My refrigerant is low and the clutch pulley is smoked. I am currently in the middle of a complete motor and rear swap, as well as an auto/manual conversion. I’d like to delay hooking up the A/C for now and place that on the back burner. For the pump and hoses I imagine a bag or cap plugs to to the ID or OD will be fine. For the open ends on the car is there a good way to seal these to maintain the integrity while I delay on the A/C? I want a good seal from contaminants.

 

You can remove the ENTIRE system, INTACT, if you go about it the right way.

In fact I'm pretty sure that's how these cars were built. The systems were assembled and charged at the Harrison plant, shipped to Norwood or Van Nuys, and installed into cars, INTACT.

Take out the compressor, lines, condenser, evaporator including the housing and blower motor, and dryer AS A UNIT without breaking it open, and set it aside while doing whatever all else you plan on.

 

What the value in removing it all intact? The connections are all threaded. The system need to be evacuated to put new refrigerant in anyway. Pumps setting on the warehouse floors are not hermitically sealed. I do see value keeping the vehicle side sealed. Is there caps available? Is this AN style? I have not looked yet.

 

Originally an 86 Z28 carbed car...

 

 

The value in removing intact is, it remains ... INTACT.

THIMK of yourself as one of those charged with designing a "car" to be assembled of "modules" built ... wherever. Seats, engines, wiring harnesses, wheel/tire things, suspensions, ... and ... AIR CONDITIONERS. All of those modules has to be built, and then be assembled into "cars"; and those 2 things don't happen in the same place at the same time. If you were required to build one of these "air conditioner" things at Harrison [whatever state that's in] and ship some to Van Nuys CA (in the Valley ... remember Valley Girls? THAT valley ... just north of LA) and the other to Norwood OH (a near suburb of Cincinnati) there to be assembled into these mystical units called "cars", but (go visit an assembly plant sometime) the workers had 23 seconds to put this in, then the next car came along and they put the same It into that one in 23 seconds (or whatever the takt time https://www.google.com/search?q=takt+time happened to be that day), and the next and the next and the next and ... for their entire CAREER ... or look at it the other way, you're the poor schlepp that has to put a [whatever] into "cars" as they roll down the line every 23 seconds, how much can you really do in 23 seconds? Can you assemble an entire AC system in 23 seconds? Can you evacuate the system in 23 seconds? Can you verify it's leak free in 23 seconds? Can you wait for an hour for the volatiles inside the system to evaporate under vacuum, in 23 seconds? Can you then fill it with refrigerant in 23 seconds? Let's get REAL here: can you assemble even ONE of those fittings in 23 seconds? ... neither can I. But THAT'S how a production line works. 23 seconds, or 19 seconds, or 21.6 seconds, or WHATEVER the "ties" decide for that day. So, in the mythical land of Harrison, they built AC assemblies to their own takt time, which might have included a step where they sat in some kind of "burn-in" for 24 or 36 or 48 hrs or something somewhere in the middle of the process, maybe a couple of times, and THEN shipped them to vehicle assy plants to be installed into vehicles, in ... 23 seconds EACH.

Go visit a vehicle assembly plant sometime, and pay PARTICULAR attention to the specific assemblies as they are assembled into a "car" as the "car" oozes down the production line. It's an AMAZINGLY instructive experience for someone who has no experience in that kind of mfg environment. IMO every hot-rodder oughtta do it at least once, because THEN AND ONLY THEN will one understand how the car is put together in a modular fashion, and where the boundaries are between modules, and therefore WHERE THE CAR COMES BACK APART at need. I strongly recommend the Vette plant in Bowling Green (KY), although I haven't been there in 30 yrs or more; not least because if you're gonna watch cars being built, would you rather watch minivans? Camrys (Georgetown KY)? Jeeps (Belvidere IL)? or Corvettes? You could spend acoupla days in KY and go to BG and Georgetown both, and see different approaches to the same end, just a 2 hr drive apart... BG has subassys shipped in and assembled, whereas at Georgetown, sheet metal rolls in a door at one end, and cars roll out another door at the other end. Regardless, go LEARN how a "car" is put together, ANY car of ANY kind from ANY mfr in ANY plant ANYWHERE (there's probably one within an hour or 2 drive of wherever you are), and it will serve you well when it comes your time to "rebuild" one. I've seen assembly plants all over the world; many in the US, in Japan, in Korea. They're not all that much different really. Belvidere is like 30 minutes AT MOST from Beloit. Probably only 15 or so in a rental car.

If they put the sub-assemblies INTO the "car" in 23 seconds, then YOU can take them RIGHT BACK OUT in ... just about ... 23 seconds. And put it RIGHT BACK IN in ... more or less ... 23 seconds. Cleanup & prep time notwithstanding. Wouldn't you like to learn how to do that? Don't you think it would help you in your "hobby"?

 

Do you know what happens when you assume?

Does anyone know the fitting specification used for the end of these lines in 86?

 

It's an O-ring fitting. Right-hand thread. Not sure what you mean by "specification".

 

Thanks. I’ll crack it and see if can match it to a spec.

By specification I meant inverted flare, AN, SAE J2044 etc. I don't believe its any of the ones I mention. However If I knew the spec I could find some fitting and fab a seal. I have a few ideas on how to seal this good. Thanks for walking through it.

 

It's an O-ring fitting. Not sure the size. Not sure there's any sort of cap or the like for it.

I usually use a rubber stopper.

 

I’ll open this one back up, more
on the same issue.

I wanted to remove the compressor to get it out of the way. The reason is I cannot get all the brackets to line up well with headers. Can some one please send a pic showing head, header, spacer, alt bracket, and compressor bracket? I want to see if I got mine right. Seems the stud should be longer. I don't know. Tried a few different scenarios messed with the hole in the bracket too (mistake...). I am partly thinking the after market heads may have the spacing off a bit but I really don’t know.



Bracket in question...

Also if someone has another bracket they’d sell let me know.

 

 

The pic helps a ton.

Do you know the distance from the head to the back pf the P/S bracket? (Blue)

I cannot find or dont recall removing a stud with the open end as long as you show (yellow). That is exactly one of my issues. I could make something with threaded rod. Would rather have the better grade bolt though. Thoughts?

 

The spacer plus the header flange = the thickness of the manifold. Measure your old manifold; measure your header flange, subtract; that's how long the spacer is.

That stud is simply the OE exh manifold hardware. You can probably get one off of any early/mid-80s SBC in the junkyard.

You'll need a similar thing for the rearward leg of the AC bracket; other side of the same header tube. Didn't show up in those photos.

 

Thats exactly what I did. Its not lining up correctly. That’s why I elongated the hole on the left side. So factory was manifold, washer(?), thickness of nut on stud, P/S bracket, compressor bracket?

I need to mess with it again and see what the issues were. I think the P/S bracket and compressor bracket archs were off. Again, I need to verify, I had to walk away for a bit.

has any notices issues with aftermarket heads and the spacing? I plan to take measurements from the 305 as well.

 

Aftermarket heads shouldn't matter. Bolt holes and exhaust flange of the head are in the same place.

Your bracket looks like it's already been modified. This makes no sense to me. Not sure what's going on there. :shrug: Might want to see if you can put your hands on an unmodified bracket. Mine didn't need modification.

 

I modified it. I tried snugging it in the original location. It not even come close. Definitely getting a new bracket. Need to investigate this further.

 

 

The previous post kept deleting so reference the pics above for this post.

Pic1
the front bracket is mounted to the head and is snug. I locates off three bolts and has a pilot to locate the compressor bracket.

Pic 2 & 3
Shows compressor bracket when piloted onto front bracket. Compressor bracket is roughly parallel to head and bolt in these pics.

Pic 4
Shows the reason the hole is elongated. I need a new bracket and to find the real issue.

This is why I question the heads. Forget about the spacer for header vs. manifold. Something else is off.

 

Yeah you may have some of those heads where the exh flange is moved upwards on the head. Some aftermarket heads do that; can't tell you much about the details like which ones, how much, etc. But elongating that front hole like you did isn't too big of a deal. That part should be fine.

The way the header tube routes however, IS a big deal. There's NO WAY IN HELL the stock bracket is gonna go in there. No way no how. It would have to go RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE of that primary. If that tube came more straight out for a bit and THEN made that turn, like mine did, you'd have a chance; but the way that tube is routed in yours, ... you're fornicated. You're gonna have to get a bit more creative about the rearward mount for that bracket. I seriously doubt there's anything pre-fabbed on the market; you're just gonna have to exercise your hot-rodder ingenuity. That's the difference between "building" and "buying".

 

I really thought it was the heads - Dang. This is the reason I was going to pull the compressor. I wanted to put a new one on before I hook up the A/C anyway, or rebuild this one. I would rather fix the issue now though and be done with this item.

There are several problems with the slotted bracket. The arches aren’t right . Even if they were, the slotted area of the bracket has a bend so the mounting is not planer. I’d be asking for trouble going this route.

Is there any factor serpentine set-ups that mount the the face of the block? Maybe one I can get from a junk yard? I thought there was one.

 

Hooker had me cut the back part off. I struggled with that. Seems by having just one is a lot of load on aluminum for threads. This is
my first set of aluminum heads. Not sure how robust the threads are.

 

Yeah I wouldn't trust it on just one bolt. It'll trash lots of stuff. Best to maybe make a leg for that bracket that goes to the next header bolt back, I think.

 

Thoughts on the 4.3 Vortec Serpentine swap from a blazer or Jimmy? What years work? Do they completely bolt to the front?

 

done that.

yes they bolt to the heads

yes it's a little more involved than just swapping brackets, from an '87: new WP, new alternator, new ps pump..the old stuff won't bolt in.

there's even a different bracket that goes to that same header bolt. AND a bracket to the right side header, IM at water neck and left front IM to head bolt.

can't answer on the AC compressor. I switched to a Sanden with my swap.

 

Geez Sofakingdom, I get the sub assembly thing and have visited the BG Corvette plant, the Ford Rouge Plant and the old GM/Toyota Freemont Ca plant. However I have no where near the manufacturing experience you seem to have!

However, it seems it would be ungainly trying to install a complete, charged , AC system in a vehicle! Did they actually do this?

I'd like to see you start a "Sticky" Thread, with stories about your manufacturing experiences! My FAVORITE column, in "Hemmings Classis Car" magazine, is "I Was There", it is a 1 1/2 page article written by folks in the auto manufacturing business.

 

PS, the more I think about it, I do not recall seeing AC systems getting charged at the end of the assembly process! I had not thought about that, till today!

 

Tons of system are put on whole and integrated in to the build process. It removes the on line evac, fill, test, potential leak failure assessments. Helps assembly line through-put and vehicle systems long term reliability tremendously. The serviceability aspects built into the system is just that. Serviceability. Its not lucrative for the dealer or the customer to tear the entire car apart.