A/C question

[Luftwaffles1000]

I have all the A/C lines and everything present under the hood of my 1975 Duster with the slant six.

The compressor doesn't work, and I was looking into the cost of converting the A/C over to modern refrigerant (hearing that the old type is illegal, and the modern type will not work in old units without conversion).

I'm a firm believer in having the windows down, and I don't really care about having the A/C.

My question is, will there be any problems if I remove the A/C unit and auxiliary hoses and contraptions? I think it would be nice to clean up the engine bay, too.

Any pitfalls? downsides?

 

[jos51700]

More power, less weight, less clutter.

Fuel economy gains are debatable

 

[RustyRatRod]

Does it get hot in your part of Alabama? That would be the only pitfall I could think of.

 

[BillGrissom]

I still remember driving my 82 S-10 for 10 years in Atlanta. I bought it new w/o AC, manual steering & tranny in 1982, yep the cheap one in the ad. Still remember suffering at stoplights in the sun.

AC isn't as expensive as you think. You already have the under-dash stuff. I wouldn't put back the factory RV2 because it is a heavy beast, though they rarely fail (sure yours is bad?). You can buy a new small & efficient Sanden for $50 (I have, winter on ebay). It looks easy to mount a "York to Sanden" adjustable bracket ($50 ebay) on the block pad where a power steering pump goes, or if you have p.s. get the Sanden brackets off a Volare or Aspen (I did), plus the Saginaw p.s. pump. For much more (~$200), you can buy Sanden brackets for a slant. Find an AC shop, or a guy w/ an AC crimper (like me) who can make hoses. Should be easy to attach to your existing fittings since the rubber hose is standard sizes.

Re refrigerants, you take a risk installing R-134A today since already outlawed in many countries, though plan is to still be able to buy recovered stuff until 2030, but might get priced like R-12. I use HC refrigerant (Duracool, also Envirosafe) in all my cars now, even my 2002. But, it scares many people, so read the imagined horrors. If scared, use R-12 for now since HC is compatible w/ the mineral oil and you can change later if you get brave (and EPA isn't watching, read their stupid rules). So far, there have been 0 reports of fire or other incidents in millions of cars using it for decades. If changing oils, look at Hella's PAO 68 (ebay), since it works w/ all refrigerants and is more efficient. If you install PAG oil (for R-134A), you will be orphaned, plus it absorbs moisture and makes corrosive acids if you ever leave it without pressure.

 

[diymirage]

having AC is cool ;)

 

[67Dart273]

If I live long enough mine will have AC. It might be an import "knee knocker" hang - on evap unit.

 

[moparisbest]

Just got finished with ac in my 73 satellite and i think it made my daily drivers a lot more fun to drive rolling down the road with the windows up sun glasses on jamming the stock amfm radio. watching people drive by in there econo boxes with windows down and no air just dying kills me. I would say if its all there refill and use it. r 12 is not illegal you just cant buy it without a mvac license and you can get that online doing an open book test for 19.00 dollars at mainstream engineering
View attachment IMG_20141206_163733 (4).jpg

 

[65PlumCrzy]

Waiting on the hoses and Evaporator to come in so I can finish it.