Cool/Heat: Too much heat coming inside '62 Cruiser

[Bens]

I need some help diagnosing and correcting the excessive interior heat on my '62 Cruiser. It recently went through a complete restoration. It is a 100% stock, numbers matching car. The car runs and idles great. It does not overheat. The temperature gauge usually registers in the middle or slightly right past the middle. I have not had any overheating issues. I believe it has a new heater box under the dash from SI with all new hoses. The problem is I am getting a steady stream of hot air while cruising down the road. I have the heat knob pushed all the way in to the off position. Fortunately it is getting a little cooler out now, but during the summer or next year at the meet in St. Louis it is likely to be unbearable. Any suggestions?

Thank you,
Ben Silver, South Bend, IN
'62 Cruiser...so much fun!

[rkapteyn]

What do you mean with a number matching Studebaker?
My vin number matches the number on the tittle and that is the only thing that matches.
As far as the heat in the car , it is probably the heater valve leaking through or during the restoration the shop ordered a new heater valve from SI and some of these are backwards.Pull the heater knob all the way out and see if that cures it

Robert Kapteyn

[jackb]

I think Bob may be right on the aftermarket valve.....Tho a pain at this point in time, the originals can be successfully rebuilt with a NAPA seal and work as the owner's manual states with correct install.

[bezhawk]

The NAPA seal won't correct things if the rubber seal on the end of the shaft is bad too. It is a bell shaped part of the shaft that seats inside the water "T". Luckily it's only bad approximately 40% of the time. The only seal in the NAPA kit seals the shaft from leaking inside the car, not the water shut off seal.
If your valve is not leaking, then the kit is a total waste of money, as it wont correct your problem.

[Bens]

Thank you Robert for your suggestion. I will try that. As far as the number matching, I just meant that during the restoration, I got the production order from the Studebaker Museum that showed the original build information such as the VIN, Body Tag number, Engine block number, and Ignition key number for this car. I've had the car for about 25 years and I never knew if parts were swapped over the years. I was very surprised that the numbers matched to the production order. It was pretty exciting.

[toddbowie]

Or maybe the cable isn't pulling the valve all the way shut. I don't remember how to adjust it but can check if it can be adjusted and let you know.