Another air conditioning question

[Mator]

I have a 67 factory air truck and I would like to finish the installation of my air conditioning. I have factory vents, box, and controls and as you can see in the picture everything other than a few items. My question starts with what is the best upgrade for the old compressor? I want to update to a chrome or aluminum model that is reliable. I have the factory brackets for the old compressor and I don’t know if I upgrade will they work or will I need new brackets? From what I know I will need a new compressor, hoses, condenser, tubing and a few other small items. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Before I get chewed out, yes the air cleaner has been replaced, LOL Thanks

[F.A.A.benny]

By looking at the pictures, That evaporator as well as the poa valve came from a car. Are you planning aon running r12 or 134a? If going with 134a the you should have the poa valve recalibrated if not done so already. I would also flush and pressure check that evap to make sure its clean and not doesn't have a leak. You will want a parallel flow condenser. If going with r12 then a stock tube and fin condenser will do. As far as the compressor goes, if you go with an aluminum a6 replacement then you can utilize both the factory hoses and brackets. A couple of pics of a system I restored and installed a little while back

[ujsf01]

another good choice for a compressor is one of the Sanden units like Vintage Air uses on all their systems. These compressors are lightweight, VERY efficient, and put very little load on the engine when engaged. Like Benny said, you will have to upgrade your POA valve or do a cycling clutch/orifice tube conversion, but that's not a big deal. As far as brackets, Hot Rod Bill's out of CA has a great non-serpentine setup that's available in three different finishes. I have used these on customer's cars and they fit perfect!

[67 chevelle]

Originally Posted by ujsf01

another good choice for a compressor is one of the Sanden units like Vintage Air uses on all their systems. These compressors are lightweight, VERY efficient, and put very little load on the engine when engaged. Like Benny said, you will have to upgrade your POA valve or do a cycling clutch/orifice tube conversion, but that's not a big deal. As far as brackets, Hot Rod Bill's out of CA has a great non-serpentine setup that's available in three different finishes. I have used these on customer's cars and they fit perfect!

I agree on the sanden ,puts less strain on engine than other compressors , works great , compared to the pancake style compressors gm sells with their serpentine systems , those things take like 25 horsepower to run

[Mator]

Thanks for the answers. I am new at this A/C thing. I don't know the difference between the two types of refrigerant so I guess I will have to do some research. But what I got out of the two answers is an A6 replacement or the Sanden replacement? Does the Sanden fit factory brackets and is there a difference in POA valves. I can rebuild the whole damn truck and get stumped on A/C. Thanks again.

[Riverdog57]

Great talking to you and your wife at Cordova last weekend . Love your truck.

[Mator]

Thank you. It is always nice meeting board members. I went back on Sunday but didn't place. The judges didn't like that my A/C wasn't installed. I did make the photo gallery for Super Chevy at Cordova though. So now my quest is to get finished. I hope to meet you in the future and keep posted on your project.

[72kool]

beautiful truck! sorry i am no help for the a/c, but had to comment on the truck. what color is that?

[Mator]

Originally Posted by 72kool

beautiful truck! sorry i am no help for the a/c, but had to comment on the truck. what color is that?

Thanks, its a house of color Shimrin2 / HOK000125-01 black base with a bronze intensifier. Basically a candle apple red with a bronze intensifier. It changes color a little from dark red to bronze depending on the sun.

[F.A.A.benny]

Originally Posted by Mator

Thanks for the answers. I am new at this A/C thing. I don't know the difference between the two types of refrigerant so I guess I will have to do some research. But what I got out of the two answers is an A6 replacement or the Sanden replacement? Does the Sanden fit factory brackets and is there a difference in POA valves. I can rebuild the whole damn truck and get stumped on A/C. Thanks again.

Most people go with 134a because of cost and availability. A can of it is like $6 at Walmart. R12 needs to be sourced. But its readily available on ebay. I often see it on craigslist also. cost is going to range but I usually see a can for $15-$25. If you are not planning on charging it yourself, then you would have to find a competent shop that does r12. With 134a there is a shop willing to charge it, on every corner. Sanden type compressors are tried and true, can be had for $150 or less even in chrome but you cannot use factory hoses and brackets. Aluminum A6 replacement is half the weight of a steel a6, just as efficient as a sanden, and also draw less HP. There is a vendor selling a chrome a6 replacement for $359 on Ebay right now. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-A6-COMPR...FR-59f&vxp=mtr
It may come down to whether you have to have a factory appearance or not. To me it comes down to ease of installation. Going with an a6 replacement makes it a bolt in deal. No need to have custom hoses made. Not a big deal for me because I have a crimper and can get hose/ fittings right down the rd and inexpensively. But some guys would prefer not to deal with this. If you really want the sanden then I would suggest you call one of the aftermarket ac companies like Old Air Products. They can sell you an under hood kit but it will be a little pricey because they've done the hard work for you. So the cost between the two style of compressors becomes a wash. As far the poa valve, they all work the same. its just the orientation of their fittings is different. I would have it checked out to make sure it functions correctly first before I charge that system. There are write-ups on how to check/ recalibrate it ( will involve a set of gauges)online or you can send it out to have this done. If you can't do it yourself, you can send to me and ill check it for you. No charge but you have to pay your shipping to and from. I rebuild them all the time. Here is a picture of an under hood system I made up for a customer out in NY. Its pretty much everything you would need other than brackets( he needed BB brackets which I didn't have) and the ac box which you already have. I would also the piccolo style condenser in the picture. At the time, I didn't a true parallel flow condenser which works a little better. Also a few pics of a poa rebuild. The last pic just shows the cycling switch along side two poa valves. I would stay away from it as a lot guys complain about them. You can do a search on here to see for reviews on them. I mention it because if you contact places like old air, they will try to sell you one.

[davepl]

FWIW my reman factory compressor does work with R-134A just fine so far.. frosts up the discharge tube pretty quick (not sure if that's a good thing). That only matters if you care about stock appearance, though, I believe they're inferior in most every way.

Inferior... but functional!

At the price of R12 I don't think I'd fill an unproven system with it until, for example, I had filled it with "cheap" R-134 and made sure it held for several weeks. But then you'd probably be happy with the R-134 and never do it. Which is kind of what happened to me...

[F.A.A.benny]

The steel a6 is a workhorse but its drawbacks are weight, HP draw, and shaft seal leakage.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by F.A.A.benny

shaft seal leakage.

Biggest drawback right there. I went through 4 rebuilt units before I grew a brain and bought the aluminum replacement.

[Mator]

Thanks FAA Benny and everyone for all the replays. GMC Paul's has a pretty good deal on an old system and is cheaper than the parts I would need to bring my system up to date. Does anyone have a picture of the old air system in place and installed?

[F.A.A.benny]

I took this pic last time I was in their showroom. Here is one of the unit installed. you can also check out this thread.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=192485

[Mator]

Thanks