3cx 1989 heater retrofit

[Afterburner]

Hi all
The whole heater system has been removed from my 1989 3cx backhoe, hoses cut and plugged.
Does anyone know where i could get the parts or know of a retrofit from later/earlier models that would work?
(Vicary parts are expensive)
What electrical controls are involved as i cant see any connections?
Ive seen a heater matrix on ebay so possibly just buy a fan and make up the ducting?
Is the heater worth the cost and effort?

[Jeremy Rowland]

The big question is how much time do you intend spending in the machine during the winter months? If that is very little or the odd day here and there then it is not worth bothering with, wrap up it's cheaper and less hassle.

Jeremy

[Slooby]

The stock heater is a tiny matrix with a two speed fan, if you've ever had an original Mini, Morris Minor or Series Land Rover the heater is about as effective, and being attached to a basic diesel it also takes an age to develop any heat!

[MrF]

Ive just taken the heater unit off a 3c2, its literally as said, a knob with off,1,2 positions on the dash, tiny matrix, a grille and a fan bolted to it with a bit of a shroud, and two pipes tee'd off the radiator hoses.
Ive never used the heater on my 3c3 which is the same setup to know if its worth it. When its that cold I just do something else and put the job off until it warms up a bit.

[Afterburner]

Ok so looks like heater isnt worth the effort, cheers for all the input.
Think I’ll just cover the gaps in the floor then

[owl]

Why not get a £80 chinese diesel heater off ebay? I use one in my garage, It is a clone of an Eiberspacher designed for use in parked vehicles such as motor homes. All you need is a 2mm diesel pipe feed and 12V supply. I do intend to fit one before winter.
e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/402972922703
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401765323965

[gecko.cx]

A somewhat less effective, but vastly simpler option might be an electric seat heater.

a random offering
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184581040680
at £13 a pair (plus a switch), it's probably the cheapest solution too.

[MrF]

I have a chinese diesel heater in my workshop (with a external exhaust outlet through the wall & no leak on the pipe) just to take the chill off mid winter, and every so often over a month it sets off a co2 alert meter maybe on 2 days and it reeks for the first few minutes before its running properly, no way I'd sleep or work in a vehicle with it running and I turn it off and keep a eye on it while it cools down...
Yes I've been told its defective as the burn chamber is supposed to be sealed and separate to the in-room air system by design, but a friend has a similar unit and has the same, so the must be a fair few defective ones knocking about. It is a chinese copy so what do you expect though. If you put your life in the hands of the chinese manufacturing plant knocking 10,000 a day out, at least fit some co2 monitors in the space.

Also don't forget you have to cut a hole for the exhaust outlet which gets hot. It'd be less work to fix the cab heater tbh, and while its warming up the cab, the engine gets nice and warm too and its kinder on it.

[MrF]

A somewhat less effective, but vastly simpler option might be an electric seat heater.

a random offering
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184581040680
at £13 a pair (plus a switch), it's probably the cheapest solution too.

My dirty secret is one of our cars is a full EV and on that you have the ability to run the heated seats but not the climate control/heater for the whole car, and it extends the range massively without feeling much colder, so that'd probably take the chill off the operator enough in this case also.

[essexpete]

A somewhat less effective, but vastly simpler option might be an electric seat heater.

a random offering
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184581040680
at £13 a pair (plus a switch), it's probably the cheapest solution too.

My dirty secret is one of our cars is a full EV and on that you have the ability to run the heated seats but not the climate control/heater for the whole car, and it extends the range massively without feeling much colder, so that'd probably take the chill off the operator enough in this case also.

Wash your mouth out!
Nothing less than black smoke on here.