A/C replacement for 1977
#1
A/C replacement for 1977
My "77 has 70K miles with a factory A/C that has never been run for over 12 yrs. I purchased this car a couple of months ago and am contemplating a vintage air system but they don't make one for that yr. My options:
1. Replace the original compressor or Sanden Model and accumulator and change over to the R134 and hope for the best.(Also might have to replace the condensor and evaporator.)
2. Buy the 1976 Vintage Air System and modify it to fit the my '77.
3. Replace heater core since they are very prone to leakage while installing a/c system.
4. That being said does Vintage Air offer a compete A/C and Heater system that can be installled, so I can bypass the exiting heater (Remove)
Thanks!!!
1. Replace the original compressor or Sanden Model and accumulator and change over to the R134 and hope for the best.(Also might have to replace the condensor and evaporator.)
2. Buy the 1976 Vintage Air System and modify it to fit the my '77.
3. Replace heater core since they are very prone to leakage while installing a/c system.
4. That being said does Vintage Air offer a compete A/C and Heater system that can be installled, so I can bypass the exiting heater (Remove)
Thanks!!!
#2
have you used gauges on the system to determine it is empty and actually has other issues?
you can still buy r12 for about $25 a can
you can still buy r12 for about $25 a can
#3
Team Owner
Member Since: Jun 2000
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Option 5. Why not take the car to any automotive AC shop and let them take a look at it?
#4
Instructor
I agree with easy Mike. I bought mine and was told me the AC hadn't been used in at least 6 years. I assumed I was in for a complete system replacement. Took it to an AC shop, he did pressure check and lo and behold the clutch worked as it should and the system had a little bit of pressure. He pulled a complete vacuume on it that seemed to hold, then refilled with 134 and 134 oil. It worked. I had problems with it losing the coolant for the next year. So he filled it again and did a dye test with black light in the dark and found that the compressor itself was leaking. Ordered a new replacement compressor, filled it with 134 and I have had cold air for a year now. Granted it's not as cold as modern AC, but it make the car bearable in 90+ weather.
#5
Race Director
First leak test the heater core and evaporater. If they hold pressure, dash and firewall arent on the to-do list. You can fab a pressure tester with a gauge from a pool or welding place, tire valve from parts store and hose and tees from home depot.
#6
Burning Brakes
My "77 has 70K miles with a factory A/C that has never been run for over 12 yrs. I purchased this car a couple of months ago and am contemplating a vintage air system but they don't make one for that yr. My options:
1. Replace the original compressor or Sanden Model and accumulator and change over to the R134 and hope for the best.(Also might have to replace the condensor and evaporator.)
2. Buy the 1976 Vintage Air System and modify it to fit the my '77.
3. Replace heater core since they are very prone to leakage while installing a/c system.
4. That being said does Vintage Air offer a compete A/C and Heater system that can be installled, so I can bypass the exiting heater (Remove)
Thanks!!!
1. Replace the original compressor or Sanden Model and accumulator and change over to the R134 and hope for the best.(Also might have to replace the condensor and evaporator.)
2. Buy the 1976 Vintage Air System and modify it to fit the my '77.
3. Replace heater core since they are very prone to leakage while installing a/c system.
4. That being said does Vintage Air offer a compete A/C and Heater system that can be installled, so I can bypass the exiting heater (Remove)
Thanks!!!
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C3FIXER (07-20-2018)
#7
Racer
The aftermarket "bolt-in" systems I've seen for sale do not offer retrofits after 1976. Since the environmental controls changed in 77, and the new systems are electrically vice vacuum controlled, conversion is not straight forward. As Rotonda indicated, you cannot use your existing controller because of this. There have been numerous posts on how to improve the existing a/c system with advice ranging from installing a parallel flow condenser to upgrading the system with a Sanden compressor to insulating the evaporator box. Most posts I've read along these lines ended up with folks being very please with their factory a/c system after some of the suggested improvements were made. I would try this route before I replaced the existing system.
The aftermarket systems seem more geared towards corvettes that were originally delivered without any a/c. I have no doubt they are better and more reliable than the factory system, but part of that is because the kits contain some of the improvements mentioned above. The reliability of electrical controls is hard to beat, but the expense associated with these kits is hard for me to justify based solely on that improvement. My 79 did not have air conditioning and after looking at several after market options, I decided to go with installing the factory system and incorporating new technology such as parallel flow condensers, etc. There were two reasons I decided this: I did not want to change the interior look of the car with an aftermarket environmental control and vented box hanging below the dash, and I already had the car apart for restoration and could make the firewall, cowl, and kickpanel modifications required for the factory a/c.
Just one opinion.
MajD
The aftermarket systems seem more geared towards corvettes that were originally delivered without any a/c. I have no doubt they are better and more reliable than the factory system, but part of that is because the kits contain some of the improvements mentioned above. The reliability of electrical controls is hard to beat, but the expense associated with these kits is hard for me to justify based solely on that improvement. My 79 did not have air conditioning and after looking at several after market options, I decided to go with installing the factory system and incorporating new technology such as parallel flow condensers, etc. There were two reasons I decided this: I did not want to change the interior look of the car with an aftermarket environmental control and vented box hanging below the dash, and I already had the car apart for restoration and could make the firewall, cowl, and kickpanel modifications required for the factory a/c.
Just one opinion.
MajD
The following users liked this post:
C3FIXER (07-20-2018)