Ac Aceca Heating system - motor or just air from the intake tube?

[SpqrEddie]

Hello!
I have a question i would like to ask about the heating system for an 1959 AC Aceca.
I see the big black smiths heater exchange box on the back of the engine, but i dont see any electric fan pushing the air trought it.
Is this the original desing, or there should be as well a motor forcing the air through the box?
I can see only a shutter opeing and closing the passage to the air coming from the long air duct that comes from the front grille.
The system should have a motor, or it is just based on the air coming from this intake, that obviously will vary depending by the speed of the car?
Thanks!
Eddie

[nicksonsticks]

Hi Eddie,  there are 2 different options on the Aceca heater, not sure exactly when they changed but if you're able to post a photo of the one fitted in you're car I should be able help with some info.
Both types had an electric fan one being a separate smiths fan and the other incorporated within the heater box.
Kind regards Nick

[SpqrEddie]

Thank you Nick,
I belive i have the separate one. It is a big squared black box at the back of the engine.
I dont have a picture now, but it is similar to this one taken from the internet.
I can not see any fan around it, and i dont see any fan switch in the car. Just two pull knob. One open the water system, the second the shut on the box intake.
So may be i am missing the fan? anybody has a photo of the orignal set up?
Thanks!
Eddie

[taffe9]

Hi, heaters & demisters an optional extra from the factory on the Aceca. Aceca’s I have owned have only had heaters & relied on ‘natural’ air flow to distribute heat/fresh air. To be factory correct (if that’s your wish ) should your car have a fan?
Regards

[SpqrEddie]

Thank you Taffe,
This is what i see indeed on the car on wich i am working.
Only the heater exchanger, but not a fan. The system seems to work as you explain, i see only a shut that when opend allow the ,natural' ar flow coming from the front of the car to go to the exchanger box. the air intake pick up is bheind the fron grille. so it is parallel to the direction of the car, and air flow will vary then with speed.
if you confirm that they didnt came with a motor, i belive the set up on this car is the origial one.
Thanks!

[nicksonsticks]

Hi Eddie,
Apologies if I may have previously given you incorrect information. I looked into heaters a while ago and from studying lots of pictures, found that there were two different designs of heater box, one incorporated a fan and was more rounded at one end and the other was the rectangular box shape as you have in your Aceca, this is also the same in mine (BE786). The rectangular box type, which I believe is the same as a Frog Eye Sprite, seemed to be fitted on the later Aceca models, possibly around 1959 onwards (VERY approximate so please don't rely on this info).
In amongst the many boxes of bits which came with my car, along with all the other heater parts was a Smiths heater fan motor complete with mounting brackets etc and I assumed (possibly incorrectly) that this was a standard fitment to go with the rectangular heater box type.
I'm not really going to know whether this was factory fitted or added as a later modification until I get to the reassembly stage which is still a little way off, but I'll update this post with any info which may help anyone in the future.
Kind regards
Nick

[SpqrEddie]

Thank you Nick!
the car on wich i am working is indeed a 1959 model, and has the suqare box that from internet resarches i understand as well beeing mounted on the Frog eye. This square box seems to be only an heater exchanger, there is no incoroporated fan. So as the system is now, it seems that the air circulation is provided by the external air pressure coming from the intake pipe. This seems a bit too week to me, but may be is the case for the AC.
I think that in some applications (may be in the frog eye as well), this squared box is used in conjuction with a remote fan. See below link:
http://www.spritespot.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3928
Not sure if i am missing it, or if some AC came without it.

I am as well ordering cloth air intake and demist hoses, that seems more period correct than the bright aluminium ones that are now in the car.

Does anybody knows if originally the air intake hoses were cloth or plastic hoses?

Thanks!!

[SpqrEddie]

Hello!
would this hose be similar to the original type?
was it plastic or cloth?
I would like to order this cloth type that seems more appropiate for a 50ies car, but i am not sure how was the original type.
Thanks!
Eddie

[SpqrEddie]

Plastic hose is avilable in the UK.
https://www.holden.co.uk/p/heater_air_hose_3_1_4_in_diameter
but seems more correct for a 60ies / 70 ies car?

I think the cloth one is more appropriate for a 1950ies AC.

[Klassik Metall]

The original Aceca heater ducts were made from a kind of rubberised canvas material.
The problem today is finding appropriate looking ducting in the correct diameter.
This type is available in the small and large sizes for the Aceca heater, it's just a pity
that the reinforcing thread isn't black.
[url]https://www.carbuilder.com/us/83mm-3-14-black-silicone-duct-hose/url]

[SpqrEddie]

Thank you Klassik Metal,
well noted, ineed is difficult to find the correct duct in imperial sizes. And let alone the correct material!
I guessed as well that in a 50ies car the duct hoses were most probably made of rubberised cloth.
Now in the car there is an aluminium pipe, that doesnt look nice in the engine bay.
I couldnt find anything in Europe, and unfortunately I didnt end up on the website you linked, so I ordered it from the US.
It looks like in the photo i posted above.
All black, (seems to be rubberised), corrugated cloth duct hose. They comes in imperial sizes and I ordered it in two sizes.
3 1/4 for the main air intake, and 1 1/5 for the demist pipes.
below the link to the company who sells them.
Best,
Eddie

https://www.oldairproducts.com/product/cloth-duct-hose?gfid=p124372-o2471

[SpqrEddie]

I recevied the duct hose.
It seems really well done, and right diameter for both applications.
Double layer of rubberised/waxed tape with metal spiral.
will share photo of the engine bay once installed!

and fortunately i decided to take off the heating box to install more easly the demist ducts, so i have discovered where the gearbox oil dipstic/filler hole is! and the clutch slave cilinder bleding is!  i will takle the gearbox oil change and clutch fluid change before reinstalling the heating stystem, so will take a while before i can reinstall everything as i am waiting for the gearbox oil, but otherwise is quite a long job!

[Klassik Metall]

They look very nice quality and close to the original style of hose.
Good find!

[SpqrEddie]

installed, with the coppiglia clamps

[ctpearce]

Apologies, I've only just caught up with this.
I own BE588 (1957) which has the earlier heater box with integrated heater motor.
But I did also own BE817 (1961) which had the the later square  type with a separate motor ahead of the radiator. The control switch for this separate motor eluded me for a while but turned out to be also  operated by the push/pull volume control when you twisted the knob.  Chris