Quote:
Originally Posted by dmjlambert
Here are my facts:
R12 is $25 to $35 per can on craigslist when it is available. By the time I drive across the county for an average pick up of a can of it, consider the total cost to be $40.
Here is my question:
Is there a certain price point at which using R134A is better? Or is R12 worth buying even if it goes to $50 per can? Is the case of 12 cans I see listed right now for $300 something you guys would recommend I run over and get right now?
Rambling:
I would like to have an A/C that works fine when it is 110 degrees outside and high humidity. In my 1969 CST/10 have a stock 350 engine with A/C cab and original A/C in poor condition, so I would like to refresh the system. I have a stock clutch fan. Engine cooling performs fine under all conditions, stop and go traffic, hot outside, or whatever.
From what I have seen on the web including this site, my research tells me using a parallel flow condenser is of upmost importance if using R134A. My wife's modern car uses R134A and the A/C blows so cold even if it is hotter than hell outside, I can't run it on the max cold position without wearing a jacket or rolling down a window. So I would like to think that is achievable in my truck. I'm thinking the thing that would prevent me from achieving that is a regular condenser. I don't want to end up with crappy air since I'm getting ready to spend big bucks on this.
More questions:
Does anybody know of year/make/model of car or truck for which a brand new condenser can be ordered from a parts store, and which is parallel flow and which will fit in our trucks? And the maker of any adapter tubes with fittings that will adapt, perhaps fabricator who is familiar with these trucks and what it takes to get superior A/C working?
Does anybody know if Vintage Air or Old Air or any of those full kit makers actually has a parallel flow condenser as part of their kit?
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After similar deliberations for many months I'm in the middle of the swap to R134. I didn't want to spend a lot of money buying R12 only for it to escape to the atmosphere should there be a leak. And seeing as the front seal of the compressor is a known weak point, if I was going to be in for a compressor I might as well make the swap while I'm at it.
There are several great threads on here about the 134 swap, condensers, POA valve adjustment, etc.; many of those threads benefit from the input of board member FAA Benny.
For me the biggest decision wasn't whether to swap from R12 but whether to switch to a new system from Old Air, Vintage Air or the like. I did not want to spend the $500+ buying hoses, a compressor, a condenser, and misc parts and refrigerant and still be be hampered by 45+ year old diverter flaps, cranky vacuum actuators, and the like. Had my diverter box or control head needed replacing or refurbishing, I probably would've swapped to a new system.
To your point about the condenser, as of July 2018 no one sells a bolt-in parallel flow condenser to work with the factory hard line locations. However, there are a plethora of modestly priced parallel flow condensers available on eBay or through other vendors, and Vintage Air manufactures hard lines with the requisite o-ring connections in various lengths that you can then bend yourself. (Local parts stores rent tubing benders.)
For sizing a new condenser, the space available is about 31"w by 15"t. There are two stampings on the radiator/header panel which limit width, and the hood latch assembly is the limiting factor on height.