'55 Fairlane - heater control valve

[smtichy]

Hi all,

I have recently acquired a 1955 Sunliner, 272 V8, assembled Jan. 1955 in Norfolk, VA. One thing I noticed when buying the car is that the heater system was disconnected. At first I thought it was just a bad heater core, but on closer inspection it is disconnected at a "Y" shaped junction at the firewall.

See a picture here:
- the "Y" junction is in the middle
- see the lower left corner, this bolt and hose clamp is on the hose coming from the right side of the "Y"
- this looks like it should connect to a hose at the thermostat, which is also cut off with a bolt and hose clamp.

I am guessing the "Y" is a heater control valve, but according to my shop manual this should be on the engine block and operate a vacuum switch, but not the case on this car.

Questions (esp. to members with a '55 or '56):
1. Does anyone know what this "Y" valve is? Is it a heater control valve?
2. If so, do you know what maintenance / rebuild might be needed for it?
3. Where can I get a kit to fix it?
4. Also if so, any idea why my car is different from others?

Also I'll give you a bit of my story. I grew up driving late 70's Fords, but am new to older models. I currently live in Europe, and have been disappointed with the representation of classic Fords at car shows (except for T-birds & Mustangs), so I decided to bring a 50's Fairlane over here to broaden some minds. Another thing is that currently the car is enroute here, so I can't run down to the garage and check it out. Before they put it in the container I had my buddy take the photo of the problem area. My goal is to try and line up spare parts and get them on the way here too. Thanks in advance for your attention to this.

[Daves55Sedan]

In 1955, Ford had two different ways to regulate the water to the heater core. The cheaper version had a vacuum valve on the intake manifold in front of the carburator. The second version had water fed from a pipe elbow fitting at that location on the intake (instead of the vacuum valve) with heater hose running to a mechanical thermostat valve mounted behind the firewall just above the heater core (which is what you have).
When the car is equipped with the heater control valve in the firewall, there is no vacuum valve. The valve operates via a mechanical cable actuated by the lever in the Ford Magic Aire System on the dashboard. That cable is adjustable at both ends.

These valves rarely go bad unless someone has tampered with it, installed it improperly or damaged the coiled capillary tube/sensor assembly which should be attached at the bottom of the heater plenum. In some rare cases, the rubber washer inside the the valve that regulates the water flow can become damaged. To remove the valve assembly, you need to remove the cardboard heater register from the plenum and the mechanical cable attachment at the top of the register while being careful not to damage or kink the coiled capillary tube.

Concours Parts in Nevada can rebuild the valve if necessary and send it back to you.

There were many thousands of these cars that had the vacuum valve, but the thermostat control valve was not rare either and I have seen either assembly factory installed in various models, therefore there seems to have been no objective of using one type in Customline models and the other type only in Fairlane models. Not sure why. My cheap '55 Courier Sedan delivery had the factory installed thermostat control valve, yet I have seen many Fairlane models with the vacuum control valve and vice versa.

[smtichy]

Originally Posted by Daves55Sedan

In some rare cases, the rubber washer inside the the valve that regulates the water flow can become damaged.

Hi Dave, thanks for the info on this. I did some research, and think the site below is referring to the part you mention. If it is bad, I'm guessing the rubber gasket might have rotted as this car sat several years with minimal use.

http://www.sw-em.com/Heater_Control_Valve.htm

I'll let you know what I find once I have access to the car.
Would love to hear if any one else has experience with this part.

[smtichy]

Finally got around to looking at the source of the leak in the heating system on my car.

First I must say these cars ('55-'56) have the easiest set up that I have ever seen for changing heater cores! I remember changing one once on my Granada and seemed I had to dismantle the whole dash.

In the end it seems the problem was in the heater core, looks like it was previously replaced with a salvaged part. The heater control valve was interesting, extremely clean, looked like new, and without any sealant to the firewall. I'm guessing it may have been rebuilt already, so I'm leaving it as it is for now. I'll just hang onto the rebuild kit I bought in case it gives me grief in the future.

Dave, once again thanks for the info, it was useful in helping navigate my way around the plenum.

[Motorhead6]

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The rubber seat that Daves55Sedan referred to above can easily go bad after 59 years of shelf life. While you have it out, I highly recommend that you make a simple rig wherein you can pressure test it with air at about 10psi. Often a leaky heater control valve leaks down onto the heater box and then the heater core gets the blame. You can replace this seal yourself if you are somewhat handy and save a lot of money or you can look in Hemmings Motor News and find a rebuild shop. If, as Dave says, Concours can rebuild it, they can probably provide the kit for you to do the job.

Good luck, and keep us posted to how it comes out. By the way, that is a beautiful Sunliner. Enjoy it in good health.