VW Classic Beetle Heater Box Refurbish Budget Repair - How To Fix Rust Holes The Cheap And Easy Way 

Thank you very much!

​@@SladesVWBeetle what travels inside the J tube? Just hot air?

@@SDsailor7Exhaust gasses.

Oh I believe that it worked quite well jorg, honestly I love JB Weld. I have used it for multiple things. If I showed more budget videos on everything I did with JB Weld, I think everyone would be shocked lol I hope you’ve had a great day.

Thank you my friend! I truly appreciate that.

@@ct92404 thank you very much for the kind words. I always hope these videos help other folks out that with this channel is all about. And I’m glad to see it has become a big hit.

The new heat boxes make much less heat because they have less fins inside, also would bet my house they won't last half as long as the originals did 30, 40 years plus!

I am glad you enjoyed the video, I like to do budget fixes when possible.

Thank you Raymond! I appreciate you chiming in with extra tips. Oddly enough I did try that once with Bondo, I put wax paper over and slightly greased the outer side and smoothed it out by hand. It really made a huge difference! Much less work after that. Merry Christmas my friend.

@@SladesVWBeetle 🤠👌👍

@@SladesVWBeetle Merry Christmas amigo 🤠

That works great with longstrand fiberglass bondo like on a floorpan patch

Heck yeah, get them on her!

Honestly it does work! They even sell an extreme heat JB Weld. That works quite well.

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. It’s a cheap fix instead of buying new heater boxes when needed. Everybody is too quick to put new parts on all of the time. Thank you for being here.

Hi Erik, theres a few on the marketplace, and craiglist. I do so love these cars! I truly hope you find one. I did a few videos, on what to look for on them before purchasing!

Thank you very much Jane, I truly appreciate the kind words! I just try to do what I think is right, and help others. I also created a Facebook group, slades VW community. It’s been a lot of fun so far. Don’t forget, to keep check on the community tab here, sometimes on Friday nights I have a live chat at 8 PM Eastern time which is a lot of fun. I always announce it on Thursdays here.

Thank you, I really appreciate the kind comment. I’m glad the videos help other folks out. We’ve got to try to save money when we can.

And thank you so much for being here and taking the time to leave a comment sir.

Thank you, I truly appreciate it. I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

Thank you Randy! I hope you have been enjoying this cold weather, we got hit hard today.

Thank you!

Thank you my friend I truly appreciate your opinion on the next channel. Or should I say the extra channel lol we are definitely writing down ideas I think it will be a lot of fun for us to do it together. I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

Absolutely! They do heat very well. I think some folks that are not familiar with the system, tend to think they don’t work.

Yes absolutely I agree 100%.

Thank you so much, I truly appreciate that

Thank you my friend! I try to do budget fixes when possible.

Thank you for chiming in my friend! Oh geez, I sold Heather‘s 73 nova about four years ago. She still brings it up lol it was her daily driver.

Thank you for being here my friend! I really enjoy saving money when possible, and you are right the marketplace helps out a lot. I hope you have a very wonderful weekend and a very merry Christmas.

Thank you George I appreciate the kind comments. I use JB Weld, and probably 20 different ways lol I just feel ashamed sometimes to show these things, it always seems someone’s looking to say something ignorant. Oddly enough, everyone seem to approve of this budget fix. I hope you have a very merry Christmas my friend.

I really like it, I think it works very well. They also sell an extreme heat JB Weld, but they didn’t have any local to me. Thank you for being a Rodney! I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

Thank you very much my friend! I definitely would have showed it if they were still on the car for sure.

I started cleaning the heater boxes and ended up dismantling them down... I thing they will look and perform much better after I repair, paint and assemble them. Thanks for your inspiration.

That is great my friend, I hope it is effective for you, and you’re nice and warm! Thank you for being here.

Heather seen the towels, and said… my goodness what have you started with everybody lol she said there’s going to be wives coming after you. Lmao!! We love old movies, still gathering as many ideas as possible for our channel together. I’m really excited about it. I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

Thank you Michael, sometimes I try to figure out ways to do things but save money

Thank you Gordon, that is an excellent idea I will bring up to Heather. We definitely are going to have a second channel together I think it will be a lot of fun! I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

Thank you! I appreciate you leaving a comment. Honestly, it’s a budget fix, for folks that don’t have a lot of money instead of having to buy new.

