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Ideas for AC in my 73

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billd View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote billd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Ideas for AC in my 73
    Posted: Sep/03/2019 at 8:06pm
And PLEASE - none of the BS about "well you'll have to change the oil over" and "the hoses will leak, you will need all new hoses" BS - PLEASE PLEASE stick to the question.
I gave up on fakebook because people tried to tell me how AC worked, how the oils are different, and how I can't use R12 hoses with R134A which I have proven wrong more than once - my Eagle is living proof. 

The topic - AC for my 73 Javelin.
Two choices - factory AC from a donor or donors - nice, looks great, integrated, takes no extra cabin space, and so on. 
So I'd need to find a car being parted, recently parted, whatever, and someone was selling the AC out of it. 
My wife wants AC in that car. 
I have a compressor bracket. I have a NOS Sanden compressor - would need adapter bracket.

The other option - see what's out there for add-in AC but don't want something that is clunky, crude looking, takes a ton of cabin space from the passenger, and so on. 

When I asked about finding AC for the car I kept getting push back - "you have to change the oil over" "the parts will all be rotted" (not necessarily, again, I have proof of this in two of my cars and a third I'm working on - maybe, maybe not)
So please keep the comments about oil and hoses out of this. If I need hoses, I'll bloody buy hoses! 
That FB BS really ticked me off as they kept at me rapid-fire like I  have never touched AC and don't understand the risks. 
There may be things I have not considered - that's possible. And there are likely systems out there that are add-in I've never seen or heard of - would like to learn about them.

Bottom line - my wife wants AC in that car if I'm going to be using it. 

I was even accused of trolling all of the groups looking for free stuff or some special deal.
NO, free is nice, cheap is nice - but if it's good and worth something, then I pay it if I want it that bad, right?
All I got was push-back. 
I hope the forum is better than that. 

What's out there????
Anyone parting a late Javelin that has AC? 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EVF_Sportabout Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/03/2019 at 10:10pm
I am with Bill on this one will be following this thread.  Mine is a 1974 Hornet.  What options are out there?

My wife must be your wife's sister!  She says "We aint driving to Kenosha in July next year without air conditioning!" OuchOuch
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote billd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/03/2019 at 10:19pm
I am hoping to find something simple like a whole system from a car being parted - and trust me, there's a lot of these Javelins being parted every year. I can tell because I see all of the parts being sold here and in various FB pages - they are being parted. 
On the other hand - if there's a non-intrusive add-in system - that doesn't remind me of that big long noisy as heck box we had in a Valiant growing up. Oh, it worked, but careful or you'll hit your knees or shins on it and it was loud. And it took space and looked like a big long box hanging under the dash. 
And the Javelin is a cockpit type design so anything that hangs under the dash on the PASSENGER SIDE can't be easily reached from the driver seat. When you are belted up, driving, you have a curved dash in front of you, all controls face you - and a shifter in the way of reaching over there for AC controls. 
So not interested in anything I have to get out of the seat to turn on because the big Javelins - you can't reach that side of the car from your seat!
So forget anything with controls on the right side, please. Controls have to be reachable by the driver, belted in and seated. 
That will leave out a lot of add-in systems, I'd bet - but then I've not seen any recently!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sonic Silver Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/03/2019 at 10:33pm
Originally posted by EVF_Sportabout EVF_Sportabout wrote:

I am with Bill on this one will be following this thread.  Mine is a 1974 Hornet.  What options are out there?

My wife must be your wife's sister!  She says "We aint driving to Kenosha in July next year without air conditioning!" OuchOuch
AMC once sold a system for Hornet/Gremlin that hugged the bottom of the dash from one end of the dashboard to the other that had 4 vents and a 3 speed blower. It dipped under the steering column with a curve, and didn't really take up much if any more space than the factory A/C package shelf. It was American King or something like that. There were 2 different ones. American King may have been the aftermarket one and was slightly different than the dealer installed one. They were similar. You can find pictures on line.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote billd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/03/2019 at 10:40pm
That could be ok for Hornet, etc. but big body Javelin is a totally different animal. 
If mounted under the dash, that means right side only, and no access to controls for driver, and since the Javelin dash sits sort of low over there..... 
That's where I am running into problems "seeing" or visualizing how any after-market could work in a big Javelin! Where would it sit? How could a driver operate it? The heater box is already there taking up space. 
If I had a Hornet or Gremlin, I could see giving up that "shelf" for AC -  but then my wife would complain no place to put her tissues or phone, etc. LOL Luckily the Eagle has AC that works nicely. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sonic Silver Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/03/2019 at 10:47pm
Originally posted by billd billd wrote:

