So Peter Ruggiero says:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> 	I have a quick question for some of the air-cooled experts out 
> there. I am missing the heat ducting elbow that extends from the heater 
> blower down thru the sheet metal fitting into the right heat exchanger.  
> This is an 80 Vanagon bye the bye.  Don't ask me how i lost it, but 
> my question is can I drive without it?  I have called every dealer in 
> the area and I leave tommorrow (24 hours) on a trip to Wyomming.  Without 
> this piece I have noticed that the right heat exchanger gets much hotter 
> than the left one, seemingly since no cooler air is blowing thru it.  I 
> realize of course that i am sacrificing some of my van's heating 
> capabilities without this piece, i think i can deal with that, I want to 
> know if i am possibly hurting anything else?
> 

Sounds like the hot air issuing from the heat exchanger is blowing back
onto the heat exchanger itself.  I doubt if this would cause any problems.
Although, if your going to Wyoming, I'd check out the junk yards for a
spare one and put it on or I'd fashion a temporary fix by using a peice
of dryer vent hose and splicing it in.  

Steven 

sjohnson@pcocd2.intel.com