Air conditioning upgrade photos/details

Hopefully you are putting a new parallel condensor in? If so you will need to find one with flare fittings the same size as your current ones.

This should work for R-12, verify it's the same port locations.

http://www.rmeuropean.com/Part-Number/Receiver-Drier-__1158350471_BEH_A9F1070E.aspx



jamesw said:
Hi Steve,

This thread is incredibly useful.

I'm in TX so I just ordered the Sanden compressor and bracket from Johnjoysyl

I also need to replace my driers. Does anyone know a good interchange part that has the same type of fittings so I can keep my hoses as-is? They are still in good shape.

Thanks
James
Click to expand...
 
hi
i will have this in my winter todo list
i have found an e28 car in very good condition in a wreckyard, so to play a little i have bought all the entire AA system from it
it has the bosch compressor and being an e28 it is attached to a M30 block, i can see that the relative position of the compressor and the main pulley is the same as mine, so i will use the bracket from the e28
my e9 originally had the york,....etc

any thoughts/warnings ?
 
Has anyone done more work with upgrading the interior-side components? (evap, blower, incredibly expensive, fragile, and rare interior ducting) I have heard from a few people using VintageAir and ICEAC, but when I have called them they said they had nothing that would work.
 
x_atlas0 said:
Has anyone done more work with upgrading the interior-side components? (evap, blower, incredibly expensive, fragile, and rare interior ducting) I have heard from a few people using VintageAir and ICEAC, but when I have called them they said they had nothing that would work.
Click to expand...

Recently bought a NOS evap / blower from deQ. He can also get new switch blocks but not the switch knobs. He may still have another NOS evap / blower. And yes - not inexpensive.

Bought some side vents from a member which will require some clever fabrication to look respectable. There are some very good sprays to replicate the imitation vinyl look of the vents so with some careful plastic welding and epoxy I may get away with it. No pics yet.

I do however need parts 64511811417 which is the base plate for the evap' and 64511351936 the holder for same. Plus any and all special nuts, washers, etc. So if anyone with these items is willing to part with them please let me know.

Gazz
 
This is all great, as a rule of thumb converting from R22 to R134 you loose 30% capacity. To make this up you need 30% more evaporator, condenser coil and more mass flow thru the TXV via the compressor. When we convert Heat Pumps to 134 we have to greatly increase he airflow over all coils to keep balance. Bottom line if the system provide cooler air in high ambient conditions your going the right direction.
R12 and R22 are almost equivalent in performance.
 
Great right up as usual Steve. I must have seen this before.
I did the exact same process 4 years ago before I decided to rebuild my coupe. The only difference is I had a bracket for the compressor from a 86-88 535 and had to do some belt testing to get one the correct length ( a local old time parts store let me take belts to try and then buy the one I needed)
The other difference was that I used R-134. I was very concerned about R-12 and it's future supply. I also had great success with my 88 M5 and 134. It really surprised me how cold it can get.
Luckily it cycles well and does not freeze up.
Like Pickman says increased capacity of the condenser helps a lot. Unfortunately we can't make the evaporator any bigger which is where we could get huge gains in cooling.
I also replaced the expansion valve as I wasn't going to go through all this and have dirt in the valve and have it not work. Had to take the all the center console and heater out to do that. PIA for a $50 expansion valve. Available at the same place you get the upgrade condenser.
One thing I have always wondered is if size of the orifice in the expansion valve should be different for R-12 versus R-134. I ask Rob Siegel when he wrote his book about AC systems and he never answered me. I'm not an engineer.
BTW Rob's book is a great resource for everything you didn't want to know about auto AC.
Insert shameful plug here.
https://www.amazon.com/Just-Needs-Recharge-Mechanic-Conditioning/dp/0998950718

I also used the original fan and kept the circuit the same so the fan turns on when you turn on the compressor. Simple and seems to work well.

