The A/C compressor showed up today, and being completely sealed I went ahead and mounted it on the Alan Grove engine bracket. It fits perfectly as before, and measures out needing a 60” V belt which coincides with the Alan Grove recommended length:
The inboard hose leaving the compressor heading for the evaporator (firewall) will go almost straight back and go through the round bump out between the air filter and the heater panel. This is almost directly in alignment with the connection on the evaporator:
After a bunch of study I also decided to remove the X brace on the front of the radiator support:
Quite a few other members have removed them with no reported side effects, so I felt safe to get it out of the way. With the condenser installation coming up maybe tomorrow, I’m tired of trying to work around that thing. I drilled out the upper rivet heads and popped the struts off the rivet stubs. Trying to drill and cut the lower rivets requires too much disassembly, so the lower rods were cut off about 2” from each end and bonked down parallel to the lower radiator channel. It is certainly going to make mounting the condenser much easier, to say nothing of installing/removing or adjusting the grille.
I also stumbled on a new camera setting that takes a short flash, and leaves the lens open a bit longer to gain more natural light. It makes for much cleaner photos so I’m glad to have found it.
Also had a bit of adventure when the doorbell rang, and 3 medium sized kids from next door reported an open door, unusual noises and a potential intruder in the house. The uncle in charge just went to the store but they were scared to go inside. My wife and I told them they did the right thing by coming to us for help. I grabbed a 9mm and went to sweep the house. She went to the back yard and stood by with the cell phone. One last time I asked if anyone was supposed to be in the house and all three responded “no just us”. So I cleared every room one by one and finally headed downstairs.
I told them to stay upstairs while I headed down the staircase. As I cautiously peaked around the corner, I was met by a 75 pound dog with a 400 pound bark! He wasn’t very pleased with me in his private space! Thankfully the kids calmed the dog and I finished checking every room and closet. Results were thankfully negative. If someone had broken in, he left before I got there.
The kids were very grateful and I was thankful no bad guys were encountered. I never discount scared kids, in my experience they generally see and remember more details than adults. The uncle returned just as I was leaving, so we exchanged information and all was right with the world!