Mid- Engine Modified Sports

[Tman]

For a small heater like you're seeking -- see if you can find one of the "wrap-around" heaters designed for heating/keeping warm a car or truck batter.  They're about 1/2" thick and maybe 18" x 6" tall, and have straps/ribbons on the ends to allow you to tie it on in place. 

I suggest the wraparound style because it doesn't concentrate the heat in one place, as might spot heaters (that's why they call 'em SPOT heaters, after all), but rather over most of the 18 x 6 area.  Mine runs on 110VAC.  I use it in the barn (unheated) when I've got recalcitrant batteries to try to start an engine.  It works well.

My Ford Ranger came with one of those (good doner fodder) and the first battery lasted 11 YEARS! Keeping it warm in the cold months must have helped.

[hotrod]

There is an OEM battery heater blanket available from any Subaru dealer that fits SSS's description nicely if you have 120v ac power.

http://compare.ebay.com/like/160876458552?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

[manta22]

Thanks all for the battery blanket idea. I'll see if I can find the ones I have before buying anything.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Milwaukee Midget]

Thanks all for the battery blanket idea. I'll see if I can find the ones I have before buying anything.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

Hmmm . . . Tucson must not be your home town if you have multiple battery heaters. 

Those are definitely a northern tier option.

[manta22]

MM;

Well, they aren't really "battery heaters" although they would probably work in that application. These are a couple of Watlow silicone rubber insulated patch heaters that I found on the surplus market years ago. See: http://www.watlow.com/products/heaters/flexible-silicone-heaters.cfm

Although it does get hot in the daytime here in the desert, it also gets cold at night due to our low humidity and the emissive properties of the soil-- our heat gets radiated away after the sun goes down so the temperature drops dramatically; a day/night temperature difference of 40 or 50 degrees isn't uncommon. Places with higher humidity such as Phoenix do not cool off nearly as much at night. Last winter we had a hard freeze that killed lots of vegetation.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[jimmy six]

The silly-cone rubberones are what I speak. a 2"x24" is $40.00 in McMaster-Carr highest wattage for that size is 480. Mak sure you insulate over the heater or it won't do much. I've used up to 2100 watts on my pan.......Good Luck

[saltwheels262]

The silly-cone rubberones are what I speak. a 2"x24" is $40.00 in McMaster-Carr highest wattage for that size is 480. Mak sure you insulate over the heater or it won't do much. I've used up to 2100 watts on my pan.......Good Luck

I've used mcMaster Carr heaters that you speak of.
on motorcycle aluminum oil tanks.

what it is the best way to insulate them?
I know a lot of the heat is going into the atmosphere.

bf

[manta22]

I found a way of holding the hard line pieces together at their cut ends so that they can be trial-fitted into the chassis. Masking tape let the pieces fall apart so I tried using some aluminum foil tape that I bought at Home Depot-- voila! it worked like a charm. one photo shows how it is used.

The tape must be removed for welding the joints, but before the tape comes off, I made some index marks with a penile device punch on opposing ends so that I knew how it needed to be held in position for welding.
 
The silicone couplers and T-clamps are looking like they will make good connections between the 1.5" stainless tubing.The Ty-Wrap is temporary-- there will be clamps to hold the line in position on the chassis. I bought them from Columbia River Mandrel Bending-- good prices & fast shipping.
 

[Tman]

You can take hose clamps and cut a couple slots in them to pre-fit tubes also. The slots allow you to tack weld them after you like the position.

[manta22]

Thanks for that suggestion, Tman but I tried it on some bends and unless there was a fairly straight section under the clamp it would fall apart.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[jdincau]

Are you going to roll beads on the ends of those tubes?

[manta22]

JD;

You bet! Without a bead the hose will eventually slip off. Thanks for the reminder.

Regards, Neil   Tucson, AZ

[jimmy six]

Saltwheels. When I can I have the insulators at work make me pads to go over the stick on heaters. The are made by covering a hi-temp fiberglass 1" thick mat with a sliver cloth on one side and a stainless steel mesh on the other. The mesh go on the heater. They are held together with hog rings. I'm lucky enough to work at a power plant but most material is available from insulator suppliers. Since they are custom to each project it possible to find company which will make one to your specs........Good Luck

[saltwheels262]

thanks for the reply. I was getting ready to re post.

I'll see what I can do with that maybe kohler might carry something.
anyone else have an idea on insulating silicone stick on heaters?

bf

[manta22]

I found some nice little Barry vibration mounts that had an appropriate load rating for my ignition box. I am using a Crane HI-6 CD ignition and PS-92 coil.

The coil is epoxy potted so it is not too sensitive to vibration; I hard-mounted it to an aluminum plate using some panel nuts and then fastened the plate to a chassis tube with four 10-32 steel Rivnuts.

The ignition box is also mounted to an 1/8” 6061-T6 aluminum plate using four panel nuts and the plate is fastened to four Barry mounts, also mounted to the chassis with the same type of Rivnut. For strain relief, I added a cable clamp to the wiring harness. Sorry for the crummy pictures.