Heater and vent controls stuck 1953 Kaiser

[kingsgate]

The manual valve you need is $10.83 at NAPA for under the hood in line style.

Do you have a product code so I can find the correct one on NAPA please?

[kingsgate]

Also, I am in London, England, and it looks like NAPA will not ship parts outside of the USA.

Anyone know where else I might get the right part?

Thanks in advance!

[kingsgate]

I bought a fairly "generic" non-thermostatic on/off heater valve in the UK and managed to make it fit, it now works OK.

[Bob L.]

Did a rebuild on mine last summer...

If you google it, can find a several folks that rebuilt them.  Also a very good video on doing a rebuild on a Caddy, or something else.

I bought the "kit" from Napa, cost about 18 bucks, but came with a box of 10 rubber kits in it...so have nine spares...  (Napa 660-1000, believe was listed as kit for 54 chevy truck, no Kaiser's in my Napa store computer for these.......)

Prying it apart was worst part, .......no peening over the tabs once work hardened was worse....be careful!

Looked at several alternative/new valves, but none were "better" than going back with stock job.  Do make sure you get the proper action on the cable, for off/on.  as I recall it pushes (extends at valve) to shut off, and pulls (gets shorter) to turn on.... check it?  Do know that many I found in catalogs/computer, worked the other way from one in my Manhattan...

found the link to repair guy, has pictures, not video....:

http://www.pbase.com/czechman/ranco

Bob L.

[kingsgate]

Bob, thanks for the detailed answer.

I think that now I got another water valve to fit in there, I will probably leave it like that, here is the one I bought:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200924321876

It is not thermostatic, but, what the hey, in old cars, I find that usually you either want the heating all the way off, or all the way on (and if it gets a little too warm, you just unroll a window).