would then offer a switchable mechanism. Low tech luddite - xflow and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted June 27, 2002 Author Share Posted June 27, 2002 You're very odd! aren't we all ??? teeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DohNut Posted June 27, 2002 Share Posted June 27, 2002 James Assuming that the effect of having venting louvrers is similar to having the pedal box cover removed, then the air having passed through the hot radiator and past a hot engine and picking up some dust from the road is particularily unpleasant and I would not recomend it. But then again as I still have a heater I am obviously a big girls blouse. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted June 27, 2002 Author Share Posted June 27, 2002 very good point... hey ! i know ! perhaps i could add some pollen filters ! tongue.gif ok, ok.. i'm odd.... teeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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