Classic/Antique Car Repair/1967 CORVETTE HEATER

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Expert: Paul Wilczynski - 2/5/2009


Question
PAUL, I HAVE A 67 COUPE ALL ORIGINAL IN GREAT CONDITION. THE HEATER DOES NOT COME ON. MY ORIGINAL COMPRESSOR/ AC STILL WORKS FINE. THANKS FOR ANY HELP, MICHAEL IN PONTE VEDRA BEACH FL.

Answer
Hey, Michael...you don't give me enough info to allow me to pinpoint what the problem would be...which engine? How long have you had the car?

When you say it doesn't come on, do you mean the fan/blower, or do you mean you don't get any heat out of it?

Either way, it's going to have to go to a radiator-A/C shop for repair.

If you aren't getting any fan, it's an electrical fault. This could range from a blown fuse to a bad wire to a switch that's broken. Since the A/C works, I assume it's not the fan motor.

If the fan blows cold but not hot air, you have a blocked heater core or one that's disconnected. In warmer climates, it is fairly common with these older Chevys to put a shutoff valve in one heater hose, or to simply "loop" the hose to bypass the core entirely.

You can check under the hood to see if the heater is bypassed or if there is an aftermarket shut-off valve installed.

If not, I'd get it to a shop and have them take a look at it.

--Paul

Classic/Antique Car Repair

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Paul Wilczynski

Expertise

Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.

Experience

Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself. When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations. I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.

Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.

Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.

Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).

Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.

Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.

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