AC Working After 25 Years

[One Owner 1982]

I took on the task of rebuilding my AC system this month. I replaced the condenser, compressor, drier, hoses. I had the system serviced this morning and only issue was the pressure switch had a minor leak. Got a switch on order and should be here tomorrow. It’s nice having AC again especially in AL in the summer! I have to change the pressure switch, fan relay and connector and adjust the curb idle. Then it will be complete

 

[Erkenbrand]

That's fantastic. My car didn't have AC, but I have plans to add it. I might just go with an underdash unit rather than pulling the dash and bringing in all of the AC components from a donor. We'll see.

 

[1981mustang]

Where did you get your hoses and drier at? I've looked all over and can't seem to locate. I just recently got my car and all I have is the compressor and evaporator core.

 

[One Owner 1982]

The dryer came from Rock auto. It comes with a pipe on it. I took the old hoses to a shop in Birmingham, AL and they used the hose ends and made new ones. They even swedged the hose to the pipe on the dryer. I bought the condenser from Rock auto as well. The compressor, dryer and oraface came in a kit from Rock auto plus all new seals

 

[One Owner 1982]

3 years and the AC system I rebuilt is still working great. I had to replace the curb idle electro/mechanical valve and add a vacuum regulator to get the idle help the engine needs with the AC running but all is well now.

 

[Ponyprez]

Congratulations on your A/C revival. I made the change to R-134 in my 90 with a well priced kit from LMR which was pretty much everything except the behind the dash evaporator. There was no R-12 left in the system due to a small rock wedged in the condenser and it is really nice to have A/C here in the high desert. I purchased the needed vacuum pump and gauges so I added a Vintage Aire behind the glove box HVAC system to my 65 Fastback as well.

 

[One Owner 1982]

Congratulations on your A/C revival. I made the change to R-134 in my 90 with a well priced kit from LMR which was pretty much everything except the behind the dash evaporator. There was no R-12 left in the system due to a small rock wedged in the condenser and it is really nice to have A/C here in the high desert. I purchased the needed vacuum pump and gauges so I added a Vintage Aire behind the glove box HVAC system to my 65 Fastback as well.

Nice! I wanted to put a sanden compressor on mine but the swap was much more costly than the old style York so I stuck with the OEM system. I’m building a 66 coupe and plan to install Vintage Air on it.

 

[Ponyprez]

Nice project, small world as my fastback was and will soon be again, Vintage Burgandy. Things to watch out for with the HVAC, Removing the heater and cowl vent on drivers side is a challenge to install the plugs, so I hope you have a good back so you can see what your doing. In my case, the pass side defrost vent and top left of new glovebox had interference making it a pain to install. I used a heat gun for heat shrink tubing/solder connectors and reformed the corner about a 1/4", it's really not visible when opening glove box. last thing is routing the hoses to clear the windshield wiper mechanism which takes up a lot of space. Patience is a virtue and the system is well worth it, Mine blows quite an amount on high, is about 48 degrees on highest speed and not overly loud. Since yours is a 66, you should have no problems with the compressor mount but you must have the slanted A/C P/S pump. My early 65 was a pain as it had the Eaton pump so I had to add the newer style pump and hoses. I hope all goes well with your restoration and don't faint when you get your paint estimate.

 

[One Owner 1982]

Nice project, small world as my fastback was and will soon be again, Vintage Burgandy. Things to watch out for with the HVAC, Removing the heater and cowl vent on drivers side is a challenge to install the plugs, so I hope you have a good back so you can see what your doing. In my case, the pass side defrost vent and top left of new glovebox had interference making it a pain to install. I used a heat gun for heat shrink tubing/solder connectors and reformed the corner about a 1/4", it's really not visible when opening glove box. last thing is routing the hoses to clear the windshield wiper mechanism which takes up a lot of space. Patience is a virtue and the system is well worth it, Mine blows quite an amount on high, is about 48 degrees on highest speed and not overly loud. Since yours is a 66, you should have no problems with the compressor mount but you must have the slanted A/C P/S pump. My early 65 was a pain as it had the Eaton pump so I had to add the newer style pump and hoses. I hope all goes well with your restoration and don't faint when you get your paint estimate.

View attachment 7253

View attachment 7254

View attachment 7255

View attachment 7256

Thanks for the advice. My car is in a much more disabled stage so getting to things is a little easier.

 

[Turbo4]

That's cool, I wanted a different look with my 2.3 turbo so I went with the later 1990 2.3 compressor, I just need some custom lines for everything to reach because of the turbo and intercooler piping.