I got a 77scottsdale K20 with stock 350 and a 4 on the floor. I have just completed the patch panel and painting aspect of it and got it road worthy. I still have the old seals on the doors and i blew out the heater core as best i could. Its -5 to -10F in the morning when i leave for school. Its FREAKING COLD! I got hot air blowing out of my vents on high but it won't warm up enough in the cab so I cant see my breath in the cab. Its not thermostat because I have already replaced. I have a rubber floormat from chevy duty installed, however there is no felt insulation or the tar paper stuff under it. Would those 2 materials really warm my truck up that much? My buddy has an 81 custom deluxe 20 same setup(350-4speed etc) and it is like an oven. Whats wrong with my heat. If this keeps up im gonna have to drive the ram on cold days PLEASE HELP! thanks in advance.
How worn are your window seals? Back when my brother drove me to school in his '78 I remember it being really cold. His still doesn't have much floor insulation left and the weatherstripping was so worn there was a 1/4" gap between the window and the door. However my '85 with good seals and a fair amount of insulation left is pretty warm inside after only a few minutes. Also, (if you don't have a/c) have you tried using the defroster vents? With my non a/c truck I've found they work alot better at distributing the warm air.
When I painted the truck I removed everything from the doors and when i reassembled the doors everything rubber got replaced in the door even the inside door panels are new. I have tried the defrost and it helps but not much. Im still puzzled and my buddies cant figure it out either.
chevy man06, It sounds to me like your heater control valve is not opening all the way. On the intake manifold near the thermostat housing there is a vacuum operated valve. When you slide the heat control knob inside your truck it allows vacuum to be applied to this valve which then directs HOT water to your heater core inside your cab. If this valve only opens a small amount then you have very little heat. Another thing that might have happened is that the heater core itself has become restricted and not flowing enough hot water to heat up your cab. Try taking the heater control valve out of the intake manifold and screwing in a straight or 90 degree hose fitting. Then put the hose from the control valve onto the new fitting. What this will do is direct ALL of the hot water into the heater core. If your cab heats up to nice and toasty then the problem is the control valve. If you still have a cold cab then the heater core is the bad guy. By the way if you leave your heater connected like this during the summer you will have a rolling sweat box so get the new control valve or heater core before summer rolls around. Good Luck Scholman
