[SCG] Were gasoline heaters really an option after 1960?

[Bill Hubbell]

This post about a 1962 w/gas heater raises an interesting issue: under what
circumstances, if any, did GM offer the gasoline heater as an option after
the 1960 model year?

I had always assumed that they did offer it - at least up until mid-1963,
based mainly on the presence of the rear access hole cover on the right side
of the trunk, and on what others had told me.

However, it is never listed as an R.P.O. option after 1960 and there seem to
be no instructions for installing it in any of the Assembly manuals after
1960.  Additionally, beyond 1960 it would have been necessary to cut at
least two additional holes in the body in order to install the heater.  The
1961 Assembly manual contains page 3.00 in the Body section showing the
covering of these additional holes and the page is marked "CANCELED" as of
10-10-60, leading me to believe that at least that early in the 1961 model
year these additional holes were no longer cut into the body by Fisher,
probably because the gas heater was no longer being offered as a Factory
option.

I am aware that Clark's Corvair Parts sells gas heater installation manuals
for 1961-1964 cars and 1961-1965 FCs (although I have not bought these), so
perhaps the heater WAS available as a dealer-only option?

Does anybody have documentation from the era (dealer accessory brochures,
etc.) which could shed some light on this subject?  If so, I would really
like to see such information and I think it would make a good subject for an
article in the next edition of our newsletter (which will be published
whenever I get some material)

Thanks

Bill Hubbell
President, Stock Corvair Group

-----Original Message-----
From: scg-list-bounces at tiger.skiblack.com
[mailto:scg-list-bounces at tiger.skiblack.com] On Behalf Of Wrsssatty at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 4:09 PM
To: scg-list at tiger.skiblack.com; virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: [SCG] '62 with gas heater

I looked at a '62 Monza coupe today which had a gasoline heater.  I  
noticed that there was a horn inside the trunk mounted on the driver's side
where 
the jack normally would be.  The jack was there but kind of angled  more 
inward.  Also, the bottle for the anti-freeze solution for the  optional 
2-speed windshield wiper with washer was mounted there.  Is this  placement
of a 
horn, the washer solution bottle and the angling of the jack  stock when a 
'62 was equipped from the factory with a gasoline heater?
 
Thanks!
 
~Bill Stanley
This message was sent by the SCG-list mailing list, all copyrights are the
property
of the writer, please attribute properly. For help,
mailto:scg-list-help at corvair.org
This list sponsored by the Corvair Society of America,
http://www.corvair.org/
Post messages to: SCG-list at tiger.skiblack.com
Change your options: http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/options/scg-list
Get further information about SCG at
http://members.cox.net/stock_corvair_group/