Morris minor heater

[okp]

Having had my Morris a short while now, I'm still in the stages of discovering the bits I need to put some attention to, after a few hundred miles over the weekend, I decided next on the list has to be the heater, or rather the fan housed within it!
The heater itself is fine, very hot! The fan however is less than useful. It doesn't flow enough air up through the pipes to the de-misters.
I've read that the classic mini fan is an upgrade, but just how much better is it, I've read posts saying it's better, others saying not much.
In fairness I don't really need nor care for the in-car heating. Ive noticed on the sides of the heater box there should be two attachments that vent air into the car, the drivers side is missing, the passengers side is there although they only seem to be aesthetical as they just allow a pipe to attach and dangle by the foot well.
The panel on the front has a dial that reads off, screen and car, and seems to move something on the underside that is also neither use nor ornament as it doesn't stay in position, or change the airflow.

Is it possible to remove the dial that flaps up and down leaving just an empty box that I can then blank off the front and side vents, leaving just the vents to the screen without a loss of air elsewhere

[Waxoyling Lyrical]

You could try that, or fit an upgrade kit, such as supplied by the Minor Centre, Bath:

www.morrisminor.org.uk/parts/27-heater-ventilation

You're lucky in that your heater gets "very hot". Mine is pretty mediocre, and takes a fair while to provide much in the way of heat or demisting, despite having a reasonably strong-sounding fan. I've never had mine apart for an overhaul though, so that may have something to do with it...

There's a heater overhaul video here:

[okp]

Its 1980 and here's some Atari music 😂
It's more the fan I think, it sounds strong but no airflow comes out, although the flap underneath seems to have a good enough airflow. It's just getting it upto the windscreen.

As I'm not fussed about in car heat, I think I'm going to blank the vents off, leaving just the demister which will still warm the car, 300 miles constantly wiping the window with a cloth soon got tiring.

[Waxoyling Lyrical]

Pull out the glovebox liners, and check that the heater hoses go up to the windscreen demisters - it's not uncommon for them to be missing/damaged/not connected.

[okp]

Nov 7, 2019 9:47:48 GMT Waxoyling Lyrical said:

Pull out the glovebox liners, and check that the heater hoses go up to the windscreen demisters - it's not uncommon for them to be missing/damaged/not connected.

I've fitted new ones recently, you can barely feel air coming out either, they work but only once the heat in the car is sufficient to stop them misting over.

[kevins]

I Have stripped and re-built ours, most of the foam seals had crumbled to nothing now It does de-mist the screen and get warm but it's not up to modern standards by any means.

Out of the housing the fan moves quite a bit of air I'm not sure how much better another fan will be as I suspect the restriction is in the matrix and housing.

Blanking off all the other exits so the air can only go up the screen vents will certainly help I believe you can also get heated windscreens for them. (at a price).

[okp]

I've just had the front off mine, theres a little foam on the rear of the flap, but nothing seals up when its moved, took the side vent away and I'm gonna just cut some steel and rivet them closed, take the handle off the flap and put a blank front on.
I've looked at the heated screens they're about 170 quid but I need a new fuel tank first

[madmog]

From memory, there were lots of gaps where the air sent to the screen vents could escape. Duct tape up the joints and from underneath, tape as if taping the vent pieces to the metal or better still tiger-seal. Might take a few go's because of dust. On mine it looked like only half the air from the vent pieces made it to through the vent holes.

Made my own heater in the end but it wasn't much better, only smaller

[okp]

I've cut some blanks and glued them over the vents so air can only go up to the screen.... it isnt much better though.

[Waxoyling Lyrical]

I found this idea in the latest Practical Classics magazine, from a Staff Car Saga author who was having similar demisting issues on a Peerless GT; fit a 12V Marine bilge fan/blower in the air intake trunking to the heater, to give it a boost in demisting pressure - they blow approx 130-145 cfm, and would be fairly simple to wire in, maybe even using the existing blower switch.

It would appear a 3" version would fit the Minor's air intake trunking, such as this one (the only compact one I could find in black):
tinyurl.com/rodb39v