While Brisbane sizzles, it is somewhat chillier here (but not cold) and it was delightful to find that ROO's heater works quite nicely.

Was -4C/25F yesterday when I drove up the Fraser Valley to Mission. Quite comfy in the Van.

Good that ROO was produced for delivery in NSW complete with heater.

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Select a gear, bring up the revs and release the clutch...off you go!

If it has a 40 year old core then it should not be trusted...if its just electric no problem...

If it were me, I would be dosing the system with something like this...

http://www.silver-seal.com/category/sho ... nd_repair/

[PS who remembers that god-awful smell of leaking heater in the cabin? ewwww!]

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"Show me the Mini!"

Mick, they are a copper core, olde skool design and very reliable.
Their weakest point was the crappy alloy heater tap fitted just above the passenger's feet. They used to clog up with crud when not used.
IMO for reliability it's a good idea to bin it, and put a heater tap on the back of the cylinder head like the Cooper S had.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

On a related note, can you do this with the clubby ones? The clubby taps all break and there are some replacements out there (some that replace the original tap but make hot cold and cold hot, or the generic replacement that's in the How-To), but this might be easier.

I'm talking about the Clubby heater taps...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Yep Doc, but...the cores can also be full of engine crud, spiders or wasps nests, verdigris, old core cracks that were left because the fix was too expensive, hardened or split heater hoses etc etc...not to mention the heater tap weakness you mentioned...

Once again, if you are reactivating something that has not been used for 40 years...do some basic maintenance, new coolant and a pressure test...

Verdigris is the common name for a green pigment obtained through the application of acetic acid to copper plates or the natural patina formed when copper, brass or bronze is weathered and exposed to air or seawater over a period of time. It is usually a basic copper carbonate, but near the sea will be a basic copper chloride. If acetic acid is present at the time of weathering, it may consist of copper(II) acetate.

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"Show me the Mini!"

I can't guess what service the heater may have had prior to spring 2010...however, flush, new hoses, new water pump, new thermostat, new fan belt and new coolant was installed at that time.

I brought a GM pickup truck heater core with me to Australia and it was installed (in lieu of the heater in the cabin - heater disconnected) shortly after our arrival in early August 2011...and the heater remained out of the loop until I reconnected it in September this year.

The GM unit was placed behind the grill in the airflow to improve cooling for the hot weather we expected in the Kimberley. I had no overheating issues even with ambient air temps well above 40C...and none crossing North America in June/July.

The Van was serviced after the One Lap and following our trip to Tasmania one year ago, with fresh coolant including fresh anti-freeze going into the system 12 months ago, since ROO would get to our shores in mid-winter.

I will keep a close eye on the heater hose connections and tap. The take-off from the head was replaced with an alloy elbow when the original item began to weep (corrosion on the base mating surface).

The advice from all is appreciated!

Rick/Hunter2

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Select a gear, bring up the revs and release the clutch...off you go!

If you keep the cooling system clean and coolant up to date, I.e. change every 2 years at least, then you won't have a problem. You just need to get it that way first, new pump, tap, hoses, good flush/cleaner through it and good quality coolant.

I recently cleaned up the heater in my Traveller. It still has its original date stamped core (1961) and motor. I flushed bucket loads of silt out of the core and soaked it in acetic acid to strip the worst of the scale out of it. I disassemble the motor, polished the commutator and lubricated the bushes. It runs as well as the day it was made and should go on to do another half a century now.

Tim

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1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian