I just moved from Austin, Texas to Seattle, Washington. I, too, have an
engine conversion in my '87 GL. I switched from the WBX to an engine from an
'87 Porsche 911 Carrera. I didn't go to the trouble of hooking up heat.

I also reasoned that heat for my Vanagon wasn't all that important. I spent
last winter driving around with a blanket across my legs. Not always so
effective. I would HIGHLY recommend going to the trouble of hooking up the
front heater. In the long run I think you will find it worth the trouble.

Remember, no heat up front means that you won't have a defroster. I consider
this a safety item, as well as a convenience.

Other considerations: no heat will greatly decrease resale value if you ever
decide to sell your Vanagon. As I mentioned, I now live in Seattle. Man, do
I ever wish I had heat up here. I have an Eberspracher (sp?) on order. I
can't wait until I get installed. Remember, you may not always live in
Texas. When I did my engine conversion I had NO idea that I would ever be
leaving Texas. Well, it happened. I wish I had done the heat when I was in
Texas. Remember, too, that your passengers will quickly tire of not having
heat in the van.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Bruce
motorbruce@hotmail.com

>From: "Mark A. Kreuzer" <markk@OURWESTY.COM>
>Reply-To: "Mark A. Kreuzer" <markk@OURWESTY.COM>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Removing front heat exchanger
>Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2006 11:30:14 -0600
>
>Looking for feedback... thanks group.
>
>I'm in the process of planning an entire fresh of the mechanicals of my 85
>Westy.  This includes installing the new Zetec engine.
>As part of my project I'm planning to take out the rear heater core and now
>that we live in texas i'm considering removing the front as well.  I'll be
>taking off the dash to fix the vents so i'll be right there already.
>Here's my rational:
>1.  I don't want to spend the time or money on replacing hoses and the
>exchanger to ensure the refresh is complete.
>2.  It's just another potential failure point that i'm not sure i'll
>actually need.
>3.  compared to the midwest, texas just doesn't get cold enough to warrant
>having heat.  i'd rather bundle up if it's a little cold.
>
>thanks in advance for your thoughts.
>
>-- mark
>
>
>Mark A. Kreuzer
>email:  markk@ourwesty.com
>85' Westy