winterization/arctic kits install

I finally broke down and bought a heater for my truck. As the saying goes if your going to be a bear...may as well be a grizzly.

I got such a great deal on this that I couldn't pass it up....the whole deal 30,00btu personnel heater, 23,000btu engine heater, arctic blanket set, full interior insulation kit, shifter boots, all controls, duck work, wiring, battery relocation box....the whole works. It had a little water damage but still new in the box I couldn't be more excited.

Started putting it in last weekend and am almost done with it all...hoping that I can finish here soon. Here are a few pics of where I am with it, enjoy.

Also, the interior duck work I changed out and used the alluminum dryer vent stuff from Menards(4" for the main and 3" for the defrosters) it works much better and easier to install than the original stuff...just a shot of OD Green paint to blend it in.

Any closer pics of anything just ask....also any details needed.

"Coolant heater" is just not a term you see every day.

Thanks for sharing.

It's kind of like a block heater....but on steroids!! It heats the coolant which in turn flows through the battery box bottom plate heating the batteries then through the motor. The exhaust from this thing hooks up to the box mounted under the oil pan so it heats the oil. With the blankets on the hood and side hoods and radiator, I'm thinking it should only need to be run a few minutes in the frigid cold mornings to warm everything up so it starts like it was summer out.

Did it come with instructions?

Could you post a copy if so please.

I'll scan in what papers it came with, no directions to speak of but a few. I think most of them were damaged as some of the paper labels were just a light shade of blue!! no markings like the rest. I did however get a service manual with the mf500(personnel heater)

Here are the pages that I got with it. The last pic is of the manual, I can try to scan it if anyone needs it.

If you could scan the manual and ask one the moderators or who ever is in charge of the TM's here to post it, I know I would greatly appreciate it.

I'll start scanning it as soon as I can, be patient it might take a couple of days.

Wow! Excellent find, a very rare kit indeed.
Using aluminum ducting is a good solution for a substitute IMHO and you did a nice job installing it.
About the battery heater, watch the temp, it doesn't take much to get them too warm, especially in an insulated box and when you get it all operational, remember that the power comes from the truck starting batts, so don't run them down in the process.
Related article in the MVM issue #137 (Feb 2010).

Small note regarding the operation; the "HI" is actually disabled during "START". There is an error in all diagrams that I have seen (including the one shown above).

Q: What is the date shown on the drawings? Too fuzzy to make out.

Cool kit! Does the interior insulation kit have anything for the doors/hard top/floor/windows not including the shifter surround?

I've had to same kit for about 3 years now and haven't managed to finished the install yet. I only have to run the coolant lines and hook up the exhaust to the oil pan.

what is the large silver tank you have in the old battery location? mine didn't come with that.

jwaller said:

I've had to same kit for about 3 years now and haven't managed to finished the install yet. I only have to run the coolant lines and hook up the exhaust to the oil pan.

what is the large silver tank you have in the old battery location? mine didn't come with that.

Click to expand...

Looks like a dedicated fuel tank, which is a good idea, but perhaps not the ideal location. I installed a Jerry can for that purpose...and batteries too for that matter.

Ok lets see:

First- I believe the date says '71 the pages are fuzzy themselves therefore the fuzzy scans. Sorry. Most of the parts in my kit are date stamped '69.

Second- The insulation kit has panels for the firewall, floor, back of the cab, toe kicks, and the crescent shaped sections of the door openings. I just don't have them installed yet in tose photos(hopefully this week). Nothing for the doors themselves or the roof, I do already have the insulated vinyl top on my truck so that should help(although I want to change to a hard top next year sometime, all the soft top pieces make too much noise)

Third- Yes the large silver can is a dedicated fuel tank so I don't have to give up running my mixed fuel in the main tank. I thought about location for a long time and after installing all the stuff in there saw a large space for it to go there so figured why not. This is my thinking behind it, there are fuel lines, filter and pump within closer proximity to the heater than my tank, it is only 2.5 gallons, and I will ONLY be running that heater for a few minutes to preheat the motor to make it easier to start on frigid days, which in turn will also be when that tank is frigid so it will actually warm it up for the other heater to use. Funny thing about that tank, I found it cleaning out my buddies moms garage, he is in the movie theater business and the tank is originally a soda pop syrup tank, all stainless with a vent, pick up tube that reaches the bottom, and a LARGE fill opening. It also has the glass tube on the end to "see" how full it is(although right now I removed it cause it was leaking, I'll be replacing the parts in the spring for it so next year it will function.

Also it is correct that the "HI" setting is by passed during the preheat cycle of the heaters, the manual says so....which is funny cause the directions for the "coolant" heater say to start it in "low" and the "personnel" heater says to start it in "hi" go figure!!

be sure you turn off the water valves in the heater system so that when the engine is running you don't cook the batteries.

I was thinking that same thing, the running of the truck would cook the batteries.

Anyone ever see the cable shut off valves? I'll try to find where I saw a pic of them....looked really slick just hook up a cable like the duck work cables and open or close the water valve from inside the truck.

Cable shut off valves-
Heater Valves & Cables
Cables-
Surplus Center

Those are the valves I was looking at, thanks for the link.

cranetruck said:

..
Using aluminum ducting is a good solution for a substitute IMHO and you did a nice job installing it......

Click to expand...

With some reservations for the exhaust parts...there may be a problem in the area marked off in the image below, I have seen open flame here with a short open ended exhaust, which could melt the aluminum in a hurry. The original pipe is steel with a much higher melting point.

jwaller said:

be sure you turn off the water valves in the heater system so that when the engine is running you don't cook the batteries.

Click to expand...

The batteries are relocated to the crew compartment and if the "personnel" heater is running for a while, the batteries will be warmed up in time for cranking.
I removed the battery heating coil and case insulation for this reason and if I forget to turn off the coolant loop through the heater, no real harm is done.