That could be ok for Hornet, etc. but big body Javelin is a totally different animal. 
If mounted under the dash, that means right side only, and no access to controls for driver, and since the Javelin dash sits sort of low over there..... 
That's where I am running into problems "seeing" or visualizing how any after-market could work in a big Javelin! Where would it sit? How could a driver operate it? The heater box is already there taking up space. 
If I had a Hornet or Gremlin, I could see giving up that "shelf" for AC -  but then my wife would complain no place to put her tissues or phone, etc. LOL Luckily the Eagle has AC that works nicely. 
I know that the Javelin dash drops all the way to the console in the middle, like a Grand Prix of the same vintage. I have been rounding up A/C parts for some time for my 70 AMX for the same reason. You can't really hang one under the dash. You could buy a Vintage Air system and get an A/C dash for a 71 up Javelin, and fit their hoses to your vents. The evaporator/heater box would go behind the dash, after you removed your heater only box. They should have some sort of control panel to replace yours .
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote billd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/03/2019 at 11:04pm
And there's the issue - it would have to all be custom. There's no add-in AC that would fit the big Javelin. Either way, I would have to use AMC/Javelin AC parts - may as well do the whole thing. 
They don't even mention AMC in any of their stuff. It would be a hack job trying to get controls into the factory Javelin control spot - it's hard to get the factory cables routed and working correctly. 
That's where I'm torn - I think I'd be better off with a factory system, even if I had to make all new lines and hoses (not that expensive, really, in the end) otherwise - it's try to make this fit, try to make that fit, see if anyone has controls that will go to the factory spot.... 
By the time a person works with their support and hopes something fits - tries and found out it won't quite - then you have more time invested, and maybe as much money, and still a "made it fit" system. 

The only way I see around that hassle of trying to make things fit that aren't made for it is to find another person who has done it - and see how they did it and what parts they used. 

The area behind the dash on the right is pretty shallow - the dash doesn't stick out much at all over there because they packed it all into the middle and left side. So they moved the right side of the dash close to the firewall.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tomj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/03/2019 at 11:33pm
Quote AMC once sold a system for Hornet/Gremlin that hugged the bottom of the dash from one end of the dashboard to the other that had 4 vents and a 3 speed blower. It dipped under the steering column with a curve, and didn't really take up much if any more space than the factory A/C package shelf. It was American King or something like that. There were 2 different ones. American King may have been the aftermarket one and was slightly different than the dealer installed one. They were similar. You can find pictures on line.


i have one of those; it was allegedly unused when i got it 10+ yrs ago. still haven't used it. it replaces i think the dirt and pencil stub collector thing. whatever that tray is supposed to be and isn't. sits on the shelf getting older and dirtier! not sure if AMC or aftermarket; but definitely Hornet.

1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto
1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5
http://www.ramblerLore.com

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tomj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/04/2019 at 12:02am
there are arbitrarily small underdash evaporators, and "remote" types, if you can find a place to put th box (hotrod trunks is semi-common). likely not useful for Javelin. there's not a lot to them, coil and fins and a blower.

that's a tough problem, that Javelin interior.

underhood, you gonna go with all old flare stuff? old compressor?

i had poor experience mixing hose/connector systems. it's not simply flare vs. o-ring, there are hose sizing differences, something like (from memory) high side OK, #8 hose, but low side, one end was larger than the other, so i had to buy some guy's heliarced special fitting. i have the right crimp tool for the hoses. then (this was long ago) i actually found an AMC evap unit (for a 63 classic!), wrestled it in, pumped it dry and charged it -- and found the expansion valve was bad. it had been so much effort for so little result i bought a VintageAir mini evap. then all my hoses were nice and simple and it worked great. but it was an easy dash to put one under, not a Javelin.


i'm watching this thread too; i'm about to do it all again. my 'new' 1968 American had one owner from off the AMC lot in 2/22/1968 through mid 2017. he had aftermarket installed june 68. i have the original manual and receipts. i really want to keep the underdash unit. but i'm definitely using a modern compressor (Sanden type) and far superior condenser. so once again i will attempt the mix'n'match.

1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto
1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5
http://www.ramblerLore.com

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tomj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep/04/2019 at 12:09am
got room under a seat? there are "hot rod remote duct evaporator" units. hose is hose, a couple more feet don't matter. when i did my '63 classic i used lots of hose, so that i could take the underdash unit off and set it to one side to get under the dash.

what if a small evap unit was under the passenger side (glove box) but the controls were in the center? it's only two switches.


a lot of A/C complexity is i think needless -- if you just assume that the A/C recirculates cabin air, all the rest of that ducting is moot. it's not *too* hard to open a fresh-air vent once in a while. most aftermarket underdash are, of necessity, "recirculation only".


1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto
1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5
http://www.ramblerLore.com

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