[Vwdiesel] low temps

[William J Toensing]

I remember doing this in Jan. 1958 (gee, 50 years ago). I rapped the heater boxes & tubes from the heater box to the car body with asbestos(legal back then)  bought in a hardware store, securing it in place with wire. You could probably use fiberglass insulation today. Then I rapped the heater boxes with heavy duty aluminum freezer foil, again securing the foil with wire. I then took the rubber floor mats out & lined the floor with carpet padding. In my '57, there was no insulation or sound deadening material under the floor mats, only painted metal. Don't know about later air-cooled Beatles. The last step was to jam fiberglass insulation down the defroster heater ducts. The basic idea is to insulate any place where heat might radiate to the outside. This would probably help keep other cars warmer. I didn't install any heater blowers but seem to recall reading about some being installed under the rear seat.
I would suggest all who post messages sign with their location in addition to their names. Having lived in Minn. till I was 36 years old & being a car buff all my life, I can relate to cold weather problems. The winter "cold" in N Carolina & east coast is far more mild than in Minn.  In much of Canada & Alaska, it usually is even  far more severe.

Bill Toensing, Nevada City, CA