@SladesVWBeetle I have the money for new ones,, but I'm not going to spend it on them.🤭🤫 .I'm going to fix The old ones this way... I have been thinking of a good salutation...I found it here...thanks

@@DonCatherman excellent! I hope it works out well for you although it should. I am the same way uncertain things I won’t spend money, depending on what it is. And heater boxes or one of them if they’re fixable. And also it seems like some of the new stuff don’t fit very well.

That would be very interesting to do! I know they sell the larger diameter heater boxes, but as you said they definitely are not cheap.

Thank you Mike! I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

Thank you. Truly appreciate it! Thank you for being part of it, what a great community this has come to be.

Thank you my friend! It’s a cheap budget fix when needed! Yeah, she already notice the brush is gone. Do you have any room at your place for me? 😁 Merry Christmas my friend.

Thank you Jerome! And thank you so much for being here. I grabbed her a new pack of brushes, she noticed it lol thank you so much for being here

You’re welcome, thank you for commenting.

Thank you so much my friend. I am so thankful the community is growing! It truly makes me smile.

Thank you Darren! And I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

Thank you my friend, and thank you so much for always being here. I so hope you have a very merry Christmas

Thank you so much my friend! OK I didn’t think of that, I’m going to grab a pack of popsicle sticks since I use stuff like that a lot. That was an excellent idea I so appreciate it! Plus I think Heather has a bunch of them in her craft room lol I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

I normally don’t use them, especially with the engine that will be going in next. I can’t afford the larger sized ones. Plus I rarely use heat, I hide my car in the winter lol

I really like doing budget fixes my brother. Saves a lot of money. That’s sad that you disposed of some of them. But we all learn a little too late, at least I know I do!! I’ll notice a DIY video on house stuff and think, oh crap I should’ve done that lol

Thank you my friend I truly appreciate that!

Thank you John! It’s a budget fix that honestly works very well I have done it quite a few times. They also sell extreme heat JB Weld but they didn’t have none at my local store.

Thank you Mike! I like doing budget fixes when possible, long as no one gets hurt lol merry Christmas to you my dear friend I hope you have a truly blessed holiday.

Thank you Jim!

Thanks Jerry I appreciate that. It’s a cheap easy fix.

Thank you I truly appreciate that! I like doing budget fixes, everything is so expensive now! Don’t forget your in-laws! Merry Christmas my friend.

Thank you I truly appreciate the kind comment. I’m so sorry but what do you mean by valves?

There is a flapper valve at the outlet end of the heater box. The flap is not seating and looks like a spring may be broken inside @@SladesVWBeetle

Absolutely brother! I like the adventures better lol

Thank you Larry for always being here!

JB Weld is a good product, I never realized how many different things they do sell.

That was actually a very good price Wyatt, I try to check the marketplace once in a while for things like that.

Thank you my friend! I try to do budget fixes one possible. It really makes a difference. I’m testing out metal Bondo, but I don’t think many people will find I’m using lol and thank you for the tip on our next channel together. Or I should say or second channel.

Thank you Doug! I like doing budget fixes I just don’t film that money I didn’t know if anyone was interested. I replace the brushes, and I did get caught. 🤦🏼‍♂️😁😂

Thank you my friend! I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

It's controlled leakage so the heater boxes don't melt when the heat is turned off to the cabin.

Absolutely I agree! That’s all I had on hand. I was trying to find a high heat JB Weld but I didn’t see any at my local stores. I think it’s called extreme heat.

There used to be a company that made some high CFM fans that went in under the rear seat. It was a full kit, and pretty nice, from what I saw when my friend installed it. The beetle still wasn't "hot" inside, but you didn't have to drive with chattering teeth.

I can't imagine the need for any sort of auxiliary heat. Maybe in some older beetles, which had an older style of heater boxes, but my 1968 Beetle, with heater boxes like those shown in this video, had the best heater of any car I've ever had. Engine warmed up quickly (thinks to the thermostat) and the engine started blowing a huge volume of painfully hot air into the passenger cabin. Kept the cabin 80 deg F when it was -10 outside the car - even as the car aged and the heater boxes began developing holes. I am at a loss for why anyone thought these vehicles did not have good cabin heat. Even my VW van had plenty of heat and its passenger and cargo area was much bigger than the Beetle. Now, I saw some air cooled VW's where the wire cables that open and close the hot-air flaps in the heater boxes, were either unattached, or were attached improperly, so of course the cabin did not get heat. But this was not the fault of the design of the car. It was the fault of someone who repaired or maintained the car improperly.

