This question comes up quite a bit so I just wanted to suggest the pros and cons of A/C removal:


YOU SHOULD REMOVE YOUR A/C IF:

1- You really, really want the room under your hood or need it for
clearance
OR
2- You live in a place where you (or possible passengers) never use it not even once or you just dont use it
AND
3 You are prepared for the cost of a heater box and/or ac delete pulley and every disadvantage of no A/C
OR
4 You have a drag car that needs every last pound of weight scrapped A/C = around 45 lbs

YOU SHOULD NOT REMOVE YOUR A/C IF

1- You want to sell the car and get good return(slim chance anyway)

2- You live in an area that temperatures frequently exceed 70 degrees and/or it rains alot.

3 You have a basically stock car- because removing A/C does not add any power to the car.

4 Just because your R-12 has no charge-go get 134a

5 You think you will make money by selling the A/C you will not, one way or another you will probably lose money.

6 Especially if you dont have another car (beater, truck etc.) that has A/C

7 You ever plan to entertain a lady in you f-body on a hot evening


If anyone has anything different to add pease do.

 

amen. i think that pretty much sums it up.

 

Yes, convert to R134a. Then convert to the next refrigerant the government mandates, because R134a wont be around for much longer. This is assuming its even possible to convert to whatever new system supercedes the current one. When it comes to government and environmental policies, it seems like a viscous cycle I dont want to be involved in.

 

What's wrong with 134a?

Jason

 

I have R134a. It work great.

I took out the air in my 1970 Challenger w/modded 318. It really made the car faster due to the weight savings. I think that system weighted in at over 100lbs.

 

I am sure the R134a serves the purpose. I was wondering why the gov't doesn't like it anymore.

Jason

 

The gov doesnt like it because its an election year. While its better than r12 its still has a negative effect on the environment. I wouldnt worry about it going anywhere untill they find a suitable replacement with NO effect on the enviroment.

 

Well heck Carbon Dioxide "affects" the environment. I suppose they'll have to change how we breathe

 

Hey hey, quiet!! No need to give them ideas...

 

Carbon dioxide is actually good for the environment. Its know as a green exhaust emission because it is what plants "breath". Carbon monoxide, which is another exhaust emission, is deadly to humans. Amazing what 1 oxygen atom can do.

 

100 lbs = 1 tenth of a second. Don't ditch the AC. I used to think that was the thing to do when I was 16 then I grew up and realized how stupid that was. Unless you don't drive it on the street at all, leave the AC on the car.

Martin

 

100lbs was on a 1970 mopar, so the 1990 GM will probably be 1/2 the weight.

I wouldn't yank it, but then again, I have a 1970 Challenger and a 1971 Cuda for when I want to get hot and go fast.

 

Thats cool there are some other mopar people on the thridgen board. I have a 71 383 challenger and a 73 318 barracuda. What do ua have in your e bodies.

 

I guess you list is pretty complete. I will NEVER remove a functional AC system from a car again. Been there, done that, kicked myself everyday since!!!!

I say keep the AC unless its a full blown race, show car or "fun" car...

 

My 1970 Challenger was a slant-6 now a 360 R/T clone, white w/flat black hood and bumble be stripe. Not the prettiest but runs strong. Bought it a year ago.

My 1971 barracuda is a 318 like yours, someday to be a hemicuda. Had it for 6 years, just sitting and watching the price go up through the roof on these.

I've always seemed to have ebody mopars and thirdgen Fbody Pontiacs. I love the fbody for handling/road racing and the mopars for brute strength.

I guess we better get out of hear and get back over to moparchat.com before we get flamed to death.

 

I had a '70 Road Runner for years, but one day a guy just offered me more than I could ignore. He was from back east and couldn't believe the condition of the original paint. I hope he's happy. I bought a new 4th gen Z with it.

I removed the AC from my GTA because:
1) I hate the 4th gen because engine accessiblity SUCKS, and I want something to tinker with.
2) The GTA was front end wrecked when I got it, and the AC unit was smashed (even on the firewall)
3) I found an AC delete 4 cyl in the junkyard, scored the pts for $25.
4) I live near the coast, rarely above 80 degrees, never rains, life is wonderful if you can afford it.

HOWEVER:
I was amazed that, when getting all the junk out, it really didn't weigh but about 30 lbs. Very light!
You can also score a million AC setups in the junkyards, very common. AC delete is uncommon.
With the big back window, these things are HOT in hot weather. If you have t-tops, hotter stilllllllllll!!.

Troy
So Cal

 

YES they are HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!

Especially if yours is a nice dark red with a T-tops. I have never noticed the dark window tiniting helping to keep it cooler, actually I think it gets hotter quicker, that would make sense...

If you live in S. Fl. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT remover your AC unless sweating your shorts off is fun for you...

 

Rust free cali mopars is what I dream. I live in the rust belt and mopars just didnt seem to hold up well to the salt. Hopefully by the spring the body work on my cuda will be done and there will be a 340 between the fenders backed up by a 3 spd stick. My goal is to be able to beat people that have 6 spds with half the gears they have. lol

To stay relevant to this forum I removed the AC in my camaro and it didnt bother me too much this summer and NYC usually has bad summers. My car is dark metalic greay with a black interior, not the most friendly combo to keep cool in the summer.

Matt

 

340 6-Pack?