After I rebuilt my AC system I could get 34-36 degrees at the grill with an auto AC stem thermometer. I have had it freeze up a couple times on long trips like when I drove to Colorado and back in 2014. I also did this same procedure to an all original 74 3.0 CS that belongs to a friend. Parts and labor was about $4000. It a very tedious job.
One thing I wish I had done is convert all the connections to o-rings and get rid of the flare fittings and copper gaskets. Luckily I have an AC shop that pulls the vacuum for me and tests the integrity of the system before I waste a bunch of Freon. I even taken tools and loosened a fitting or two and put in another copper gasket to get it to seal. If you use some of the same oil that is in your compressor on the cooper gaskets it lets them slide around a little as you tighten the fitting hopefully getting a complete leak tight seal.
Gary
 
Hi Steve, I replaced the entire HVAC System in my coupe, I used the Sanden, new fans etc, etc. I have to have new hoses made and I was thinking of trying to find a professional A/C shop here in Austin to make all the hoses, fittings and bends, and I also have allot of R12 :). Anyhow, are there shops that just do A/C like that to your knowledge? I love your write up but I don't want to use it :-(
 
Peter Coomaraswamy said:
Hi Steve, I replaced the entire HVAC System in my coupe, I used the Sanden, new fans etc, etc. I have to have new hoses made and I was thinking of trying to find a professional A/C shop here in Austin to make all the hoses, fittings and bends, and I also have allot of R12 :). Anyhow, are there shops that just do A/C like that to your knowledge? I love your write up but I don't want to use it :-(
Click to expand...
Peter,
See if you can find where the hot rod guys take their cars? That's what I did here in Atlanta. Found a very friendly shop that made my hoses on site with the car there so we could check the fit. I finished the connections and they pulled a vacuum to test for leaks. When good they installed Freon and I went home. Hoses were like $40 +- and the service was around $100. Not bad for the attention I got. Will go to them in the next couple weeks to have them test my newly re-assembled system to test for leaks and then charge with R-134. I don't have a vacuum pump or I would do most of this myself.
Just don't get as anal as I did the last couple days. I didn't like seeing the stamped data on the side of the hoses and took lacquer thinner and steel wool and removed them all. It was just more clutter in the engine compartment.
Gary
 
Stevehose said:
A local hydraulic hose company did mine.
Click to expand...
Yeah, some do and some don't.
I used a company for the high pressure PS hoses and they don't do auto AC work but they sure do some 2-3" high pressure heavy equipment hoses. Yikes, big stuff up to 6000 PSI.
 
I actually did a bunch of measurements and bought my hoses online. But since you already have the hoses Peter, this won't work for you.
 
Peter - a friend had the tool for swaging the fittings onto the hoses. I bought the hose and the fittings directly from a local AC service shop. We measured (CAREFULLY) and cut the hoses, then clocked the fittings/hoses in place, marked the orientation on each fitting, removed them and did the swaging. Installed everything and the system held a great vacuum before we installed the R-12. Unfortunately, the new Sanden compressor has developed a leak at the rear, so needs to be re-sealed (my friend does that as well), and the system evacuated again and refilled with R-12 this summer.

Gary
 
Once Don helps me get my beast running (in about 24 hours) my next stop is some kind of A/C guru. With the oil cooler, the new radiator and larger pusher fan up front and the CSI air filter I will probably have to be at the shop to dismantle some stuff to get to the condenser and dryer etc. I just know if I try this myself I'll get something wrong and probably end up inhaling the R12 instead of cooling myself with it.
 
easy to make your own hoses.

I bought all my hoses/fittings from here:

coldhose.com

Cold Hose

AC Hoses, Hose Kits and Fittings, AC hose repair
coldhose.com coldhose.com

and then get your own tool:

www.jbtools.com

Mastercool 71550 Manually Operated A/C Hose Crimper

Buy Mastercool 71550 Manually Operated A/C Hose Crimper with an everday low price and fast shipping! JB Tools
www.jbtools.com www.jbtools.com

I chose to get reduced barrier hoses/fittings. Much smaller and packs the same punch.

-r
 
Alice Couper said:
Great writeup. Has anyone mounted this compressor to an M30 B35? If so what brackets did you use?
(It looks like @Layne makes one for the B35.)
Click to expand...

Yes, my bracket goes right onto a B35. It'll fit any M30 (that I know of...) provided you have a wing cell bracket to attach it to. Most engines after about 1982 already have it, but you would have to acquire one for an earlier engine. (S38B36 shown here)


DSC_1378small.jpg
IMG_20200824_170408845.jpg
 
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