Midwinter Winterization

[UPFINN]

Happy Heikinpäivä (mid-winter) from da Upper Peninsula!

The magnitude of the cold has been incredible here in the Upper Great Lakes. Our average high temperatures are usually in the 20s during January, but have been near 0F most of the time. We have over two feet of snow on the ground here, and some areas have five feet .

I posted about a month ago about how my radiator started to leak, and that I was waiting to use my neighbors garage to work on it. However, due to the extreme cold there is a propane shortage and the garage can not be heated. Propane has been around $7 a gallon. I've also had to abandon my workshop and office, which were heated with propane. I am now working on converting to wood heat.

For the past few days temps have got into the balmy teens (still below average) and I have started to work on the deuce outdoors. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a field mechanic in the armed forces, along with logging, mining, and utility industries. I figured since I'm so far behind I would just slowly get the deuce repaired and by the time the next warm-up comes around I can actually get out and mill some lumber.

I am working on installing a circulating coolant heater, hot water cab heater, and alcohol sniffer. I also need to pull the radiator and solder a crack in the lower tank. I figured since I need to drain the coolant to pull the radiator I would install all excessories needed for winter use.

Here is a list of materials:

#1. Kats 1500 watt circulating coolant heater kit.
To install you need additional materials:
-3/8th npt to 5/8 hose barb.
-1/4npt tee. You need a tee at the rear coolant drain. One output for the draincock and another for the hose barb/heater hose. I think the 1/4th hose barb is included in the kit.
-5/8 hose.
-5/16 1 inch bolt for mounting heater.


#2. Standard hot water cab heater kit (made by Hunter Manufacturing Co.)
Kit should contain:
-Heater core
-Heater core/blower housing
-Mounting bracket for heater core housing
-Heater/defroster manifold
-Heater damper elbow
-Heater intake fin for fender
-Heater intake screen/hose connection for fender intake.
-Cable control for damper and heater/defroster manifold.
-4 inch hose clamps
-4 inch duct
-1 inch hose clamps.
-Two heater shutoff valves, 1/2npt to 5/8 hose. (I did not have these valves. They can be expensive and hard to find. I am just going to use standard hose barbs. I called my local NAPA store and they only had 3/8npt to 5/8 hose valves. I will likely have to switch in the Spring.)
-3/4 to 1/2npt bushing.
-5/8th hose.
-Dash blower control switch and resistor.
-24v blower motor and fan. (My kit was missing the motor and fan so I found one at NAPA that can be used if a custom mounting plate is made. To get the new cage fan in you have to drill the welds out of the plate in the output of the blower housing, and then use rivets to reinstall plate. NAPA part numbers for blower and fan: BK 6551320 and BK 6551406.)
-A handfull of both 1 inch and 3/4 inch 5/16th bolts.

#3. Alcohol sniffer piped into the intake of air compressor through the npt fitting connection.
Parts:
-Jar.
-1/8th npt hose barb.
-Tube.
-1/8th npt hose barb for jar.

#4. 850cca everstart batteries. They were the largest batteries I could fit in the pastic battery box.

Tools needed:
Drill.
5/16th drill bit.
Hammer.
Punch.
13mm or 1/2 inch socket.
Wrenches.
8-point sockets in the following sizes: (I might have forgot the sizes. I will have to go back and edit.)
-1/4th
-3/8th
-9/16th
-11/16
Torch.
Lead core solder and flux for radiator repair.
Cutting oil.
Coolant.
Coolant additive.

The Beginning.

Here I installed the Kats coolant heater. You will have to bend the red mounting band as it is originally straight. You want the heater between the fuel line and wire to the alternator below the air intake.



I ran the cord out of the passenger side fender hatch.



Here I am drilling holes to mount the heater core. You have to be careful not to install the heater too far forward or else you will have clearance issues between the blower motor and injector lines. I drilled my holes a bit too far forward, but they will work.




Here is the heater mount bolted on. Use 1 inch 5/16th bolts.



Here is the heater bolted on the mounts with the 3/4 inch bolts.





Here are the holes drilled for the heater/defroster manifold. It would help to have a small person drill these holes. It is a tight fit to get down there under the dash behind the shifter. When you drill, put a piece of wood in the engine compartment between wires and the firewall.



Make sure to ALWAYS put a block between any wires or tubes when you drill. Also, make sure you check to see if the block is still in place after hammering a punch to set the drill hole! The wood fell down and I drilled into into a wire. I just nicked the insulation off of two wires in the harness. They are not frayed so I just covered them with electrical tape until I can drip on some liquid tape. Hopefully they don't short. A fire extinguisher will be my next accessory.



