my 66 still has all of its stock components and I think it might be at least semi-functional once I replace all the control cables. Currently has no charge in it which could be a nightmare in itself if the evaporator is leaking. I’m going to attempt the cables first and see where it goes from there. Before I get too far with it, would it be worth fixing from a cool/hot function standpoint or should I just bite the radish for a vintage air system to ensure I actually get cold/warm air when needed? Cost might be the same to repair old or replace with new stuff.
If the car is a "show car" and originality/correctness is an issue, then maybe, try to restore what you have. If it is not such, and you want to enjoy it with less hassle, then go with the Vintage and be happy. Having spent more dollars trying to get a period correct part when a repop was more than up to the task , and then the futility of not taking an original part and refurbing it or having it done, has always been a crapshoot. No matter which I do, half the time, I should have taken the other fork in the road...
Surely not a show car and it will eventually be getting a 5.3/4l60 setup if all goes as planned. The biggest thing is making sure that when I want hot, it’s hot, when I want cold, it’s damned cold. Living in Florida means cold is quite important if I want my wife to enjoy it too! lol
In that case, go with the Vintage Air. That is a 100% working solution on "known" dollars. Getting the stock system working could end up a small money pit. I am half an hour east of you, if you need an extra hand on anything, let me know. I can hold a flashlight, drop parts on the floor, trip over your stuff, you know, that sort of thing.
If you go with a Vintage air system you will have some sheet metal holes to close in, like the front of the passenger side torque box, the fresh air and re-circulate air holes in the fire wall and you'll need to do work on the passenger side kick panel to restore it to a vent. I'm not sure about the money pit theory since all the parts are still available. You can test the evaporator and condenser for leaks, have new hoses made up, replace the POA and expansion valve calibrated for R134 (or use a variable orifice tube). If the compressor is bad you can either have it rebuilt for $120 or so, replace it with a new one that has a heavier clutch for cycling or replace it with a Sanden. If you replace every component you will spend less than a Vintage system costs and it will look stock. If you have a car that does not have air, it is much easier to install a vintage Air system then to install a stock type system. Since your system is already a factory air car and it's already installed, it would be easier to refurbish what you have. There are other threads on refurbishing and converting to R134.
On a non factory air car, would it be super hard to install the factory system if you sourced a complete system that was taken off of a factory air car?
The advantage to factory air is that it can get air inside two ways. Fresh outside air or re-circulate. With Vintage air you will ONLY get re-circulate. There are pluses & minuses to both systems. Your choice.
I got my controller all freed up and I think my mode/temp doors are all working finally. Just got new cables and need some sort of diagram as to how/where the new ones fit. Anybody have pics or a schematic with the colors on the cables? Also where can I get the little retainers that hold the cables on to the controller and the door actuators? I saved a couple but some were destroyed during removal, as were the cables from being seized up.