*hint hint*

 

I pulled my AC because it simply wouldn't hold a charge with either R-12 or R-134a. There was a leak somewhere, but I wasn't going to spend the money to fix it. I don't drive the car as much as I used to, anyway.

Probably the bigger reason was because of the V-belt arrangement. The compressor belt would flap around like crazy, and in one instance it eventually cut through my upper radiator hose. Any adjustments proved futile. I thought about switching to a serpentine setup, but that wouldn't look stock on an '86. AC delete for me.

I live in Pittsburgh, PA, so we see our fair share of warm (and humid) weather. My daily driver is a Jeep with no AC, so I guess I've gotten used to the heat.

 

well im glad this was posted....debating as we speak. i currently am running my stock 305 and my a/c blows cold! but the car runs like crap and shakes violently when its on. so my new 383 is on the way and i was debating on ridding myself of the ugliness and weight. but after reading this i might keep it. however, will my car run better with the new engine than it does now with the old engine when the a/c is on? i cant stand to use i because i htink im gonna blow up the car!!!

 

You might have a problem in your AC system. There is supposed to be a feature that increases idle speed when the AC is turned on. It sounds like that might not be working.

Also, with a 383, as long as you don't go nuts with the cam, it should have so much more low end power and flywheel effect that it will hardly notice your AC is on or off. Emphasis on SHOULD...

Good luck

Troy
So Cal

 

I have the same car as you, and live only 100 miles to the north. My car runs fine with the A/C on. When I bought the car in May, it had no A/C, but all it needed was the switch to R134a and a refill. One of the valves (looks like a tire valve) was bent and leaked so it needed to be replaced. Been running great all season. It's cold enough to cause my sun glasses to fog if I turn it off.

If your car is a frequent driver (or your only car), keep it. If it truely is a weekend warrior (like my Mopars), pull it. I have historical plates on both Mopars, so they are never going to be daily drivers. I have a Saturn for a daily driver but I still like to drive the GTA more than just weekends, so I keep the A/C.

 

Close. 360 6-Pack. That's what will be in my Challenger. Cost me over $2k for the intake setup because I went with all new parts - intake, carbs, linkage, air cleaner.

I have a 1971 360 - think 340 block w/stroker cam, but has the thicker cylinder walls because it's under-bored (Mopar switched to thin-wall 360's around '73 after all the old 340's were used up) - in my car now that runs very strong, but it has one of the best intake/4bbl carb setups you can get for the street.

When I switch intakes, I'll have a cooler looking setup, but it will be a b*t*h to tune, or so I've heard. We'll see.

 

My '71 cuda feels your pain. She needs both quarters and a lot more.

 

Troy,

I'm sure he's happy with it. His car is appreciating in value, your 4th gen is not. I went to the Mopar Nationals this August with parts I replaced off of my Challenger, and I couldn't believe what people were asking for this stuff. I couldn't bring myself to sell anything for fear that if I ever wanted it back, it would cost me twice as much. Same thing applies to your Road Runner. Original paint? priceless. How many people can say they have the original paint (in good shape) on a car 30 years old?

 

i only drive my car sometimes, actually lately ive drivin it everyday...just cant stand the fact its sitting going to waste. i hardly use the ac like i said mainly because i think my cars gonna blow up. if i cant find out why and know it wont do it with the new engine im defenitly keeping it.

anyone know why it would shake, almost completly drain may battery, and sound like its gonna blow up!?!?!??!!

 

the ac in mine pulls the engine down a little bit, but the performance of my car when its off is not very different... my compressor needs a good r'n'r because i think the bearings are bad or something cuz the compressor grinds like a ****... but only when its on... even though my car is a Vert, living in SoCal, i need my ac... and im moving to Phoenix, AZ soon to go to the Universal Technical Institute and boy am I EVER going to need my ac there...

 

I was actually talking about this yesterday with the guys as we were installing my new engine. The car is going to be a fun, nice weather car....
I've been contemplating removing the A/C for a while. I'm leaning more towards it. When my car was driveable I rarely used the A/C due to the power loss I felt..
Now with the new engine...my tall valve cover on the pass side is in contact with the black air box thing (whatever it's called). I'm not liking that, so I'm thinking about getting rid of it even moreso now. The car will never see rain or snow ever again....and she'll only come out on nice days or to go to the track.
So if I do end up removing it do I just need the A/C delete pulley and the non-A/C heater box and I'm good to go?

Thanks,
- Joel

 

im contemplating on to remove mine or not...theres nothing like the t-tops down and feeling the hot summer on a cruize....the ac shop said its full of r-12....ac compressor clicks on and off but cycles wierd...how ever air does not get cold...they said that the orfice tube might be clogged...and that the compressor is goin out


btw how do you guys switch to r-134a i was told inorder to switch you have to have a whole new system that r-12 and r-134a dont mix at all???

 

You don't have to change the whole system. All you need is R-134A, of course, R-134A compatible oil, orifice tube, and low and high pressure fittings. It's also a good idea to replace the receiver-drier and any O-rings or seals while your at it. Sometimes you have to replace the lines, but not always. You also have to completely discharge the system of R-12 and put a vacuum on the system (take it to an AC shop for that) for at least an hour. They should sell R-134A conversion kits at any parts store.

Yes, you are right. It's not a good idea to mix R-12 and R-134A. I can't tell you what would happen, but I do that know you shouldn't do it.

I should be honest though, I've never converted a 3rd gen AC system, so some of my info may be a tad off, but I have done it to some other vehicles.