heater valve

[sportston]

Just thought I'd mention my new heater valve modification. I have an HC 1256 and the heater valve was leaking. So as I couldn't see any for sale for a 1974 Viva, I bought myself a new one from a Mk1 Volkswagon Golf. The advantage of this is that it is entirely made out of plastic apart from the metal actuating arm on the outside. So it has no internal parts that will rust or seize with lack of use or age. I had to bend the end of the inner part of the cable to an "S" shape to fit the new arm. Then I found that the heater worked backwards. Poop! Ah then I remembered having a different heater control panel in amongst a box of spares I got with the car. Sure enough it had the hot and cold the other way around. So I swapped the control panels over and now it looks like it should.
Cost of NEW heater valve £2.50 on ebay
I notice later (when I looked in the Haynes manual) that the reason I had a different heater control panel is because the were two different types of heaters fitted to the HCs. One had a heater valve and the other had a vent flap instead. They work differently from each other. So I probably could have tried to source a different secondhand heater box with a flap instead. Moral of story....
Read the haynes manual with dilligence?
If you can't find one that fits, make another one fit?

[sportston]

Here are a few pics incase anyone wanted to copy.

[coggers]

Excellent idea.

I had toyed with the idea of trying to make a Chevette one fit . Only because it's plastic and I have a spare one rattling around somewhere. .

Good stuff

[SPEEDY]

Yes very useful info sportston, as likewise is your post on seatbelts.

[sportston]

Thank you for saying so.
I actually came on here to learn from others, but if I can offer the odd little tip too, at least I feel I'm not all take and no give.
I haven't much experience in Vivas, other than tuning them. I know how *Bleep* the dizzys are (You ought to see the terrible trace they bring up on a Crypton machine!) but that is about the sum of my knowledge. Oh and the common faults with the diaphragms in the carbs! You can use a gas analyser to tune them, but they vary emissions so much you may as well do it by ear instead. But as most Vivas and Shove-its were made before I was born, they are a bit before my time. I miss the early days of car tuning. Its so nice and simple and uncomplicated. You don't tune cars anymore, just find out why the car isn't tuning itself properly. Checking out wire after wire after wire on complicated electronic control systems....Boy am I rambling! You've probably fallen asleep by now.
Catch ya later
tom