Here is the mounted manifold:



Thats all for today. I will update with progress. Here I leave you all a picture of the snow I am dealing with:

 

[UPFINN]

Post Reserved

Well this afternoon I went back out to install the intake vents and damper. It was sunny with temps around 18F, but the temperature crashed to around 0F by sunset. Winds picked up a bit too. Wind chill advisory has been issued.

Here is a picture of the drivers side fender hatch with hole punched out and screw holes drilled:


Here is a picture of the hole punched out and screw holes drilled on the firewall left of steering column.


Here is the installed damper elbow:


Here is the duct connection and screen assembly on the inside fender hatch.


Here is the air intake vent cover installed on outside of fender hatch.


Here are the damper and defrost control knobs along with the blower motor switch. I found these to be a pain in the butt to install. The holes have to be aligned perfect, and putting the bolts in is tedious. It is hard to drill upside down between the seat and steering wheel. Make sure your cables can reach the damper and defrost/air manifold. I had to swap the position of the damper and defrost knobs. I have not wired in the switch as the blower is not installed yet and I do not have any bullet connectors.




Now with most of the bolt on heater parts installed, it is time to deal with the radiator. Instead of just draining it, I am also pulling the radiator to get it pressure tested and service the air compressor belt.

Here are the two main bolts removed on the side of the brush guard. Repeat on the other side, and lift the guard off.




Then, remove the nuts on the lower radiator studs, along with removing the ground cable. You can also begin to drain the coolant. Also don't forget the rear block drain by the starter!




You can now remove the bolt on the upper radiator mount. Then tilt the radiator back and remove the four 1/2 inch bolts that hold the fan on. Tap fan off with a small mallet. Make sure to put cardboard between fan and radiator.



You can then attempt to remove the lower radiator hose. It is a real bugger to get off. I had to heat it with a hair dryer, apply a bit of oil, pry with a screwdriver, while at the same time having my dad pull up on the radiator (dented it in the process). Bubblewrap comes in handy on the winch lever.

 

[UPFINN]

Post Reserved

Here is the radiator removed. Since I had it out, I brought it to be cleaned and pressure tested. Found out everything was fine, except for a plugged overflow. It turns out it was leaking from the hose, and the drip was flowing under the mounting plate and through the stud. I got it tested at Larson's Radiator in Norway MI. In 15 minutes the radiator was washed, steamed, pressurized in a dunk tank, dents sandblasted to find cracks, and checked for oil residue. Was quoted $50 but it ended up being around $10.




Now it is time to start to install the hoses. Remove the npt plugs on the manifold and water pump, along with the temp sender. Use square or 8pt sockets. A torch, breaker bar, and lube is your friend. The 3/8npt fitting required a 7/16 socket, the 1/2npt a 9/16, and the 3/4npt a 5/8. The temp sender can be removed with a 15/16 wrench. Be careful not the round it.



Here are the npt fittings from NAPA. There are two 1/2npt to 5/8 hose barbs, and one 3/8npt to 5/8 hose barbs, including a 3/4 to 1/2npt bushing. This is the cheapest way to do this. The best way to do this would be to use the angled shutoff valves, but at $24 a valve that was too much. The next best way is to use 90 degree 3/8npt to 5/8 hose barbs. These options also require a 3/4 to 3/8 bushing and a 1/2 to 3/8 bushing.



Fittings installed.


There is the Kats circulating coolant heater with hoses attached. I had to remove the heater to push the hoses on. Bottom hose is around 22 inches long. Top is 25 inches.



Here are the hoses installed.


Here is the heater core.


Here is a naked view of the engine front. I still need to install the cable valve on the intake heater hose. It will be mounted on the engine lift ring.


Here is the plug hidden behind the starter relay I need to remove and replace with a barb for the coolant heater hose.

 

[GrizzlyEater]

Subscribed. Did your Deuce come with a heater and this is a modification or is it an install? I will be following this for sure because here in MN right now we are single digit highs with -10 for lows, you Uppers get more snow though. Are you going to get the Arctic quilt to go over the hood too? There are a couple good pages in the TM's about Arctic deuces and their upgrades. I plan on doing some of those Arctic features on mine when (my wife finally lets me) I mean when I go buy my deuce!

 

[Another Ahab]

Great tutorial. Good stuff.

 

[UPFINN]

Subscribed. Did your Deuce come with a heater and this is a modification or is it an install? I will be following this for sure because here in MN right now we are single digit highs with -10 for lows, you Uppers get more snow though. Are you going to get the Arctic quilt to go over the hood too? There are a couple good pages in the TM's about Arctic deuces and their upgrades. I plan on doing some of those Arctic features on mine when (my wife finally lets me) I mean when I go buy my deuce!

The truck did not have a heater originally but it came with a cardboard box containing a incomplete rusty heater kit. I cleaned everything up and figured out what was missing. I also made sure the heater core was still good. I really want to repaint every part I take off or add to the truck, but I'm not sure how paint stripper and paint will work below freezing. That will be a job for the summer.

