Need opinion on defrost

[YankeeDespot]

I’m a decent backyard mechanic. But have no idea how removing the passenger side heater/ defrost fans will effect visibility. I pulled them out., just put in a loop. Anyone have experience running just the drivers side defrost blowers? I’d rather have a storage box there, but let me know what y’all think. I’ll have it on the road soon and can experiment....
Thanks in advance.

 

[banman]

YMMV...
The way my Thomas is set up -- the defroster for the drivers side of the windshield pulls it's hot air from the drivers side heater core --
The passenger side windshield pulls it's heat from the heater core by the stairwell on the right side of the bus...
Two separate systems basically...

If that's the case in your case you could certainly tie the two ducts together...

 

[YankeeDespot]

Hmmm. Mine was the same way. I just removed the entire unit on the steps- side. Wondering if a single unit will provide enough air. But that’s a good idea. I can route air from the remaining unit if needed. I just finished replacing brake lines, so can drive and see if I get enough hot air. Thanks for the reply!

 

[cadillackid]

I can tell you it sucks.. the 94+ bluebird conventionals have no defrost fan for the right side... the right side heater blows into the stepwell.. the left side blower is supposed to defrost the whole windshield.. it doesnt defrost any of the windshioeld very well.. there is no velocity in the air because it has such a long duct..



not to mention that stairwell heater is nice for defrosting the door window and warming that step well.. without it you will have cold feet in cold weather..



the busses could be ordered without that right side heater. however it was only ever done in the warmest of climates...

keep the right side heater and restore it to good operating condition..

im actuallty working to retrofit the Old-style bluebird defrosting system into my bus.. .. it had motors on each side of the windshield..


my bus has been running about 30 minutes or so by this time...


even my 42 year Old Superior with one round vent at each end of the windshield defrosts twice as good as this..

 

[ol trunt]

My bus was built with neither a heater nor a defroster. I added a small heater but still have no true defroster. I did put in an old school rubber bladed fan which blows across the windshield with enough force to keep the inside glass clear but sure wouldn't help much with frost on the outside.

Since you do have a defroster of sorts maybe a little fan like mine would help spread the heat around.
Jack

.

 

[EastCoastCB]

YOu should post more pics Jack. You and that bus are quite photogenic.

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

maybe?
if you have room where the drivers side heater coil is?
add the one you pulled from the stair well in there where the driverside coil is and either upgrade the cfm of your blower motor or try to find an inline fan to add in the ductwork where you connect them together to run to the stairwell side.

 

[YankeeDespot]

Thanks all for the replies. The door unit is in good shape, so I’ll just bolt it back in. It’s just ugly, but I’ll put a pretty box around it. I have lots of nice wood.
I drove yesterday, and the drivers side motors blew air across the whole windshield. I don’t want a situation like Cadillac ... yikes. And I like warm feet

 

[cadillackid]

Thanks all for the replies. The door unit is in good shape, so I’ll just bolt it back in. It’s just ugly, but I’ll put a pretty box around it. I have lots of nice wood.
I drove yesterday, and the drivers side motors blew air across the whole windshield. I don’t want a situation like Cadillac ... yikes. And I like warm feet

sad thing is that is the factory system in that bus.. and when I have that bus loaded full of people in the winter, as I do during the holidays quite often, its a royal pain to see anything...

 

[Native-SKO]

Currently, our bus has no heater installed. Yes, we have a ceramic electric heater in the cab area, but it is only a chill chaser. To solve the defrost(anti-fog) situation, we added a fan mounted at the top left corner pointed to blow across the widshield. It works well for all but about 1/3 of the passenger windshield. So, adding a fan like Ol Trunt has will help.

 

[YankeeDespot]

The bus came with 2 fans already mounted up there like trunks. On my test drive the other day, it seemed the defroster blew a lot of air, but I won’t know until some crazy storm- at the worst time. Good thing about this whole deal is that I’ll just pull over and ride it out.
I fear keeping the heat from the engine compartment out of the cab will be a bigger challenge. I insulated the doghouse, but I need to do more. Hot air is leaking through and around the firewall.

 

[cadillackid]

I had to completely rebuild the chassis body mate on my DEV bus, then I dynamat and reflective shield my firewall and remade the weatherstrip for the dog house, now I have only a little heat from the engine but sunshine is still very warm. So I gutted my driver heater and installed a heat / cool so there is 20,000 btu of dashboard A/C so no more hot feet and I don’t sweat in 100 degree heat .. engine heat takes time and effort to fix but can be done.

 

[YankeeDespot]

Great. I imagine that cut down some engine/ trans/ road noise as well. My bus shell isn’t rattle prone, but might be once furnished.
I imagine you put a mini split unit next to drivers seat? What unit is that? I’m interested in having AC, as I’ll be traveling (hopefully) around the south later this summer.
Thanks a lot.

 

[DeMac]

Seemed like a good place to post this pic.

I was surprised to find that the factory didn't install a heater core or fan. Just a 3-way of vents, with no flow. Central Florida bus.

 

[cadillackid]

right side Heaters are oiptional.. on a bus with it there would be a set of 2 blowers and a singl;e heater core over there.. wiothout it many busses dont even have vents over there fore the door..



for a central florida bus you'll never need to de-ice.. the bus will still have a front left heater box that has a defrost and a driver / first-seat heater and the bus prob has a rear heater too..



normal florida rainy days if the bus is A/C you just kick the A/C on low and you wont have any fogging issues..

 

[DeMac]

Just the one heater core in the front with dual squirrel cage fans. You're right, we usually don't see any freeze here.

I was originally concerned with blocking the ducts with additional door framing. Ha. Shoe rack?

Defrost will go back in, once I seal up the gaping holes, insulate, etc......

 

[DeMac]

Today, I cut a scrap section of wall steel to patch the open floor, exposed by the faux defroster panel. (Not completed)