Temporarily removing factory A/C?

[Jonlopes]

My truck has factory AC but it does not work. Living in so cal getting the ac working is very far down the list of things to do. Unfortunately the AC set-up takes up a lot of room in the engine compartment and it sure would make my engine swap much easier if it was out of there.
is there anything I need to do to seal off and preserve the parts when I remove them or should I just keep them from getting dusty and not worry about it?
Does anyone sell caps to seal off the hoses going into the firewall?

[davepl]

I would wrap them up in bags maybe with a desiccant (like Dry-Z-Air from Home Depot) to absorb water, so they don't rust internally. Of course the dryer itself has one, so if its been sealed, it alone would do that. But if its been open or leaked the freon out, it's already saturated.

Personally I'd leave it in place and fix it. AC isn't rocket science but it sure is nice, and removing the parts only really guarantees you'll never fix it...

[Jonlopes]

My issue right now is a big block and AC combine to make this engine compartment as hard to work on as a modern car. Well maybe not that bad but still cluttered. I cannot imagine spending any time or money on the AC until I rebuild or replace the engine, paint the truck, do the interior, etc. We are talking 3-5 years before I even think about the AC. I would rather have the space.

[snipescastle2]

I second the thought of leaving it in place, since these trucks are 40+ years old, removing pieces from these a/c systems is delicate, the back side of the evaporator housing is prone to rusting out due to it's location on the firewall, and the arms the cables attach to aren't held in place by much, other than a couple of spot welds. So disturbing these things will most likely make you a ton of extra work you you don't need. Make sure you cap off any hose connections, so no dirt/bugs,etc. Can get in there, and if you remove your compressor, make sure to bag and tag all brackets, hardware and take a few pictures of it assembled before you tear it down to aid in reassembly.
Ben

[Jonlopes]

I was only thinking of removing the compressor, brackets and hoses. The evaporator would stay in place for now.

So if I remove the parts I am likely to ruin some of them?

While doing an engine swap would you leave it connected?

[snipescastle2]

I'm just saying to exercise caution loosening the hose fittings, especially the hard metal lines, as they can twist off, most people just leave the evaporator housing in place and remove the compressor/hoses/brackets. You can cap off the condensor fittings with cap plugs(most parts stores have them) or you can take some saran wrap and wrap the fittings and place a rubber band/zip tie around it to seal it up.
Ben

[Mapearso]

I'm local and looking for a set up for my big block truck. If for some rea$on you decide you want to sell all the AC parts please let me know

[F.A.A.benny]

Originally Posted by Jonlopes

I was only thinking of removing the compressor, brackets and hoses. The evaporator would stay in place for now.

So if I remove the parts I am likely to ruin some of them?

While doing an engine swap would you leave it connected?

I removed the ac unit front this truck and the customer drove his truck around for over a month with no issues. I could also have removed the compressor but just decided not to as I had extra brackets to repaint and have ready when everything was reinstalled. The main things for me would be making sure the box isn't damaged or things lost while in storage. If you are going to go with 134a then I would really go with new hoses anyways as well as the drier. Just cap the poa and exp valves and you should be good. I would also consider going with one of the new aluminum a6 replacements so wouldn't worry about the compressor. Same goes with the condenser. You would want to go with a parallel flow condenser so probably wouldn't be using your original anyways. Now if you were planning on reviving your system withr12 then yea, then hold on to everything as Ive seen more than a few guys go this route with success.

[Jonlopes]

Good info, thanks! Yeah I will probably go with a r134 system when I finally get to this point. I figure r12 is only going to get harder to find and why spend the money fixing a system that may not have any refrigerant available.

Will the new compressor mount with the same brackets? Would it clear taller valve covers on a big block? The stock compressor barely clears the stock short valve covers.

[F.A.A.benny]

That may be a problem if you cant use stock valve covers. In which case, you would probably have to go with aftermarket brackets and a sanden compressor. Hoses would then be custom. The aluminum a6 replacement comp. will bolt up to your original brackets and hoses, but a sanden compressor wont

[Jonlopes]

That's cool, I am probably going to go with the Chevrolet Performance 454 HO which does use the short valve covers. Thank you for the quick response!

[F.A.A.benny]

no problem

[snipescastle2]

You could always drive down to San Diego, cross the border and buy your R12 there....way cheap, but don't try bringing back any extra cans, could be a huge fine.....
Ben

[Kaptain Kadian]

Originally Posted by F.A.A.benny

That may be a problem if you cant use stock valve covers. In which case, you would probably have to go with aftermarket brackets and a sanden compressor. Hoses would then be custom. The aluminum a6 replacement comp. will bolt up to your original brackets and hoses, but a sanden compressor wont

Do you have a part number for that parallel flow condensor? Does it mount to factory holes? I am planning on putting a sanden compressor and parallel flow condensor in mine someday.

[F.A.A.benny]

Originally Posted by Kaptain Kadian

Do you have a part number for that parallel flow condensor? Does it mount to factory holes? I am planning on putting a sanden compressor and parallel flow condensor in mine someday.

On that pf condenser,I actually made the brackets and the fittings so that it would mount in factory location and accept the factory lines. PF is the way to go if you are going with 134a. if you are just replacing the factory A6 compressor you can just use an aluminum a6 replacement instead of going with a sanden. With the sanden you will need aftermarket bracket. hoses may be an issue also.

[Kaptain Kadian]

I have a serp system out of a 92 chevy and I bought aftermarket adapters for it to hold the sanden compressor. I have seen on here where others have fabbed up brackets like that, yours look nice. How big is the condenser? Thanks

[F.A.A.benny]

I don't have the dimensions with me but I can check to see from the part #. I can this though, its the biggest that will fit without altering anything on the truck

[F.A.A.benny]

here are a couple of pics with the grill back on