For Those Who've Swapped RV2 For Sanden Compressors...

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RustyRatRod

I was born on a Monday. Not last Monday.
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I'm curious. My 75 F250 has it;s original York compressor. It cools good. I converted the system to 134 and it was pretty loud for a while, but that's tapered off now and it's pretty dang quiet. I have no complaints, BUT it does drag a pretty good load when it's running. The York and RV2, while different, ARE still reciprocating compressors, so they are probably comparable in terms of load. If you swapped to a Sanden, could you tell a difference in how much power the Sanden robs?
 
I have 2 old Mopars with the Sanden's.Both still pull power enough that you feel when the compressor cycles.
I would think you won't gain much if anything switching for that reason.
 
I'm curious. My 75 F250 has it;s original York compressor. It cools good. I converted the system to 134 and it was pretty loud for a while, but that's tapered off now and it's pretty dang quiet. I have no complaints, BUT it does drag a pretty good load when it's running. The York and RV2, while different, ARE still reciprocating compressors, so they are probably comparable in terms of load. If you swapped to a Sanden, could you tell a difference in how much power the Sanden robs?
Hey RRR. I swapped my 73 Swinger from the RV2 and it has made a huge difference. I robbed all the stuff off a ‘78 Diplomat and it bolted right up. I notice a difference in the power it takes to turn it for sure. Also, much quieter than before. The biggest difference though, is how much more efficient it is. It cooled the car down ok with the RV2, but it will freeze you out with this setup. I know it’s not the Sanden you’re asking about, but should offer similar results IMO.
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Hey RRR. I swapped my 73 Swinger from the RV2 and it has made a huge difference. I robbed all the stuff off a ‘78 Diplomat and it bolted right up. I notice a difference in the power it takes to turn it for sure. Also, much quieter than before. The biggest difference though, is how much more efficient it is. It cooled the car down ok with the RV2, but it will freeze you out with this setup. I know it’s not the Sanden you’re asking about, but should offer similar results IMO.
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That's the Nippondenso I think. That's in line with the Sanden and a decent comparison. Thanks.
 
Now all I need to find are fittings to go from the male AN on the sanden to the o ring ends on the Ford hoses. Ain't found any so far.
 
Now all I need to find are fittings to go from the male AN on the sanden to the o ring ends on the Ford hoses. Ain't found any so far.
I have a lot of good luck with NAPA for a/c fittings.I’ve also found some oddballs from Vintage Air. You may have already exhausted those two.
 
efficient it is.
I agree that the Sanden is efficient and does cool better.
I got my stuff from Summit,Vintage Air fittings and hoses.Many different sizes and configurations.
If you looks at some You Tube videos there are many types of hose ends that require crimp tools and others that don't.
Lucky a local guy had the crimp tool and let me borrow it.
Good luck .
 
I have a lot of good luck with NAPA for a/c fittings.I’ve also found some oddballs from Vintage Air. You may have already exhausted those two.
I have looked purdy much everywhere. It's looking like my only option is to replace the rear compressor head with one that has the correct fittings made on.
 
Actually all those compressors are reciprocating type. The difference is in the "firing" order. The Chrysler is a 2 cyl V configuration. Think like a Harrly/Davidson engine (uneven firing order) The York/Tecumseh is a 2 cyl with a even firing order. (every 180 degrees) the Sanden, and Chrysler C-171, and the Ford FS-6 have 6 cyls, with a even firing order every 60 degrees. So a much smoother load on the drive system. The Total amount of power to drive any of these compressors does not vary much. It is how the load is spaced on the drive system.
PS: That is why the RV-2 compressor has a much larger clutch and pulley. To smooth out the uneven pulse loads.
 
I have looked purdy much everywhere. It's looking like my only option is to replace the rear compressor head with one that has the correct fittings made on.
The York compressor has the possibility of several different fittings. Flair, "O" ring, Tube "O" ring, rotolock. Need to know which fitting are on your hoses. As you have seen, the sanden compressor has many different rear heads, for different hose connections.
 
Look around where you live RRR. You might be able to find a shop the will make any A/C hose you need locally. Even in hot rod hell Tucson we have a shop that does that and they have been lifesavers at times when swapping in parts that weren't OEM.
 
I bought a different rear head when I put a Sanden on my 1985 M-B 300D. There were about 20 different choices from a vendor on ebay (with photos), all ~$20 each. That was for an SD7 Sanden (7-bolts). If you have the earlier 5-bolt (SD508? recall), might not be those choices. In my case, I needed the rarer "GM Pad" head (about 3 versions for that). Most common is a head with #8 and #10 O-ring ports, which sounds like what RRR needs and those have at least 2 versions with ports coming out either axial or radial (most common) and might even have those in mirror-image (swap left & right). You can also **** a Sanden angularly just shy of 90 deg off vertical. The mounting ears are the same except for the H13 "shorty" which has the front to back flange spacing ~1" closer. I recall SD508 have same mount ear geometry. Most common is the H15 (SD7H15).

I had an H13 (OE on Civics?) on my M-B for more rear clearance, but the custom bracket cracked apart (made by a forum member) so went back to the OE Harrison R4 compressor (GM used in 1980's), so now have the H13 on my 1964 Valiant 225 (made custom brackets). The R4 (5 one-way pistons) seems to cool as well as the Sanden did (7 double-acting pistons so 14 puffs per rev). I doubt you would see much improvement with an SD7 over a York and wouldn't save much weight since the York is an aluminum body (2 one-way pistons?). I have a York on my 1965 Chrysler (aftermarket kit, Sears, Western Auto, or dealer?). If you think the RV2 is a beast, my 1965 Dart came with a Tecumseh compressor as a retrofit. That has the same dimensions as a York but in a cast-iron body and a larger diameter clutch, so might have been heavier than an RV2. Yes, it had cracked the aftermarket bracket. Sold it to a guy cheap to mod for an off-road air compressor.

Perhaps most important for better cooling is having a large parallel-flow condenser, with perhaps an electric fan to aid in stop & go traffic. I use Duracool refrigerant in all my vehicles (even 2002 Chrysler after a compressor failure), which works slightly better than R-12, with PAO 68 oil which works with all refrigerants (R-12, HC, R-134A) and doesn't absorb moisture like PAG (bad, forms corrosive acids). It is also claimed more efficient, since stays more in the compressor rather than coating the condenser and evaporator tubes.
 
Look around where you live RRR. You might be able to find a shop the will make any A/C hose you need locally. Even in hot rod hell Tucson we have a shop that does that and they have been lifesavers at times when swapping in parts that weren't OEM.
Or do like me and buy a MasterCool crimper, hoses, and ferrules then sell it when done. I've made AC hoses for 5 cars with it, plus oil cooler hoses for my M-B, and coolant hoses for my 2002 minivan (used silicone heater hose). Once you have a hammer ... Or you could use Oeticker stepless ear clamps for a factory look, even smooth screw clamps like Breeze.
 
I'm sorry I haven't come back and updated this yall. Forgive me. So far, so good with the York compressor. It continues to keep on rollin and it cools fine. I'm just going to leave well enough alone until or IF it goes out. The York compressors have a reputation for being dang near indestructible, so I'm gonna let it ride.
 
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