Got a 79 with a rebuilt 350 and hooker headers which fried part of the plastic a/c unit. (compressor and hoses are gone anyway and I won't be replacing it) , if I remove the a/c unit completely looks like there will be a big hole in firewall, is there a replacement panel available? also ,does it make sense to remove the a/c coil that's in front of radiator to allow more airflow to radiator? thanks, hotshot

 

Grab a sheet of 1/8" or 3/16" black plastic and cut it to fit the opening. Makes for an easy place to route wires, vacuum, and hoses for future projects. Some black silicone (the type for making gaskets because of the heat under there) and a couple bolts should make it look nice too. They include a panel to block that opening with the HotRodAir conversion. See my earlier posts in this section to see some pics.

If you are going to rip it out, rip it all out. no use having extra pieces and parts that aren't connected and functioning. Just my humble opinion of course.

 

thanks, my thoughts were also to lose it if I wasn't going to use it, just did not want to get into any surprises at the firewall. I wasn't planning on finessing it too much in removal , as i said the bottom part has a 3-4 inch hole in it from being to close to headers and looked like a couple hard to reach screws would be difficult to loosen .

 

They definitely are tough to reach. If you check my first HotRodAir posting, you'll notice that there was alot of foul language, kicking, and yelling in ripping mine out. I ended up breaking several pieces when I finally gave up finding the hidden screws.

bill.

 

Welcome to the forum. I was wondering why you want to pull out the A/C. I sure use mine for a lot of the year. wrwalke installed a Hot Rod Air System, that seems like a lot more work and money than replacing what youv'e got. Is the HRAS system that much better? I use the expensive Freeon in mine but I heard that if you change the "O" rings we can use the cheeper freeon, any body know where to get the "O" rings. PG

 

If you want to keep your heater, I have the heater box from the outside and inside of the car for a non-air 69. I installed Hot Rod Air and removed the entire stock unit. Let me know if you are interested.

 

Actually, depending on how much of the AC system you have to replace and then convert to R134a, the HRA system is not too bad. With controls, wiring, ducts, compressor, presure lines, blower (the whole thing end-to-end), it ran about 1200 bucks. Yeah, it was alot of work, but I got laid off a couple months ago, and I had a 60 day wait period to sit at home if I wanted to collect the severance package.

The other motivators for me: It frees up a ton of space under the hood. It comes ready for R134a instead of the old R12. The controls include a climate control thermostat (set a temp and forget it).

Downsides: It isn't a perfect fit for post-77 C3's. It is definitely made to retrofit on to a non-AC car. Chevy made a ton of different little brackets and exhaust manifolds over the years, so getting the right setup is a pain, and involves a little fudging and/or fabrication.

Yeah, I do wierd stuff when I'm bored too.

Oh yeah, the o-rings... Autozone, NAPA, probably ecklers too. They are a common part, and come in "variety packs" if you don't know the exact size you need.


bill.

 

Thanks for the info on the "O" rings Auto-zone is my favorate store.
I still have R12 in my car and when it quits I'll change over.
During the summer when I turned the A/C I got nothing, I'd turn it off and on again and it worked, I see there are two vacuum cans on the heater box, could one or both be going bad? Also, the two vacuum cans behind the left and right kick panels, do they just let in fresh air? Thanks PG

 

thanks for your input, I removed the a/c condenser from in front of the radiator, only two bolts on top ,way too easy. decided to keep the a/c unit (coils) it , in place and repair the hole with fiberglass or possibly tin and rivets,and then sand and repaint. the burnt area is down low by headers. looked like a cleaner job than removing it altogether and possibly interfering with the heater operation. hotshot

 

PG:

If turning it on and off made it work, you are likely looking at the A/C clutch, or the clutch relay. A little crud in either of those will cause a problem like you describe (if the blower was blowing but the air was warm). If the blower wasn't blowing at all, you might have an electrical issue in the AC/heat controls in the console.

The vacuum actuators on the heater box move the flaps inside that make the air move from floor/vent/defrost. The two in the kickpanels are for fresh air. I rigged up a vacuum switch from a limosine supply place with a switch replacing my rear defrost switch to open/close them.

bill.