Working on a customer's 1973 240Z with early AC compressor. Looks like removing the bad fuel pump and installing a new one will require substantial disassembly. Is there an easier way to swap the pump without disassembling half the car? Got off the two nuts on the top of the pump but can't find a way to reach the bottom one.

You'll have to work the compressor loose and pray there is enough flex in the AC lines.

I have the compressor lose but there is very little ability to move it more than an inch or two, not enough to allow access to the final nut.

5 hours ago, Randalla said:

I have the compressor lose but there is very little ability to move it more than an inch or two, not enough to allow access to the final nut.

Keep in mind that I didn't say I was able to do it successfully. When I encountered that, the owner's son worked at a Kia dealership, and he had one of the mechanics in the service department tear out the non-functioning AC system.

It might be that the system will need to be drained of refrigerant if it's still functional, get the hoses off the compressor, and replace everything after you fix the fuel pump.

I remember removing the brackets that hold the compressor to swap out a bad fuel pump. One on the bottom and then the fan had to come off to get the top one. It was an ordeal for sure. York system lives in storage now.

 

Had to do this PITA repair so very many years ago. Possibly seperate the compressor from the bracket to increase manuverability of the bracket?

I have the compressor and bracket separated but still no room to get the bottom bolt. Looks like I'll have to go in from the bottom, necessitating draining radiator, removing lower hose and removing alternator. Arghhh!

That's exactly why I was looking at the compressor and mounting bracket from Nostalgic AC. It mounts on the other side of the block.

This might be a good opportunity to encourage the owner to switch to an R134 system where the AC compressor mounts on the other side of the block. In my situation, most of the emission plumbing was removed and the compressor now resides where the air pump was previously.

Edited October 12, 20231 yr by DatsunZGuy

Consider leaving the mechanical pump in place and installing an electric pump.  That worked for me for about 25 years on my '71 with York AC compressor.  When I switched to a newer AC system, I stayed with the electric pump, removed the mechanical pump, and installed a block off plate in its place.

Not a fun job, but got it just about wrapped up. I did have to drain the radiator, remove the lower hose, remove the alternator, and completely unbolt the large compressor bracket. It was a two person job to hold the compressor up while lining up all the bolt holes to re-attach the large steel bracket. Now that I've done it, I could do the job in half the time (isn't that always the way?). A fair amount of time was spent assessing how to tackle the job. Thanks for your input guys.