Had questions on removing factory air

[Stoney Anderson]

I have a 74 dart se with a 318 and would like to take the ac off until I do the engine swap just to clean up under the hood. The belt is already off the ac so I’m thinking I can just unbolt and remove hoses? This is my first car I’m actually working on myself so just looking for someone that’s done this and can share pointers. I see the alternator is bolted to the ac so I may need a new bracket?


Thank you for your time guys

 

[S'cuder]

Hi Stoney, welcome.
Don't disconnect any hoses if you are unsure if there is refrigerant in the system! Regardless of what's legal, if you get a blast of refrigerant in the face or on bare skin, you could get quite a burn.

An easy way to check is to unscrew the cap on a valve and depress the valve core with a screwdriver. Press and release very quickly. If you get a small discharge, you'll have pressure, and legally you must recover the refrigerant. If you plan to get the A/C working again, consider leaving it sealed to possibly save effort and expense.

If there's no pressure, the system has leaked out, and you can disassemble as you like. But be careful cracking open that first hose, just in case.

You should use a service manual. You can get one for 1973 free from myMopar.com . It will be close, but could have differences from your '74. CD-ROM service manuals are available, find with your search engine.

Please report back on this thread and post pictures!

 

[cudamark]

Most A/C shops will be happy to suck out the freon for free. To convert to non-A/C correctly, you'll need a non-A/C bracket and pulley setup for the engine. Usually most P/S stuff can stay the same, but, Alternator brackets, water pump pulley, and crank pulley are totally different. Technically, the water pump is too, but, sometimes they will work fine. Just take a short trip at first and note the coolant temp before taking a long/hot drive. Cap off and store all the A/C parts for future use or sale. You'll still need to keep vacuum going to the dash control if you still want to be able to use the heater/defroster. Same goes with the water valve for the heater. If you want a total non A/C look, you're looking at a whole lot more work, including changing or modifying the firewall and getting a non A/C heater suitcase, dash controls with cables, and various cooling system parts.