Is anyone running a Beck Subaru Spyder with a Under dash Heater Core?
Wondering how it is working out,
Do you have dash vents also?
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I'd like to see some photos of this too. Also what aftermarket heater was used and particularly and how\where it was plumbed in. Also, how to avoid air cavities......Bruce
Calling @Michael Pickett!
I like Mike's A/C/Heater installation the best of any I've seen (and hoping this doesn't give him a swelled Pineapple noggin').
Let's see: Mike's got a Speedster(CMC?), that's aircooled.
Not even close to a Beck Spyder with a Subaru. That will require a heater core inside the "box". The man with the answer is Carey Hines, but I wouldn't wait on an answer here. He's too busy building cars.
I'd bet the answer is closer to what Lane ended up with in his new Suby mid-engine coupe than anything else. Especially because Carey built that too.
Here is my Beck speedster with a heater core. No dash vents and plenty of heat with the 2 speed fan. Carey can comment more but I can say it works very well and is really clean looking IMHO. 
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Thanks, Gordon. @DannyP, you're right, my old air-cooled IM is very different. I think what Gordon was suggesting was that the idea of moving the battery into the nose and rebuilding the battery box to house a heat exchanger might be useful. There were also a few things I did with air ducting that might be helpful if someone wanted to take that approach.
Here's the first part:
https://www.speedsterowners.co...2#590725800967819512
Moving the battery:
https://www.speedsterowners.co...5#590866538509731535
Adding air vents in the dash (and underneath):
https://www.speedsterowners.co...1#590585063528406161
That's probably most of the potentially useful links regarding moving air around. I ran the ductwork along the inside top of the fenders. This design gives you fresh air only - no recirculation.
Cheers.
@Joe Fortino posted:Here is my Beck speedster with a heater core. No dash vents and plenty of heat with the 2 speed fan. Carey can comment more but I can say it works very well and is really clean looking IMHO.
Hey, Joe!
Sorry for the thread drift, but would you mind dropping a link to your source for those cup-holders! How do you like them? Do they perform as you thought they would?
Will they hold anything larger than a water bottle?
I've been on the hunt...
Aircooled: could you PM me, been trying to reach you re: foot pegs, but site won't let me enter your name for a PM for some reason.
@aircooled. ^^^^^^
@DannyP posted:Let's see: Mike's got a Speedster(CMC?), that's aircooled.
Not even close to a Beck Spyder with a Subaru. That will require a heater core inside the "box". The man with the answer is Carey Hines, but I wouldn't wait on an answer here. He's too busy building cars.
I'd bet the answer is closer to what Lane ended up with in his new Suby mid-engine coupe than anything else. Especially because Carey built that too.
True, but I don't like to pester Carey. He is busy in the Toy Factory
I'd like to ask the group first. especially if someone has been running a Beck/S.E. heater core for a couple of seasons.
@Joe Fortino posted:Here is my Beck speedster with a heater core. No dash vents and plenty of heat with the 2 speed fan. Carey can comment more but I can say it works very well and is really clean looking IMHO.
Hey Joe, is there any ambient heat from the heater or any of the assembly, especially during the summer?
@americanworkmule there is zero ambient heat. When it is on it's on and kicks out great heat. Between this and the heated seats I am comfortable in 40 degrees. I have taken 2 trips to Carlisle which is +1400 miles round trip mostly highway miles and have never felt additional heat.
@Joe Fortino posted:@americanworkmule there is zero ambient heat. When it is on it's on and kicks out great heat. Between this and the heated seats I am comfortable in 40 degrees. I have taken 2 trips to Carlisle which is +1400 miles round trip mostly highway miles and have never felt additional heat.
That sounds perfect. Something I need to add to my build while I wait, and wait, and wait... Ha ha
I have my Beck Suby Spyder chassis #, but it will be a long wait. I have ordered the heater and the heated seats. In the last two weeks I asked Carey about the heater and here is what he replied (to save him having to repeat it):
"Yes, on the water-cooled cars we can add a heater core under the dash. Being a modern hot water/coolant heating system it works very well. It just blows hot air down into the cabin, which gets drawn over your body and through the cockpit. We also use an “H” bypass valve so that it doesn’t radiate heat when turned off in warmer weather. The H valve is attached to the unit and controlled by a remote push/pull knob like an old choke knob. When closed it bypasses the heater core so that you don’t get radiant heat off of it, and when open you will get radiant heat from it, plus you have an electric fan to blow air over it for forced air heat."
