need help with a/c

[Wicked72]

So i just pickup an a/c heater box to replace the melted one that was in my 72. im going to completely restore the box myself and had a few questions. id like to know if theres a good place to get what ever parts i may need. i need everything to get the a/c n heat to work and i was wondering if  what the rest of the components are. it has a bunch of the vac lines. i dont have anything else. the car had been on fire at some point  in its life so the whole dash and everything in it melted. my first charger had complete a/c and the compressor is just massive so id like to use a different style or relocate on from original. as far as controls what cars could i get them from?  as much info as i could get will greatly help thanks!!

[Paul G]

When I put the A/C back together in my 72 I did not have to do anything with the box, luckily. I had to find a control unit. Only place I found any parts for it was on Ebay. I went through a couple of them before I had enough parts to get one usable one put together. I believe 71 and 72 are the same. 73 and 74 are the same, but not interchangeable with 71 and 72.

Unless you are restoring to 1000 point original there is no point in using R12. For the compressor I used a Sanden R134 unit. I got my refrigerant lines and condenser coil kit from Bouchilon Performance. It was a generic aftermarket kit. They may have the V-belt mounting bracket for the Sanden compressor as well. I used a March serpentine type belt and pulley set for mine. Does not look or fit like the original stuff. But it blows ice cold!

[Wicked72]

i figured the box was a good start i have a small idea of what to get but no idea where to findem . im not looking for anything original and using 134a is going to be cheap and since they are phasing out r12 its up at ripoff prices. i need the lines, compressor, condenser, and expansion canister. do i need them to be a close match in components to the box? i really dont what the giant stock a/c comp id like something more modern and compact if possible. i can make brackets and get custom hoses made if need.

[Paul G]

I used the Bouchilon kit with my stock coil in the dash. Worked great.

[Wicked72]

So its looks like abt $600 to get a/c back in the charger. Just need to find some controls. Did you use a factory control?

[Cooter]

I believe the early K-cars used the later model Sanden Compressor with a V-belt set up clutch.

[billschroeder5842]

Just my .02....what ever you think your A/C will cost, triple the number. I have "restored" 5 A/C systems at it cost me over 1200 for each. Something is always wrong needs updating as the R12 to R134 swap is not as simple as everyone says it is.