Today I went out and bought the $10 blow dryer. I dissected it to get the heating coils out of it. Built into the coils is a bimetallic temp control switch and a thermal fuse for safety.
I mounted it into the plastic tube connecting the heater fan and heater box.
For a test, I turned the heater fan on and plugged the blow dryer coils into 120VAC. In a matter of seconds, the Booger's heater was blasting heat much better than it ever has (not a huge feat considering the coolant thermostat was stuck open ever since I owned it). I ran the heater for about 10 minutes. No funny smells, burning, melting or fire. I pulled it apart to make sure and all is well. It looks like the solution for heat was quick, cheap and painless after all!