Peerless air
Directing air into the car means controlling heat and noise
After a couple of idle months, the Peerless’ engine was started up and the car moved into a more accessible position in and outside the workshop for another big progress push. Drive It Day came and went, as did a local car display it was invited to. I say local, it was almost in touching distance, but I decided against it for fear of the forecast rain filling the interior due to the lack of door seals.
The tasks in hand were to fit the remaining panels separating the engine bay from the interior. This meant two footwell closing panels behind the B-posts and the heater box aperture in the centre of the bulkhead above the gearbox bellhousing cover. The box is compact, with nothing more to it than two feed pipes for the matrix, a large air inlet with a simple disc flap for controlling flow and a smaller bore outlet meant to feed the screen demisters via a connecting hose. In reality, the demisters have less output than the lungs of the occasional spider I find wandering around the dashboard with a view to relocating their web. More importantly, the heater box and footwell panels do their best to keep out heat and noise from the engine bay.
Heater beater
I toyed with the idea of fitting an alternative heater system some years back, possibly with air conditioning, but have resisted that indulgence, in favour of wanting to finally use the car ASAP. The heater box was in good condition although it had been painted by someone in a hurry using as much surplus paint as possible. I had already dismantled the box and tested the heater matrix to my satisfaction.
Avoiding probable paint reactions, stripping the old paint off the casing was the only solution, although I confess to leaving the red oxide on the inside due to its tenacity. It was stripped using paint stripper covered with cling film for an hour to let it sweat without evaporating and then keyed using grit in a blast gun. This was followed by several layers of gloss black paint applied to both casing sections. The operating rod was stripped and sprayed in a contrasting silver grey
The rest of the heater system consists of the snail-type Smiths blower motor, mounted behind the LH headlamp and two metres of corrugated trunking hose connecting it to the heater box. I’m not a fan of corrugated air hose because it slows down airflow and traps dirt and muck.
It just so happened I had recently removed an unwanted air filter snorkel from a Land Rover and kept it with the Peerless in mind. The main section is made from tough ABS plastic and is smooth internally. This piece is ideal for sitting inside the wheelarch where it is exposed to the usual road dirt. Although I had some corrugated hose of the correct 80mm bore, it’s well past its sell-by date but proved useful for a mock-up ahead of ordering new hose. I have a plastic-cased Smiths heater for the task but it’s only single speed so an upgrade is preferred there, too.
Three speeds to heaven
I know of a suitable blower upgrade with three speeds and IP67 waterproof credentials so that’s my first port of call. The alternative to finding a blower with additional speeds is to use a variable dial switch for as much or as little speed is required – an original knob can usually be grafted onto these with some ingenuity. Secondhand Lucas versions of the same thing rarely work and usually present a dash fire hazard.
By next month, the heater/fresh air system should be installed and cabin temperatures greatly reduced. The two footwell closing panels are simple enough, though they require different methods of attachment due to work done prior to my ownership. The driver’s side sits very close to the accelerator pedal with inset fitting flanges, so fitting it is somewhat awkward, but manageable. The passenger side has good access but was not fitted with inset flanges allowing the panel to be simply screwed on. Instead, I’ll have to cut a slightly oversize panel of the same shape and fit it directly to the chassis tubes on all four sides. I had intended in-setting a cubby box for additional storage but this now seems unlikely on the driver’s side. Ahead of the new panels, I fitted a new flange to the passenger side floor by first removing the rivets securing the footwell floor panel and then fitting the new L-shaped flange using the same rivet holes again. The L shape was formed by hammer in a vice using galvanized steel and all the fitting holes were pre-drilled prior to working in the confines of the footwell. Now for those pesky door seals.