Can anyone shed some light on this item?

[Studebaker Wheel]

Found a picture of this Tropic Aire Heater which has been installed in a 1929 President Brougham on the Web for sale. Not sure of the year or if it is correct for 1929, but it is interesting to another example and see the studebaker name and tropic Aire on it.

That car is (or was) listed as a President. It is not a President but a Commander model FD Brougham, a big difference. I emailed and told them and am not sure if they corrected it....probably not. In any event the heater shown in that photo was not introduced until late 1932 for 1933 model year cars. Of course these heaters were fairly universal and could be retrofitted to earlier models which I am sure was the case here. Incidentally it was part number AC-34 and list on it was $15.50. An identical heater, but with the Rockne logo, was also available.

[FE- L2 - 57]

Found a picture of this Tropic Aire Heater which has been installed in a 1929 President Brougham on the Web for sale. Not sure of the year or if it is correct for 1929, but it is interesting to another example and see the studebaker name and tropic Aire on it.

[dictator27]

My 27 Dictator has two floor mounted radiant exhaust heat units, one directly in front of the front seat and one immediately behind it. The name on the control cable is CHANSON.

Terry

[FE- L2 - 57]

I can't come up with a picture-ad for that exact HaDees heater, but the style puts it at c. 1930. They were made by Liberty Founderies, which apparently was a subsidiary of Burd Piston Ring Co.[/url]

Dwain, if you or anyone else runs across any literature that shows the year of that Hadees heater please let me know (studebaker1929@yahoo.com), I always like to try to have on hand any documentation that verifies the authenticity and YOM of any items on my car, especially era specific after market items.

[Dwain G.]

I can't come up with a picture-ad for that exact HaDees heater, but the style puts it at c. 1930. They were made by Liberty Founderies, which apparently was a subsidiary of Burd Piston Ring Co.
The pic below is the same Tropic Aire heater that D.Q. shows, except this one is captioned '1930 Cadillac'.

http://www.classicaccessories.org/images/HWH001.jpg

[jlmccuan]

South Wind was a trade name used by Stewart Warner for a heater line used in auto and aeromotive applications.

[Bob Bryant]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but it reminded me of another heater that I recall in cars of the 30's. It was the South Wind which was fueled by gasoline and provided very quick heat.

[Studebaker Wheel]

Well if anyone has a 1935 Model then they might be interested as it is for sale now on Ebay for the next for days and ending on May 15th;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...TQ:MOTORS:1123

Dick, do you have any pictures of what the Tropic Aire or HaDees Heater's for 1929-1930 may have looked like? I have this one (See below) but I have not been able to track down any advertisements or other documentation to determine the exact year it applied to, I have found some ads which are of that era that are close to it, but not this exact one yet.

Studebaker did not begin marketing its own accessories until Oct 1930. Prior to that date dealers sold whatever aftermarket accessories they could purchase from independent vendors. While there is a heater shown in the 1931 accessory catalog (Oct 1930) it was of the floor mounted type that used the heat from the exhaust pipe to heat the car. The very first firewall mounted type was introduced in late 1931 under part nos AC 20, 21, and 25 as shown in the image above. The first heater to have the Studebaker name on it was in later in 1932, there was also a Rockne model heater.

[FE- L2 - 57]

Indeed. That heater was first offered in the 1935 model year. It was the least expensive of three available at the time and was called "The Junior" model, (there was also a "DeLuxe" and "Standard" both having a similar design with the wheel logo). The part number was AC 340 and the installed list was $10.95. I have one like it out in the attic of the garage.

Well if anyone has a 1935 Model then they might be interested as it is for sale now on Ebay for the next for days and ending on May 15th;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...TQ:MOTORS:1123

Dick, do you have any pictures of what the Tropic Aire or HaDees Heater's for 1929-1930 may have looked like? I have this one (See below) but I have not been able to track down any advertisements or other documentation to determine the exact year it applied to, I have found some ads which are of that era that are close to it, but not this exact one yet.

[Studebaker Wheel]

OK ....see what you mean ....just maybe it is correct. Richard Quinn will likely know .

Indeed. That heater was first offered in the 1935 model year. It was the least expensive of three available at the time and was called "The Junior" model, (there was also a "DeLuxe" and "Standard" both having a similar design with the wheel logo). The part number was AC 340 and the installed list was $10.95. I have one like it out in the attic of the garage.

[jclary]

To me, the honeycomb webbing of the heater core, and the logo design, would suggest that the heater is of the 1920's and early to mid '30's.

The science of the design for a "re-circulating" air heater is excellent. The intake is on the bottom where it picks up the coldest air to circulate through the heat exchanger.

[dictator27]

I'm betting it is 1934-37 vintage.

Terry

[2R5]

OK ....see what you mean ....just maybe it is correct. Richard Quinn will likely know .

[FE- L2 - 57]

I'd bet that emblem was just glued on there .

That was also my first reaction when I first saw this accessory item, but if you click on the attached picture and look closely at where the logo is, you can see where the metal of the heater is formed around the outline of the Studebaker logo, indicating that it was actually designed and manufactured that way. This is why I posted it to see if anyone was familiar with this, has seen one before, or could shed some light as to year of Studebaker this was made for.

[8E45E]

On the later trucks Evans Products manufactured the in-cab heaters for Studebaker, and has the 'red-ball' logo on the front of it. The color and Hammertone finish the adjustable doors have on that unit in the photos is similar to the Evans housing.

Craig