interior temperature

The heater controls aren't wonderful.
Sometimes you cannot push the lever far enough to turn the heater completely off. You can crawl under the dash to adjust where the wire gets to the heater. Some folks put in an extra valve to stop the hot water getting to the heater valve.

Also there's no ventilation though the cabin unless you have the fan on or a window open as there are no vents at the rear of the cabin to pull air out. I think you can get a kit to put extractor vents in the rear of the doors.

Hope this helps.

You may want to check the bulkhead trim panel behind your seats to see if any insulation is installed. I hae foam insulation and this has solve the temp problem as well as the sound coming from the engine bay.

Rapier
The temperature felt like it was coming from the front,my feet were very hot.
Had the windows open so it wasn't bad from behind ,just mainly from floor.
Regards Dennis

Does your car have heater shut-off valves? This allows you to eliminate hot coolant from entering the lower cabin area.

Here's a great write-up on Mike's site:
http://www.panteraplace.com/page152.htm

Also keep in mind the coolant tubes run underneath the gear shift area. Removing the center console and applying insulation to this area will also help.

Kevin

p.s. Beautiful wide-body!!!

Could be the heater is the culprit.
I managed to adjust mine so it works fine - (I need mine to work!) though when I bought the car the Hot/Cold lever was not connected and the levers that control to which vents the air goes were connected incorrectly which was a little confusing.

Or it could be that the radiator feed pipes are close enough to the footwell to transmit heat through the floor near your feet (as well as through the tunnel). You'll need to crawl under a take a peek.

p.s. How much does a gallon of unleaded cost in the land of Oz?

Were abouts are the vavles your talking about? Just picked the car up today!
God it was hot!
But worth a little heat, you know what they say about the kitchen!!!
The price petrol is a $1.40 a litre! not too sure what that is by the gallon
Dennis

quote:

Originally posted by Downunder:
Were abouts are the vavles your talking about? Just picked the car up today!

The valves I mentioned from Mike's site appear generic and should work fine.

The vendors sell valves that install on the underside of the car, just under the passenger area. Here's what they look like:


Sounds like this is what you need to stay cool.

p.s. where did you pick up the right hand drive?

The extreme angle of the windshield also adds to the interior heat, but then again it also adds to beauty of our cars. I understand the sun can get hot downunder. The above mentioned fixes are solid answers...good luck...Pappy

The valve idea is a good one. The heater hoses are close to you and are of course hot. The early heater valves under the dash (up near the drivers feet on a left hand drive car) do not fully close. That I beleive as a fact if not for all early cars (71-74) then darn near all of them. I have had valves in my car for about four years now trouble free. They are near the firewall below water tube height. I picked the style I have (Hammond Valve Corp) over the type pictured from Mikes site as I felt the levers would be easier to operate. I can put my arm between the engine cover and tub to reach them so it is no big deal to turn them off and on. (no I don't have monkey arms, I am 6'2".)
Cheers,
Mitch

Mitch,
I like where you placed your shut-off valves.

Welcome aboard!!

Kevin

When I purchased my Pantera the heater shut off valve under the dash leaked a bit & caused a constant flow of heat, just as others have already mentioned. Replacing that valve solved the problem. However, the console & rear bulkhead run hot in general and I have noticed when I drive with the driver's window down the wind swirls around inside the cabin and I can sometimes feel warm air on my right arm or down at my feet, I assume the wind is just pushing the warm air from behind me and swirling it inside the interior. If I roll the window up, the warm air disappears.

I am work, at home I have info on a good replacement valve and also on a pre-cut isulation kit being offered by a company that advertises in Hemmings. If you're interested, I can post the info this evening.

"warm thoughts" from your friend on the PIBB, George

Downunder Dennis,

Whichever valve you choose to get, make sure it's a 'full body' valve. That means when the valve is open, the 'ball' inside that allows flow is the same inside diameter as the rest of the valve and hoses. The bodies of these valves are 'bulged' in the center. A valve that is the same diameter from one end to the other will have a small 'ball' inside with a very small opening in it. This will naturally impede flow. Just look inside the valve when open to verify it's inside diameter.

Michael

Thanks guy for your help in answering my question!
Now I know what to look for, it get hot down here.
Your friend from Aus
Dennispitt_tech@optusnet.com.au

The valves in question are called Full Port ball valves and can purchased at any plumbing supply. I suggest that 1/2 " should be more then adequate for flow. My Plumbing backround kicking in.

A thought ? replaceing the one heater conrol valve with one ball valve instead of the factory one, which would have no need for the two valves in the engine bay. This would eliminate the need to turn the on if the defroster is needed ?

The valves in the engine room are a safety feature to keep you from getting scalded when a heater hose breaks. A single valve would work to turn the heat on and off, but you would still have the burn hazard.

I'm pretty sure it's also a technical safety requirement when you take your Pantera on a racetrack (at least here in the States) to have the shutoff valves in the engine bay. This way when your on the track, there is no hot coolant present in the cockpit at all.

Michael