Hi, Tim, I'll bet he has a Stewart-Warner SouthWind heater, the USA response to the fabled Eberspächer stationary heater. My first thought is that there are three areas he'll need to adapt: (1) the blower motors (either by replacement or using a voltage-reducer), (2) the ignition system (this might be tougher), and (3) the fusing (using 12v halves the amperage draw, but I'd still play it safe). I sent somebody on this list a set of SouthWind instructions a couple of years ago -- who was it? -- that are probably reproducible. I'll look around for my original copy of the old instructions, but I think I lost it in last year's Nashville Flood.
It will be a fairly extensive restoration, but (IMHO well worth the effort. The SouthWind was a very good unit, as combustion heaters go). FWIW: The German Webasto used a similar concept and they're occasionally still available on ebay.de if you can read German. The company still exists, producing heaters for streetcars, cross-country trucks, RVs, etc. Don't know about Stewart-Warner. Bert -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Timothy Osburn Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 11:32 AM To: VW1; VW2 Subject: [vintagvw] converting 6 to 12 volts I have a friend who is converting from 6 to 12 volts. He specifically wanted to know about his Southland gas heater. Anybody have suggestions? Thanks! Tim Osburn, Head Mechanic, Ralph Spoilsport Motors. Home of Fine, Old Volkswagens and....Grand Canyon Nut. ___ _______________________________________________ vintagvw site list [email protected] http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