Yah ... right .... Running oil up under the dash.... Clearly ... getting quality medication is an issue ..... How do people come up with hair-brained ideas like that ?

@@thestove2407>>How do people come up with hair-brained ideas like that ?

​@@frankschwartz7405 I was mistaken, you don't need better medication ... You need to knock off the crack ! Oil cooler bwahahaha .... If you knew even the simplest of things about beetles ... you wouldn't suggest such silliness .... 😂

Thank you my friend, I truly appreciate that. I’m quite sure yours is probably there, it just might not be hooked up or need new cables.

Thank you my friend I truly appreciate that!

Yes I have this same question

Moves slightly a little bit because you’re hooking those hoses up to it, which if it was welded to the exhaust J-tube it would not be able to move around to hook up your accordion style hose, and the adapter that comes from your ductwork. I hope that made sense.

Thank you my friend! I hope you’re doing well.

Thank you my friend lol she caught it. I bought her some last night while I was at Walmart lol

Thank you so much!

Yes that JB Weld works quite well. I was trying to find the extreme heat JB Weld, but I couldn’t find any local to me. I hope you have a very merry Christmas my friend, and we are very excited about opening a second channel together.

@@SladesVWBeetle0

Hey it’s all good! Using Ospho is what I normally use! So yes!! Great idea! I was basically just showing a cheap fix for the holes. But….yes!! You’re right!!

The heater box shell, and the J pipe tube, are not attached together. When you bolt the J pipe on, the outer shell sometimes will need moved slightly to hook up the hoses. I don’t believe they’re hooked up from the factory either. As one piece. I hope that made sense. Going to be live tonight with heather since Christmas is Sunday I’ll see you at 8 PM Eastern

You’re very welcome and thank you for being here. This is the method that I would use. Just cover one end, with tape, and then maybe find a friend that vapes? Unless you have some type of smoke machine. And blow smoke in there, and try to watch for it to escape out of the J pipe inside. Looking through the shell. I hope that made sense

Thank you for taking time to watch the budget video. I like doing budget fixes when possible. I’m not quite sure about the size of the heater boxes vs the J tubes that are aftermarket I will have to look into that. I’m going to run a 1 1/2 inch header, and I know they sell one and a half inch heat boxes but they’re too expensive for me.

Tagging along here as I have this same question

What I meant is the outer shell should be able to move slightly. The inner J tube to bolts up to the engine and exhaust system, and stays stationary. The outer shell, the part that we repaired. Moves slightly a little bit because you’re hooking those hoses up to it, which if it was welded to the exhaust J-tube it would not be able to move around to hook up your accordion style hose, and the adapter that comes from your ductwork. I hope that made sense.

I never tried to use header wrap on a heater box. I think it might be a little difficult. With the shape of it. I usually was nice and toasty within 10 minutes with Volkswagens that are air cooled with heat boxes.

Honestly my friend, I would not be messing around with that. Unless you absolutely can find out where the crack is and repair it. Please leave your heat off until you do that. That would be the inside J tube finned area that must have a crack in it.

@@SladesVWBeetle yeah it’s off. I got a battery powered CO detector on board too. This bus had some aftermarket dash fans and I’m pretty sure at one point had one of those Borg-Warner gas powered heaters too. I’m looking to restore the OG heating

@@ct92404 if you have holes in the J-tube, inside the shells, then you will definitely get fumes into the cabin. This fix is only if the outer shell has a little hole. The J-tube inside is what’s important. Let me know if that makes sense to you.

@@SladesVWBeetle It does make sense, thank you. I probably just won't connect the air ducts that go from the heaters to the cabin until I can test for sure that it's not leaking fumes. I live in California, so I wouldn't need heat that much anyway except for maybe mornings during cold weather. But it's going to be a long time before the car is driveable anyway! 😂 It needs a LOT of work.

That would be just a fresh air box. It grabs outside air through the vents, when moving.

Thank you for always being here my friend

Honestly, I would punch that right into Google and you’re gonna find numerous places more than likely. But I want to test out is one of them diesel heaters. That they use an RV they’re pretty small. I think I’m going to do that over the summer. And then I won’t use heater boxes.

@@SladesVWBeetle ok my beetle has one of those gas heaters but I not sure how it will work