Thanks everybody for input so far.
Quote:
Originally Posted by davepl
???
I have a parallel flow condenser. New lines. But the old compressor leaked, so new aluminum compressor painted black to look stock, and it blows cold and works great and has lasted for years with R134
Overheats in traffic with the AC on, that's how well it works :-)
|
OK, if I want to get going like that, what parallel flow condenser do I buy? What do you mean about overheats in traffic, do you mean your engine overheats and you think it is related to your AC?
Quote:
Originally Posted by demian5
|
Any experience with that kit? I probably can't use it anyway because I don't have a long water pump.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy4639
...and put it all together had the lines made up and it works great.
|
What sort of place do you go to have the lines made up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Kev-O
"they will blow 30* air at the vents"
... When an AC evaporator is under 32* it begins to freeze the moisture in the air and turn your evaporator into a huge ice block which prevents air from flowing across the coil. You also risk slugging the compressor with liquid.
|
Yes, I guess I should have said I would like the A/C to work for long trips as well, not just for show or short trips.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bMr
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.
|
This is interesting info. I don't have actuators and flaps that work properly, but I have not sufficiently explored them to see if I can fix. I don't know how to pick among the condensers from eBay or other sites, and make sure I end up with something I can use. Getting the Vintage Air hard lines in a length I like and with the fittings I need and bending to shape sounds interesting. I have a tubing bender. The thing that would worry me is figuring out what that connector name and size is that is on the truck and that is on the condenser that arrives, and figure out if it is metric or standard, and any other decisions I would need to make to keep from ordering something that just doesn't work out.
For the R12 crowd who have massive quantities stockpiled:
I imagine by the time I replace a part or two, test the system, and then charge it up with a couple hundred dollars worth of R12, it would make me feel pretty bad to watch and hear that spring a leak a year later and spew money into the air, then repeat when the R12 is $400. I have a 49 year old system here and if I'm going to replace every part to increase the chances of me going for several years without failure and re-purchase of R12, I might as well not buy an all-new R12 system. By the way, I have also noticed old R12 cans I usually see are only 1/2 full after so many years of laying around and getting rusty. These are the things that make it a difficult decision. For those of you who have stockpiled since you were young and have no worries about future cost, that's great.