ac restoration

[hawkeye]

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i am currently restoring my a/c heater box on my 70 charger and it occurred to me that i should figure out what i am going to do with the a/c.   i thought the best way is to have my condenser and evaporator checked locally and buy the hoses, dryer and condenser from someone like classic air.  my compressor may or may not work, so i am just going to replace it with an aftermarket.  any suggestions?  thanks

[Iron Chef]

Depends on what you're trying to accomplish.  If you're doing a restoration and you want to keep the integrity of the car, I'd have all the pieces restored (Classic Auto Air provides this service along with many restoration parts) and you might even consider keeping the car R-12.  It IS still available.  If you're building a car "your way" for your personal enjoyment, or the value doesn't matter that much to you, I'd definitely use a new compressor and other parts from Classic Auto Air or Vintage Air.  They're lighter, better built, more efficient and will keep the car cooler over the long haul.  You'll also be able to use R-134 refrigerant, which makes recharges easier.

[Wicked72]

have you looked into rebuilding the rv2?

[hawkeye]

i haven't checked into rebuilding the compressor.  just want to put in the best system with the least amount of work and expense.  there is  nothing worse than getting into a a/c car on a hot day and not have it work.  that is why i am tapping into you guys for info.

[Iron Chef]

i haven't checked into rebuilding the compressor.  just want to put in the best system with the least amount of work and expense.  there is  nothing worse than getting into a a/c car on a hot day and not have it work.  that is why i am tapping into you guys for info.

In that case, I'd definitely trash the stock system and go aftermarket.  Classic makes an A/C system that is specific to your car, and I've heard great things about it. 

[VegasCharger]

Not to hack this thread but Classic Air vs Vintage Air  which is better?

[hawkeye]

i don't think vintage makes a system for a charger.  in their catalog it only lists cudas and challengers.

[Dino]

I have the compressor and rubber hoses from classic air but am reusing the original hard lines and a repro condensor.  I tried to make the old system work but want to run r134a and didn't want to mess around with it anymore.  Just get a sanden style rotary compressor and barrier hoses and be done with it.  I'm keeping the old stuff though as it's hard to find.

[hawkeye]

sounds like the best route is to get their under the hood kit.  from what i understand you get everything you need except the evaparator.  the salesman said you gain about 10 hp going to a modern rotary style compressor.

[Dino]

sounds like the best route is to get their under the hood kit.  from what i understand you get everything you need except the evaparator.  the salesman said you gain about 10 hp going to a modern rotary style compressor.

You can get the evaporator from places like Rockauto for less than $20.  The RV2 compressor supposedly does rob more hp but I'd never stick a number on it. 

For a good upgrade you need the compressor and hoses.  If you're on a budget see if you can just get the hoses, everything else is available elsewhere.  You need a decent condensor and you'll need a new dryer.