Restoring the A/C system

[soonerbillz]

So when restoring my Grande.. as far as the A/C system is concerned...I want to use as much as possible of the original parts that came on the car.. 

I know there are replacement parts for everything but I don't want like kind..I really want to have my parts refurbished..restored.. 

Has anyone been down this path.. what am I looking at?...

 

[jowens1126]

contact Original air in Tampa, FL. They will take all your old stuff, recore the evaporator and heater core, then clean and repair your housing, and repair or replace the fan motor and insure all the vacuum motors are in good condition, refurbish your dryer. If your going to do a R134a conversion, which I would do, they also have a larger OEM looking condenser and all the required fittings. R134a requires a bit larger condenser to perform as good as R12.

They have all new OEM looking hoses but are better than OEM.

They do great work. I just have no idea what they charge.

https://originalair.com/

 

[soonerbillz]

Thanks.. I am concerned about keeping my car original.. the conversion to R134a is tempting though.

 

[Don C]

Before you get too far along you might want to check the price of R12 refrigerant and getting it installed. You have to be a licensed refrigeration specialist to buy or install it. There is an alternative propane based refrigerant that can be used in older systems without installing a larger condenser:

http://www.duracool.com/Duracool/refrigerants.html

David (Carolina Mountain Mustangs) uses and likes it.

 

[soonerbillz]

That's great!

Very happy that my system.. old and ugly as it is.. is unmolested and complete!

 

[jowens1126]

Classic auto air is another restoration/manufacturing company that does these old systems as well. You could give them a call and compare restoration prices with Original Air.

Classic is in Coppell, TX so that makes them alot closer to you. Theres a great video by autoedits showing how their perfect fit complete system goes in. I would really like to upgrade to this system. The video claims that the fan motor is much stronger than the stock unit and that makes all the difference in the south in the summer. I know you are keeping yours original, but its always nice to see how someone else installs the system. It will give you an idea what all you will have to do to get everything out and back in.

 

[soonerbillz]

That's a really nice system.. wouldn't mind putting one in my sportsroof...

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I have done a couple in last two years. I converted to the Dura Cool which is way better than any other product. You can order from their web site along with their lubricant. One can of refrigerant will get the system working.

If the system is still on the car I would hook up vacuum pump and pull vac and see if there are any leaks before you start replacing bunch of good parts.

My condenser and evaporator in both of my 73's were still good so why replace them. All my hoses were still good so I used them.

You do want to replace the filter dryer and of course all of the O-rings. I also replaced the seal behind the clutch.

I actually washed everything out with brake and parts cleaner then hot water and dried it for days in sun. I ran gun cleaning wire brushes into the metal part of hose. Steel wool all the O-ring seats and use AC lube or mineral oil on O-rings going back together.

Put some anti seize on all the threaded fittings to keep them from locking up.

I had never worked on AC before but went to Harbor Freight and got vacuum pump and charging gages for less than the shop wanted to just vac the system.

There are two drain plugs on the AC compressor that have O-rings and also the vent so don't forget them.

When you get it all together you pull a vacuum on the system and go eat lunch and if when you come back it has not dropped then no leaks. Most refrigerants have a solution that shows up with black light if there is a leak. You can also get a sniffer.

You of course want to install new heater core when you have the box out and leak test the heater core before you install.

You can see some of what I did on my thread about cleaning up my 73 Mach 1 to go to museum.

You can check your vacuum motors with a brake bleeder or simply push the diaphragm in and put finger over the port and release. If it stays put no leaks.

I think AC work is one of the biggest rip offs there are.

I have a case or R-12 actually taking 2 cans to someone at show tomorrow for his Fox body that he Concourse shows in MCA so he does not want the adapters there for new refrigerant. You can actually charge and remove the adapter and looks original.

 

[jowens1126]

I agree David, A/C work is right up there with oil change places, coolant flushes and brake jobs as the biggest waste of money a car owner could do. It takes minimal investment, common sense, and novice mechanical ability to do any of those jobs. Just go to any shop and engage a tech in casual conversation and you will likely find their IQ is just above a tree stump in some cases. Why pay them to screw something up when most people are more than capable of doing the job correctly themselves with a bit of reading and watching a few YouTube videos. Just know what you can and can't do. There's nothing more frustrating than spending half a day taking stuff apart only to realize you can't physically do a job for some reason.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

LOL, you didn't fluff that up any.

There is really no dark science in any part of these Mustangs. It just costs too much money to purchase all the equipment to build engines and automatic transmissions correctly. You can still get the machine work done and do the assembly.

I think everyone working in body shop is alcoholic or drug user, lol.

If you want to be 100% legal you do need to pass the test to be licensed. My nephew did and he is a finish carpenter by trade.

 

[kcmash]

Anyone know the correct upper bracket for an early 71 351C.  The one with the tensioner pulley.  I have 2 of them which are identical except for one having an extra 5/8 Dia Hole in the face with the arched hole that the pulley swings.   

Yes it looks like a factory punch, not an aftermarket drill.

kcmash

 

[kcmash]

 

[Regus]

My Jan 71 build uses the black one (that doesn't have the pulley). Its a 351 C with air