Successful AC install

[steve91tt]

This form is great. With the help of you guys I have been restoring a very original, zero rust 1973 240Z with 60K miles on it.

In the last few weeks I have.

1. New Z-therapy carbs

2. New bushings front and back

3. Honda blower mod

4. RX7 fuel pump mod

5. Dynomat in key places

6. New fuel vent hoses

7. No more exhaust fumes!

8. New exhaust from the factory down pipes back

9. new radiator, mechanical fan and clutch

10. New struts

11. Lots of other bits and pieces

Yesterday's project was to replace the old York R12 AC system with a new unit from Nostalgic Air.

Nice kit. It included everything I needed to do the job. Here is a photo of my previous system...

The entire install took about 7 hours with breaks including evacuating and charging the system. It seems to work well. The vents blow hard and I am getting a vent temperature of about 35F. However, the proof will be how it works in the Texas summer.

Next job...blow it all apart and off to paint!

[Inf]

Nice! I wish I had your tenacity for getting things done

[steve91tt]

Nice! I wish I had your tenacity for getting things done

Thanks, these cars are a dream to work on compared to the twin turbo Z that I spent the last 10 years wrenching. Everything on the twin turbo takes 5 times as long and costs 3 times as much!

I'm trying to get the 240 to "daily driver" shape before the Texas summer hits and makes working in the garage/sauna a chore.

[nahurry]

hey steve! nice looking 73! i have a 73 also and i just recently installed a/c and an aluminum radiator. i bought the a/c unit from courtesy nissan and installed everything myself, going today to have my uncle charge it up. my drier is mounted to the side of the condenser.

Edited March 13, 2010 by nahurry
update

[Zedyone_kenobi]

congrats Steve!

I am about to take my AC out of my car. I know some say its crazy to remove a working factory AC, but I never use it, and my Z is more of a toy than a daily driver. I would love to see your nostagic air upgrade though. Can you show us some pics?

Also, I have a question.. how hard is it to remove the interior bits of my AC system? I would think I can do this in one day.. what is your opinion?

[steve91tt]

congrats Steve!

I am about to take my AC out of my car. I know some say its crazy to remove a working factory AC, but I never use it, and my Z is more of a toy than a daily driver. I would love to see your nostagic air upgrade though. Can you show us some pics?

Also, I have a question.. how hard is it to remove the interior bits of my AC system? I would think I can do this in one day.. what is your opinion?

My car came with the original 1973 dealer installed AC unit. I removed it the day after I bought the car. It took me about 30 minutes to remove the entire system. Very straight forward. The Nostagic air system looks the same inside the car. Under the hood the old York compressor is replaced with a smaller, modern 134a unit that goes either below or instead of the smog pump. In other words, under the hood is a cleaner install, under the dash...not so much. I will say the system blows super cold and strong at the moment (35°F at the vent 70°F ambient) but I will reserve judgment until it is 100°F and 75% humidity here in Texas.

I will get some photos uploaded soon.

[steve91tt]

hey steve! nice looking 73! i have a 73 also and i just recently installed a/c and an aluminum radiator. i bought the a/c unit from courtesy nissan and installed everything myself, going today to have my uncle charge it up.

I would be interested to see how you routed your hose to the dryer under the hood. It looks to me like Courtesy and Nostalgic use the same system. The way I have it installed, the Nostalgic hose is a couple of feet too long from the evaporator to the dryer but I may not have them routed correctly as the photos in the instructions were impossible to decipher. It works the way it is but I plan to clean up the installation when I blow it apart for paint so any advice on routing would be great.

[dclamm]

I've got an early 71 (recent purchase) with probably the original dealer installed A/C. Is there any reason to keep this old R12 system? Can it be converted to 134A and still be effective? Don't even know if it works as I haven't got the engine running yet. My inclination is to take it out... won't be a daily driver.

[steve91tt]

I've got an early 71 (recent purchase) with probably the original dealer installed A/C. Is there any reason to keep this old R12 system? Can it be converted to 134A and still be effective? Don't even know if it works as I haven't got the engine running yet. My inclination is to take it out... won't be a daily driver.

Can it be converted to 134a...yes.

Is it worth the time and expense of converting...it depends.

If the current system does not cool then there is something wrong with it and converting to 134a will most likely not fix the problem. If it leaks then you have to fix the leak. If the compressor won't spin then you have to fix the compressor.

If on the other hand the system does work then you would have to flush the system with solvent to remove all the old oil and change the o-rings as the R12 o-rings will not stand up to the 134a oil. You might also look at "Freeze 12" as an o-ring compatible option.

In my case, I did not want to jack with converting and trouble shooting a 40 year old system so I just scrapped it and started with a nice new compressor, evaporator and condenser. I currently use this car as a daily driver and in Texas I need a good AC system in a daily driver.

[ZCCOR#109]

I've got an early 71 (recent purchase) with probably the original dealer installed A/C. Is there any reason to keep this old R12 system? Can it be converted to 134A and still be effective? Don't even know if it works as I haven't got the engine running yet. My inclination is to take it out... won't be a daily driver.

If you want AC then you need to go with R134. (NOTE: Z cars are hot inside as there is a lot of glass, and even with a good vent system you will swim on the vinyl seats.)

You should replace everything of the R12 system except possibly the evaporator which may be a custom fit to your fan box, mine was.

a source for parts and pieces is Vintage Air in Texas. Get one of their catalogs and read about the differences in R12 and R134 systems requirements. http://www.vintageair.com/

This is what I did to replace the aftermarket AC I had installed in 1973. I had a radiator shop replace the evaporators fittings with the 134 o ring type, measured all the hoses and ordered the hoses and fitting material, condensor, rotory compressor, dryer, etc. from Vintageair. The hose fittings can be crimped onto the bulk hose that you bought from Vintage Air by a NAPA store, requires a particular type of crimping.

I just put everything back to its original places essentially. I did have to get an adapter to fit the new Sanden rotory compressor to the York compressor mount that attaches to the engine.

That said, if there are complete kits available for your model that are R134 I would go with that.

[wbsupernatural]

Steve,

I have the same York compressor in my 73 240z also and notice that whenever it's on, I can feel that it robs power from the engine. Do you notice this with this kit?

-Quang

[Inf]

I've got the Sanden rotary compressor, and I also notice a significant power drop, although I'm sure the York is much worse.

Whenever my compressor is engaged, I can't take it above 3500 RPM without getting this weird vibration in the engine bay that sounds terrible. I need to diagnose this before summer