Hi All,
I've taken my front heater box apart to clean and oil the blower motor
bushings on my 87' camper.  I was surprised to find a piece of sheet metal that VW
installed right along side of the heater core, blocking at least 80% of the air
flow/heat.  Why did VW do this?  Was this installed in all vans?  Did VW
omitt this in vans sold in colder markets?  The Bentley manual 80.12 shows that an
earlier model van had a vent that diverted heat to the rear passenger area
via a passage under the floor.  Did that set up have greater air flow /heat
requirements where VW would have omitted  this sheet metal piece?  Was that set up
instead of the rear heater box?  If so, did it supply enough heat for mild
weather area?  I've removed my leaking rear heater so I could have more storage.
 I would like to retrofit this under floor vent to provide heat for rear
passengers.  Is it worth the effort?  Would I need to remove the sheet metal from
the front heater box to make it work?

Thanks,
Kevin Dawson