1972 Duster Build with my Daughter

Jim Kueneman said
Thanks, I am really struggling with getting this Duster AC to work well. I did buy a new condenser but it was a copy of the original not parallel flow and I am struggling with head pressure. I can't get all the R134A I should be able to get into it before the compressor dead heads and the clutch slips. I just found that Classic Air makes a parallel flow condenser for the '73 Dart so I am going to order one.

Jim

How expensive is it? Reason I ask is that universal parallel flow condensers are pretty reasonably priced and available in many sizes and configurations. Go to this link: Welcome to UAC and under "NA Types" select "Condensers". Under "NA Categories" select "Condenser". And under "NA Sub Categories" select "Parallel Flow". Then poke the [Search] button. You will get a page full of different sizes and configurations of generic non-application condensers. When you get to the bottom of the page, click the wide blue bar that says "more", and you will get more condensers. Keep doing that until you no longer get a "more" bar.

You may also want to search the application section for your vehicle and see if UAC has a parallel flow unit for your vehicle. It may well be cheaper than the Classic Air/Vintage Air tax. You can generally get any UAC parts from Rock Auto or Ebay. There's also a place here in Mesa that I deal with called Air Components that carries much of this stuff, although I have found them to be more expensive on average. Summit and Jegs have a lot of this stuff, too!

If you're patient you can also explore OE parallel flow condensers from newer vehicles that may fit your car with some mounting mods. This is what I did - I used an early GMT400 condenser (88-94 GM pickup) that is a parallel flow direct fit for the original tube and fin R-12 condenser. It was designed for R-134a retrofits in those trucks. With a few plumbing mods and bracket fabrication I was able to fit it in my square body Chevy Blazer. Even though there are parallel flow direct fit condensers for square body Chevies, thwy tend to not really be "direct fit", the cores are significantly smaller than the GMT400 unit I used, and they cost $100 more. This is just an example of how a condenser for one vehicle can be modded to fit another. What I like about the GMT400 condenser vs a generic condenser is the thickness: the universal generic condensers are typically 5/8" thick, while the GMT400 unit I used is about 7/8" thick. Every bit helps, especially with such a large displacement compressor.