Ac compressor with air gap intake

Spadman · Apr 16, 2023

I have an Eddie air gap and want to put air in my 70 dart 340. The engine came with ac pulleys and I can get an original compressor or try the one that comes with the classic air kit. I hear there is an interference with the air gap. Is this with both original ac or the Sandin. If there is a problem can you direct me to the solution. Old threads are fine if that is the best way. Also, thinking Vintage or Classic.

str12-340 · Apr 16, 2023

Classic gets their kits for installing the Sanden compressor from Bouchillon (has their name stamped right on the brackets) for use with factory AC crank pulley and Water pump pulley. I just installed one on my 70 dart with a small block. I used an LD4B Edelbrock manifold, which cannot be used with the factory compressor. I had to grind a little clearance on edge of the Thermostat housing and on one of the "fins" on the snout of the water pump (for the belt). No big deal and not very much material removed. PM if you need photos of those 2 spots. This kit will not work with the offset thermostat housing for later LA motors. Post a picture of your manifold.

Spadman · Apr 17, 2023

str12-340 said:
Classic gets their kits for installing the Sanden compressor from Bouchillon (has their name stamped right on the brackets) for use with factory AC crank pulley and Water pump pulley. I just installed one on my 70 dart with a small block. I used an LD4B Edelbrock manifold, which cannot be used with the factory compressor. I had to grind a little clearance on edge of the Thermostat housing and on one of the "fins" on the snout of the water pump (for the belt). No big deal and not very much material removed. PM if you need photos of those 2 spots. This kit will not work with the offset thermostat housing for later LA motors. Post a picture of your manifold.

Thanks. I’ll get a picture tomorrow.

Spadman · Apr 17, 2023

Here is a picture of my Air Gap beside a 1970 stoch dual plane. I don’t see a meaningful difference that would effect the ac.

str12-340 · Apr 17, 2023

so the issue is how high the surface of the thermostat housing is from the bottom edge of the manifold. I'll measure my Edelbrock manifold and take some pictures today so you will understand the pinch point but my impression is that you will be fine after massaging the edge of the thermostat housing that bolts to the manifold.

Spadman · Apr 17, 2023

Thanks, I’ve left home for the week but though I did not measure that height; except with my finger, it appeared to be the same as stock. I’ve got to get something ordered for the under dash part. I may just get the Vintage universal evaporator unit and worry about the compression later. I already can get a rebuilt stock compressor from a friend at a decent deal. Any opinions on the Vintage unit?

Spadman · Apr 17, 2023

My observation on the air gap is that the difference in height is all below the firewall, except for the high rise runners.

str12-340 · Apr 17, 2023

I looked at Vintage and Classic and chose Classic.

Here are photos of the pinch point with the Sanden Compressor set up and where it is close to the Thermostat housing, and pictures of the tight spot with the belt. I have another car that has a stock set up that uses an Edelbrock Performer manifold. The Sanden compressor is about a third the size of the original compressor and reportedly uses about a third of the horsepower to run.

str12-340 · Apr 17, 2023

I have had issues before where you use two aftermarket products that each are well designed and work fine, but if you put them together at the same time they interfere with each other. The fixes this time had already been encountered by Bouchillon and instructions to resolve them were in the instructions in one case and easily resolved with a call to the Bouchillon tech folks in the other (waterpump). Each fix took about 20 minutes to do, mostly to undo stuff that I had done, then make the fix and put it back together.

Do you want some pics of what the in-car part of the Classic Air system looks like installed?

Spadman · Apr 17, 2023

If it’s not a great deal of trouble I would appreciate it. Your engine compartment looks to be very nice, and the small tweaks not a big deal. One question, do you have the three groove crank pulley?

str12-340 · Apr 17, 2023

factory AC three groove crank pulley, but as Bouchillon designed this kit you only use one of the double grooves and one on the compressor and alternator because the compressor pulley is one groove off from ones on a stock compressor. At some point I will resolve this by putting a spacer behind the crank pulley and resituating the alternator so all the double belt pulleys line up. but it all seems to work fine with one belt - I guess because it takes a lot less to spin the Sanden compressor.

The set up has you modify the controls from an original non-air car so it looks really stock once in place but almost all the mechanical cable stuff is replaced by electric switches, even the heater control valve, which is great. The only glitch is that the labels on the dash panel in front of the controller don't correspond with the new system. I found that after I used it a while I never actually looked at the controls anyway. My underdash gauges were already in place so I put three of the AC vents to the right and one all the way on the left. The middle one on the right is just for show. The AC is cold cold cold and cools the car off fine with 3 vents. If you decide to go with this kit get in touch with me so I can tell you what did and didn't fit with the installation and how the problems were resolved. It says it is a Perfect Fit Kit... BWHAAAHAAHAAHAA! I will admit that the technical set up of the controls, the under dash box and the underhood mechanical stuff was excellent. My installation was a bit more challenging because I started with an AC, rather than non-AC car so there was a bunch of work since the firewalls are different. Their kit is designed to add AC to a non-AC car.