Air intake heating grid - anyone tried?

[tequilaiam]

Has anyone tried a wire heating element for the air intake on their CUCV? I guess some models of the dodge cummins engines used this to pre-heat the air for easier starting.

If it works, it seems like a better option than a block heater since it can use the vehicle's battery for power and costs less than a 10th of a fuel fired heater like in the arctic kits.

Or do these things not have issues starting in the cold? I'm wondering what happens this January if I leave it sit at 0 deg. F for 8 to 12 hours without access to an outlet.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I have a 90 6BT going in my OH9. It uses the grid. They are more reliable and less maint. than GPs. However, if you were to fab one up on your CUCV, would you just plug the GP holes?

-Dave

 

[tequilaiam]

Was thinking about using it in conjunction with GPs, probably just wire it up with a manual switch off the rear battery. Something to help the GPs out when its real cold or as a backup system. Basically for emergencies only but if it helps with smooth starts and doesn't kill the battery too much for cranking then use it more often.

I'd settle with an arctic kit but the surplus ones I've seen for sale are almost what I paid for the whole truck. Is there a poor man's version? I don't care if I have to go out and light a fire with a match before startup as long as there is some way to get going when the temps really drop.