Re: Aftermarket AC

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

Forgot:

All that a "kit" is is off-the-shelf parts put in a bix, plus
made-up hoses (more on that). YOu'll need a bracket for the engine --
that is a junkyard item.

YOu can buy new adapters to mount Sandens on the old York bracket.
Save those old York brackets! The sanden is the size of an
alternator but twice as long. Small compared to the York!

The underdash unit (evaporator), well it's bulky, but that's life.
The one I got is 16" wide, not too bad.

Buy the biggest condenser you can fit in front of the radiator.
The condenser is the KEY TO COOLING -- if you don't get the heat
out of the freon it won't be cold. It's wirth buying the biggest
and best quality here.

Receiver/driers are $40 or so. Factory attached them to the
condenser but you can use a hose to put it somewher more
convenient.


HOSES: the bad news: the crimp tool costs $450! Ouch! The good
news is, you don't need one -- just pay a hose shop to crimp it
for you.

A/C hose CANNOT be twisted -- it's not flexy like fuel line. It
has to "lay" right and have the ends line up with the fittings
pretty closely.

The thing to do is mount all the components, run the hose last.
The Vintage Air catalog shows how to attach and place the
connectors; the thing to do is to have a local A/C shop crimp ONE
END ONLY on each hose, usually the under-hood end (compressor
(suction) and receiver/dryer (pressure)). Then run those through
the firewall, route them, figure out where to clamp them and all
that, then cut the hose, press the fittings on about 1/2" in, and
precisely mark the positoin of the connector on the hose clearly
with tape and marker.

Now you can pull the hoses out of the car, push the ends onto the
hose, rotate to your paint marks, then go back to the sho pand
have them crimped finally.

I left my hoses really long. I can move them around underhood
components, they run along the fender and firewall, and not over
the top of the engine (that makes me nuts) and I'll be able to

drop the uder dash unit to get at the radio etc.