airconditioning condenser placement

[mikedsilva]

I have a SC that has been widebodied and "Ruf'd".. Pic attached.
The aircon compressor has been removed.
Engine bay now has 3.2 manifolds and an aftermarket intercooler.

All all hoses, evap etc are still in the car.

Trying to understand which is the better way to go for airconditioning since I live in a climate that mimics the surface of the sun.

Has anyone used the vents in front of the rear wheels, to place aircon condensors?

Electric or Traditional?
Electric - seems there are just as many people unhappy with the cooling as there are happy people. And the price is now eye watering. Not to mention I would need an alternator as well.

Traditional:
With my intercooler, I lose the ability for a condensor in the tail.. could smaller condensers with fans be used on my rear side air intakes and maybe upgrading the front one in the floor too? I still have the compressor (upgraded) and brackets etc.. not sure how they might interfere with the 3.2 manifold if at all..

Surely it wouldnt cost $13-$14k usd to have something fitted? ie it would be much cheaper than electric?

[GH85Carrera]

I suspect if you research the cooling capacity of HOT weather of the electric system, it will not handle a heat soaked car on a hot day. The factory had a condenser in the front and in the engine compartment. The real issue with the original AC was lack of condenser capability.

I like in Oklahoma, and we often have multiple days of 100F.

If you have room to put the condenser back in place, get some condensers for the left rear fender. I have the Griffith's Mr. Ice setup. It simply works in the worst heat. 100+ with the sun shining on my chest, and I was almost cold from the AC.

[A930Rocket]

No idea, but holy ****, that electric AC system is expensive!

Isn’t it Griffiths that has the AC condenser located in the rear fender wells or on the belly pan?

[FA-18C]

Mike - I simply don’t want all the AC crap in the engine bay. Planning on electric, assume that price is Aussie conversion. I think I will be about 7k us all in with 2 condensers and alternator.

[RobertDurff]

I'm in the middle of a rebuild of a simpler non-turbo 911. I live in Palm Springs, which is also quite toasty in the summer. For what it's worth, I'm planning to go the electric route. If you poke around their website, there's an option for a twin-condenser setup, one in the front left wheel well and another in one of the rear wheel wells (none in the engine bay). This is what I'm going with. It's expensive, but not terribly more than retrofitting a traditional system to my non-A/C car.

Cheers,
Robert

Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk

[Uwon]

The 993/964 condenser fitted in the front fender is an alternative the eliminates the rear deck unit and works very well. I did this mod back in about 2000 in my daily 911 driving in +30C temperatures in Toronto and adopted this same mod into my RST combined with the larger evaporator from Griffiths. Can’t complain about the efficiency nor the cost of the mods. You can browse pages 6 and 16 of my build thread for more details by clicking the first link below.
Cheers,
Johan

[mikedsilva]

Originally Posted by FA-18C

Mike - I simply don’t want all the AC crap in the engine bay. Planning on electric, assume that price is Aussie conversion. I think I will be about 7k us all in with 2 condensers and alternator.

hi
no, that pricing is in USD direct from the electrofit website...

https://www.classicretrofit.com/collections/electric-air-conditioning/products/electric-air-conditioning-for-classic-911-dual-condenser-1

[mikedsilva]

Originally Posted by Uwon

The 993/964 condenser fitted in the front fender is an alternative the eliminates the rear deck unit and works very well. I did this mod back in about 2000 in my daily 911 driving in +30C temperatures in Toronto and adopted this same mod into my RST combined with the larger evaporator from Griffiths. Can’t complain about the efficiency nor the cost of the mods. You can browse pages 6 and 16 of my build thread for more details by clicking the first link below.
Cheers,
Johan

ok.. will search for it ...
edit - great thread.

So you are only using the front underbody condenser and a single 993 condenser in the front left fender? And with your griffith evaporator inside the stock box, your system works pretty well?
Interesting!

[FA-18C]

Mike, odd, dual condenser system shows $5500ish US when I look at the cart…

[mikedsilva]

In the above screen shot, you can see I have selected usd....

[mikedsilva]

and below if I use a VPN to make it think im in the usa...

[mikedsilva]

Originally Posted by FA-18C

Mike, odd, dual condenser system shows $5500ish US when I look at the cart…

still not sure how youre seeing 5500?

[FA-18C]

[FA-18C]

Mike, maybe you had 2 in the cart above? Still $$$ but less than 6k, my plan is to do 2 condensers, but will keep the belly condenser as 1…

[SpyderMike]

I am using the stock front condenser, the CR one in the front fender, the CR compressor, and Griffiths Evaporator and Hurricane fan and the system works fine

[mikedsilva]

Originally Posted by FA-18C

Mike, maybe you had 2 in the cart above? Still $$$ but less than 6k, my plan is to do 2 condensers, but will keep the belly condenser as 1…

no
I had nothing in my cart.. this was the pricing showing on the product screen.

Now, using a VPN in usa, when I open the site, it shows $5583 for a split second, then reverts to $7002.

I'm guessing that your screen shot of 5583 is actually in GBP?

[ccallana]

Mine show 7002 when USD is selected.... Plus the cost of the upgraded Alternator (1200).... Price is the main reason I am not going this route.

Although with the upcoming heating option, may have to reconsider

[FA-18C]

US, no idea on shipping. Waiting to see the new system this summer

[mikedsilva]

Originally Posted by FA-18C

US, no idea on shipping. Waiting to see the new system this summer

The reason i asked is that 5583 is the price in GBP ...

Either way, it seems that either i dont know how to use a computer anymore, or Classic Retrofit engages in geo pricing- adjusting prices depending on location... and maybe they think over here in Australia we are twice as wealthy as the rest of the world...

[mikedsilva]

Originally Posted by ccallana

Mine show 7002 when USD is selected.... Plus the cost of the upgraded Alternator (1200).... Price is the main reason I am not going this route.

Although with the upcoming heating option, may have to reconsider

Which option would you go if not electric?

I may have to use 'normal" parts if I have to pay the Australia tax.
It's still interesting that you see 7002 and my VPN sees 7019... I know it's a small difference, I just don't understand it. Still... much better that the price I was seeing earlier.