Deluxe heater

[Satch]

Hi all,
I am restoring a 1955 2nd series Chev. On the weekend, I was trying to hook up the deluxe heater controls. The deluxe heater that I restored and is currently in the truck, has the cable routing for the heater/defroster changer going out horizontally - see the picture on the right. Any other pictures I have seen have the cable routed vertically like in the picture on the left (this is a spare unit I have). I would think both are correct for 1955-1959, but am not sure.
Which way is correct for a 1955? If I do end up routing the cable horizontally, how would I ever route the cable up to the controls?
Thanks for any help.

 

[mikebte]

Well mine was like the old one on the left. But I removed mine and went with a differant heater all together. I know I have some photos somewere. When I find them Ill post it. for you.

 

[vwnate1]

That's quite interesting ~ they look very similar , I assume both are Harrison units ? .

 

[Satch]

Yes, both are Harrison units. The only differences between the two that I can see is the routing of the afore-mentioned cable, the lever that moves the flap is different and the vent holes on the top are located in a little different spots.

 

[Reinovator]

Just a foot note,
Years ago I was working in a salvage yard for foreign cars and ran into an interesting item concerning heaters I had to pull a speedo head out of a Datsun B210.
and in the process I realized that the heater assembly was one piece,(controls fan, etc) the only thing needed to make work in another application was the duct tubes for the defrost.
My brother in law needed a heater for his 52 Ford pickup so I pulled the assembly while I was in there he was able to fit it in the dash on this truck with very little trouble. It worked very well.
I later found out that the heaters in various Japaneses imports were considered add on accessories. Of course I would not do this to a GM.

My point? Never give up are their two cables attached to the controls? vent heat, defrost floor etc. can they be switched. to reach better?
I have used choke cables to replace broken or gummed up control cables. The key is to keep the housing stable. the bends or loops on the end can be duplicated whith a little practice using a spare piece of cable, a propane torch an an old drill bit.

Good luck.

 

[Bill Hanlon]

I don't know if this has anything to do with your problem, but the temp lever on the Chevy dashboard control unit causes motion in the opposite direction of that the temp lever in the GMC dash control unit. I assume that this would translate to opposite motion on the heater unit itself, push vs. pull. I can't remember which is which. I know you don't have a GMC dashboard control unit because it has a roll near the bottom that matches up with the GMC dash, but maybe you have a GMC under dash heater unit??

Just a thought.

 

[Satch]

You are totally correct. I also had a GMC control unit - so I went to look at it. The GMC unit has the cable pulling from the top whereas the chev unit has the cable pulling from the bottom. This heater box is therefore from a GMC unit. Mystery solved.
Thanks for the help.