Don't really want to buy an arctic quilt right now. Might just make my own. I will do that when I get to adding floor mats, shifter boots, and custom seat covers.

With 850cca batteries the truck starts ok down into the 20s. In the teens I need to use the ether injector and pull the throttle out some. It get really difficult near 0F and thats why I'm adding a coolant heater. If I had the money I would get a diesel fired arctic heater. It heats the cab, batteries, and coolant.

 

[rustystud]

UPFINN your made of some stout stuff to be working in that cold !!! I salute you !!!

 

[nk14zp]

The truck did not have a heater originally but it came with a cardboard box containing a incomplete rusty heater kit. I cleaned everything up and figured out what was missing. I also made sure the heater core was still good. I really want to repaint every part I take off or add to the truck, but I'm not sure how paint stripper and paint will work below freezing. That will be a job for the summer.

Don't really want to buy an arctic quilt right now. Might just make my own. I will do that when I get to adding floor mats, shifter boots, and custom seat covers.

With 850cca batteries the truck starts ok down into the 20s. In the teens I need to use the ether injector and pull the throttle out some. It get really difficult near 0F and thats why I'm adding a coolant heater. If I had the money I would get a diesel fired arctic heater. It heats the cab, batteries, and coolant.

My bobbed deuce starts fine at -20 with no help my other deuce needs the manifold heater at 15 above. So it's hard to say how well a deuce starts cold.

 

[UPFINN]

My bobbed deuce starts fine at -20 with no help my other deuce needs the manifold heater at 15 above. So it's hard to say how well a deuce starts cold.

What size batteries do you have? My battery box was too small for most larger batteries. I think my truck came from the south. Has a soft top, no rust, heater never installed. It does have ether injection. Hopefully the ether did not damage the engine, however the engine was recently replaced and has only 7000 miles, according to the documents that came with it.

 

[Another Ahab]

What size batteries do you have? My battery box was too small for most larger batteries. I think my truck came from the south. Has a soft top, no rust, heater never installed. It does have ether injection. Hopefully the ether did not damage the engine, however the engine was recently replaced and has only 7000 miles, according to the documents that came wit it.

Is the ether option, not recommended then?

Is it a trade-off (cold-weather start-up for engine wear)?

 

[porkysplace]

Looks like you need a winter front cover to help hold the heat in.

 

[RodUSMC1962]

I can`t imagine working on a truck outside in this weather .

 

[UPFINN]

Is the ether option, not recommended then?

Is it a trade-off (cold-weather start-up for engine wear)?

The ether system works from inside the cab with a switch that delivers a metered shot while cranking. Although it seems safe, I was told using ether to start a vehicle regularly will make it depend on it. I know this is true if you spray it in the air intake by hand, but as for a metered dose, I am not sure. Just playing it safe with the coolant heater.

 

[UPFINN]

Well I went out this afternoon to work on the truck again. It was sunny with a temp around 18F then at sunset the temperature dropped to around 0F. Wind chill advisory in effect. I got the damper elbow along with air intake installed...then I froze

I updated the tutorial with pics from the latest tasks.

 

[UPFINN]

I went out again today to install the control knobs and blower switch, and I have added the pics to the 1st page tutorial. This actually was the job that took the longest. It was mainly due to dealing with the cramped space between the steering wheel and seat, along with not having the proper sized bolts, and a crappy tripod flashlight which became a projectile when the batteries died. I switched to a halogen shop light. It gives off nice heat too.

 

[Another Ahab]

Well I went out this afternoon to work on the truck again. It was sunny with a temp around 18F then at sunset the temperature dropped to around 0F. Wind chill advisory in effect. I got the damper elbow along with air intake installed...then I froze ​

I updated the tutorial with pics from the latest tasks.

Working that hard in the winter, is that what they mean by a "cold sweat"?!

 

[mbehne]

Defiantly a diehard! I looked at the one duece of mine that doesn't get to sit inside this winter with over a foot of snow on the hood. I thought to myself, you should go out and fire her up and reinstall the winch cable so we could go for a snow ride. The thought was fleeting at best.

 

[UPFINN]

The "green fever" will keep you warm!

 

[Another Ahab]

The "green fever" will keep you warm!

Reminds of the story about the Doctor who always kept a pen and a rectal thermometer in his shirt pocket:

- and he's rushing down the hospital corridor, reaching for his shirt pocket so he can write a note on a patient's chart,

- and he can't find the pen, and then he frustratingly says out loud to no one in particular,

- D*** it, some a**hole has got my pen!!!

 

[RodUSMC1962]

I like the flashlight becoming a projectile, something I do way to often.