Water heater for vintage car

[ibrooks]

I'm sort of doing something similar in my GTM. I want provision for a heater but can't use the coolant circuit from the engine that would have provided hot coolant to the matrix in the engine's original configuration. So..... I've changed the radiator from an Allegro unit to an MR2 Automatic one. The MR2 rad has a heat exchanger in one of the header tanks that used to be used to cool the transmission fluid. I'm using it to heat water which I'm pumping through a matrix in the car with an electric solar hot-water pump. It's still to be tested in anger but all looks promising so-far. I'm running straight anti-freeze in the heater part of the circuit. I'm also thinking of adding a PWM controller to change the speed of the pump.

Might not be a go-er depending on how precious you are about originality with the Minor? (it does look nice and standard). Could you get a radiator that looks original but from a car with an auto-box that used the same system to cool the fluid? My Discovery has a heat-exchanger in both sides of the radiator - one gets engine oil and the other gets transmission fluid (and then there's another "bottle-brush" cooler in front of the radiator that the transmission fluid goes through as well).

 

[GW8IZR]

just something to think about with this project, for a while I ran a small dc heater in my washer bottle. This worked like a dream on cold mornings and as long as the temp was kept sensible no risk of damage to the screen.

It was only taken out of service when I spotted just how nasty the water was after a short time. The water was full of green nasties that bred like rats in the perfect conditions.

So for a wash basin make sure you can get it over 65c to kill legionella bacteria etc and obviously boiling if its for cooking or drinking - as your heat source is the car cooling system thats usually only about 89c and usually lots less than that. A heat exchanger from the exhaust would be a better source I think.

HTH

 

[ibrooks]

There is that - getting water warm promotes all sorts of nasties. I'd have thought screenwash would have had enough chemicals in it to inhibit them.

 

[GW8IZR]

There is that - getting water warm promotes all sorts of nasties. I'd have thought screenwash would have had enough chemicals in it to inhibit them.

So did I .. now I have to admit that the 'chemicals' in the first go was fairy liquid.. and I thought it might have been that so I flushed it out and used some proper screen wash from Norway, good for -45c and cuts grease like ... well like good screen wash. It still went nasty.

Anyway its just something to think about :-)

 

[cardiffrob]

Thanks for the input, everyone. Looks like it might not be a workable plan. Rad water not hot enough to kill the bugs and exhaust heating too high at 400c or more.

Shame. Would have been fun to have had a "Full English Roadkill breakfast" with a hot cuppa.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I've read about folk wrapping their sausages/bacon/chicken etc in a few layers of foil and wiring them to the exhaust manifold to cook as they drive - no help for your water problem 'though

I'd imagine the smell would drive you crazy with hunger before you gave in to temptation and pulled over to eat.

 

[ibrooks]

I've heard of a book about cooking on the engine - I'm sure it's title is "Manifold Destiny" or something similar. I keep meaning to have a Google and see if I can turn up a copy but previously I've never been near a computer when I've remembered it.

Off to Google I go.

 

[Gwil]

Used to have a petrol Landy- put a can of soup with a small hole on the exhaust manifold- 15 mins used to do it! Hot soup when I arrived at work.