Good afternoon, gentlemen Owner of a 71 Skylark here. I have a question about possibly removing the entire A/C system. I want to completely yank it out for a cleaner look under the hood. Also, here in Phoenix it is so hot that we never drive it in the summer anyways. I only drive it when it’s cool enough to roll the windows down. Is it as simple as just disconnecting everything? Do I have to fill/plug any holes. I have never done this before which is why I’m asking. The cleaner look under the hood is really what I’m aiming for. The AC doesn’t even work that well, so I thought it might be best to just get rid of it. It would also allow me to have easier access to clean and paint the wheel wells, and maybe the firewall. Last thing, but how drastically would this affect the resale value of the car? Looking forward to hearing some answers. Thank you fellas!!! Joey
It would drastically lower the car's value to me, but I live in SW Florida and AC is a must. My advice is to save everything that you remove, including the various pulleys and any belts that you don't reuse. If the refrigerant is R-12, it may have some value to someone who is an absolute purist. Some say that R-12 cools better then R-134 A. I'm not familiar with your specific AC system, but depending on where Buick mounted the evaporator, it could be a bit of a big deal. Some cars use a different heater core depending on whether the car is built with or without AC. You will also have some AC specific parts hiding under your dash. There is no reason not to remove the AC ducts and any other stuff that relates only to the AC, which will make any underdash work down the road a heck of a lot easier. I would try and find someone with a factory non-AC car and take a looksee as to what things look like before you start ripping stuff apart.
First step would be to go to an a/c place and have them drain the system. When I removed the a/c from the Electra I did that and though it was determined there was nothing in it the guy said I did the right thing. You can recover a lot of space but like I did probably leave the bulkhead box that backs onto the heater core. Not the neatest but livable. Apart from space you'll save a good amount of weight. The compressor is shockingly heavy on it's own. Someone here makes an aluminum alternator bracket to replace the metal one and redundant compressor mount.
On 68-72 A bodies, there are entirely different firewall designs between a/c and non a/c cars. Your best bet would be to get an aftermarket a/c delete 'panel' to retain the heat and defrost functions. Non a/c cars even use different vent systems on the footwells, using different controls as well. Keep all of the components removed for future return to use or resale as an assembly. You will probably find that it will be an easier process if you remove the passenger inner fender to help this process.
...I can't imagine not running A/C in summer, especially in a climate like Phoenix. Love that big Frigidaire A-6, it can blow snow out ducts (not in Phoenix, not enough humidity). Run mine with top down in summer. Get it fixed. You and anyone riding in it will be happier (so will person who buys it if you ever decide to sell, but you won't because you'll enjoy your '71 so much more)...
I didn't see that you live in Phoenix. John is not kidding about the A6 blowing snow, I have been in a snowstorm driving the Buchev. The snowstorm was inside the cab. I would think that removing the AC would seriously hurt the car's value where you live. Many years ago the bride and I 727d our way out of Phoenix at a bit after 1 AM in August. The temperature was 101 F.
I’d leave it intact, like others have said it will kill the resale if you’re interested in that. Plus it’s a lot of labor to PROPERLY convert to non a/c Being you don’t ride under the hood, the space it takes up is not a big deal, at least to me. At the track people say to me “ your a/c belt is still on!” I say “yeah it is!”