@Foleydb posted:"...The H valve is attached to the unit and controlled by a remote push/pull knob like an old choke knob..."
Thanks, I try not to ask Carey too much. I don't want to bother him.
Is the H valve knob on the dash like the lights or original 550 Spyder ignition or fuel pump knobs/switches? or tucked under the dash?
@Cory McCloskey posted:Hey, Joe!
Sorry for the thread drift, but would you mind dropping a link to your source for those cup-holders! How do you like them? Do they perform as you thought they would?
Will they hold anything larger than a water bottle?
I've been on the hunt...
@Joe Fortino
are those santana-cup-holders?
https://www.speedsterowners.co...-santana-cup-holders
or like MusbJim use aroll of duct tape on the floorboard.
They are custom milled by Carey and crew. I had him install Santana one in my previous car and he came up with his own design. Just don't ask him how much time and money it took 😀
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Or, you could go the low bucks route from West Marine.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy...e-_-GSC%3EBrand%2520(LIA)-_-2127033&product_id=2127033&creative=504872101191&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1viTxuXb8AIVZ_HjBx00mA2XEAYYAiABEgKwDfD_BwE
@americanworkmule posted:@Joe Fortino
are those santana-cup-holders?
https://www.speedsterowners.co...-santana-cup-holders
or like MusbJim use aroll of duct tape on the floorboard.
There isn't much room to put them in a Spyder FYI. You MIGHT be able to stick them in the cockpit bulkhead, but that is an excellent place for the heated seat switches. Or maybe in the inner rocker panels, just make sure they install flush for getting an and out. If I drink coffee in the Spyder on an A.M. drive, my wife will hold the cup or I'll wait until I get where I'm going. Like this Sunday I'll probably hit a C & C event.
You can just use a roll of duct tape, it really works.
Yeah, and if you have a “sporty” Spyder replica with no carpets, once the roll of duct tape heats up and sticks to the floor, to paraphrase that old song from the Byrds, it ain’t goin’ no where.
@Cory McCloskey posted:Hey, Joe!
Sorry for the thread drift, but would you mind dropping a link to your source for those cup-holders! How do you like them? Do they perform as you thought they would?
Will they hold anything larger than a water bottle?
I've been on the hunt...
Cory, I have flush fitting ones and honestly they barely hold a small coffee so I never use them. I find myself using a contigo cup which auto locks to keep my coffee in and since I am alone most times I rest it on the seat. Just saying.
yeah, I'm just surfing the thread drift.
Check out what this guy did for a cup holders in what used to be his Spyder on BaT.
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@DannyP posted:There isn't much room to put them in a Spyder FYI. You MIGHT be able to stick them in the cockpit bulkhead, but that is an excellent place for the heated seat switches. Or maybe in the inner rocker panels, just make sure they install flush for getting an and out. If I drink coffee in the Spyder on an A.M. drive, my wife will hold the cup or I'll wait until I get where I'm going. Like this Sunday I'll probably hit a C & C event.
You can just use a roll of duct tape, it really works.
I’ve found that there a perfect “cup holder” built into my Spyder. The space between my passenger seat and the bulkhead, and the shifter cage on the left. I just have to put a finger on the cup if I take a hard left turn. 
@americanworkmule posted:Thanks, I try not to ask Carey too much. I don't want to bother him.
I ask Carey nothing as it is months before I have to finalize my build sheet and I figure I have time to find out elsewhere. But this was part of our very first exchange when I ordered, and I won't bother him again. In the meantime I've built a 550 Replica Cloud where I am sticking everything I can find and every answer to every question I can find about what the car can be. The Cloud is here. Most of the content now is in the ORDERING folder.
@americanworkmule posted:Is the H valve knob on the dash like the lights or original 550 Spyder ignition or fuel pump knobs/switches? or tucked under the dash?
In answer to your question: I'm sorry I don't know for sure, but I believe it's on the dash. Perhaps someone other than Carey can chime in?
If yous guys have time to drink while driving your Spyders, then your roads aren't curvy enough.
@dlearl476 posted:I’ve found that there a perfect “cup holder” built into my Spyder. The space between my passenger seat and the bulkhead, and the shifter cage on the left. I just have to put a finger on the cup if I take a hard left turn.
I did that on my old Spyder, but there is less room on the new one. My seats are tilted back, raised an inch in front, so they are MUCH closer to the bulkhead. No room.
I did install a charge cord on each side for me and my wife. You can't see them, but they are there when we need them.
@Carlos G posted:If yous guys have time to drink while driving your Spyders, then your roads aren't curvy enough.
Drinkin' N drivin'...main problem is deciding whether to go on and pour the contents on youself before entering the car or just wait until the inevitable takes it's course.
REAL drivers drive when they're drivin' and drink when they're drinkin'.
I can relate to that. I installed two cupholders in my Speedster just so I/we would have a secure place to put the cup or water bottle and mounted them in the forward lower corner of the doors. But then, it's kind-of impractical, with all that's going on while driving, to actually pull the cup and return it. Not like my F250 that had a big, dual cup thing that popped out of the middle of the dash and was convenient as all get out (and could hold the weight of a Jack Russell, as we found out).
That's interesting! Anyone know how it's done on a Spyder, and what year is that Spyder?
There is plenty of room under the dash on a Spyder for a heater IMHO, as the cockpit bulkhead gives you room on the sides as well as under. Should be able to get a heat and/or AC unit under there.
I've got an entire gasoline heater and all the hoses for vents and defrost under there, and you can't see it.
DB Foley: That is a Vintage Spyder, but I don't know the year. It must be after 2005 or so due to the door handles. You can tell by the 2" diameter frame tubes.
@Foleydb posted:That's interesting! Anyone know how it's done on a Spyder, and what year is that Spyder?
Which spyder are you asking about? ha ha ha
@Joe Fortino posted:It is under the dash on my speedster
That looks Nice. Which knob does what? open/Close, Fan,..?
oh no... now there is going to be a thread drift about your speakers next.
@americanworkmule posted:That looks Nice. Which knob does what? open/Close, Fan,..?
oh no... now there is going to be a thread drift about your speakers next.
That valve looking pull is the ejection button for the passenger seat.
@DannyP posted:I thought you were asking about the black one with the Rawlings baseball glove interior.
I thought it was odd having all of those logos and it not being some kind of corporate marketing kitsch
https://bringatrailer.com/list...-550-spyder-replica/
OK, here's rundown of some answers from all of the above questions: if I missed something you want answered, just tag me in the reply and I'll look back here later
The Spyder heater core is the same as Joe's Speedster, I believe it's a Mojave unit, all self contained, compact and has a 2 speed fan. Controls are hidden, as is the choke cable for the H valve. It can have dedicated defrost and defroster vents can be added to the spyder dash, and then it otherwise dumps heat to the cockpit. Our spyder column has a plate along the back side for adding things like these controls, 12v outlet, USB plug, etc...
The cup holders in Joe's car are a semi-copy of the Santana cup holders, but 1) the Santana popped open and I didn't like that, so these have a sightly stronger catch to prevent that and most importantly 2) the santana cup holders were too deep for the speedster rockers, so we put it all into CAD and made the face plate over 1" thick to offset the cup holder to fit our space. They are VERY expensive to make. From memory they were $400 each (material and machine time), plus I had a grand or two into CAD time for the first batch. We refer to Joe's cupholders as the most expensive cup holders ever.
In a spyder, you could do this in the rockers, and the stock Santana cup holders should work fine for this location. There are a few other locations that may work, but that would also depend on how you fit/sit in the car. I like mine just forward of the seat, essentially between my legs, but that would not work without the seat all the way back and would also depend on how well you fit under the steering wheel. For my size it is not an issue...