Frankenditioner DIY A/C Project....

EWPurdy · 07-14-2003, 05:02 PM

I'm going through the various options to update my 911SC A/C system and have a question for the assembled masses. I have a 911SC with carbs

and hence no room for a decklid condenser. I've talked to Griffiths and Performance Aire about their setups. Griffiths recommends their $2500 job including Dual Kuehl Condensers in the wheelwell. Performance Air would sell me their underbody condenser but said I really need 3 condensers to keep up with my South Texas climate.

After looking high and low on the net, I found the following products and was curious what you all thought. The first is a dual condenser with fan and sells for $249. The second is a similar unit with a single condenser for $161. I'm leaning toward the larger one provided I can squeeze it into a wheelwell.

Any thoughts? Is 21,000 BTU overkill?

Thanks

scottb · 07-14-2003, 05:23 PM

They're interesting, to say the least. Where do you propose mounting them?

I'm in the process of putting a fan/condenser unit into the front left fender of my car. It's about 18x8x4, and though I think it's going to fit just fine, it's going to be a tight fit with a rock guard in place. I can't imagine something 16x12 (give or take) would fit up there, especially when you put some sort of rock guard on it.

Can you provide a web address so we can get more info on the condensers? Tell us more about what you're thinking of doing.

EWPurdy · 07-14-2003, 05:38 PM

Right now I'm still in the planning phase but didn't care for the PRICES the experts were quoting. I found these at:

www.danhard.com

Maybe I should just "GO FOR IT"! and mount one of these on the roof?

EWPurdy · 07-14-2003, 05:41 PM

BTW - Where did you get your condenser and what was the price???

masraum · 07-14-2003, 05:53 PM

The dual unit sounds interesting. Griffiths puts theirs in the driver's side behind the rear wheel. there is a fair amount of room there. I think the a key point would be to keep the catalytic converter heat away from it. I have looked at some of the Griffiths stuff and while they look good, they seem really expensive.

scottb · 06:01 PM

Keep in mind that you'll have to add the cost a hose to what you're paying for the fan/condenser. I bought my condenser/fan assembly from www.iceac.com. I paid $295 for it, which included the condenser, the fan, a hose, and some bracketry. Bob is the contact there. Once you remove the washer bottle and vapor recovery tank, the condenser/fan assembly fits pretty nicely in the front left fenderwell, though I'm having to fabricate some of my own brackets. (It's definitely not a "turn key" installation.) The units on the Danhard page are VERY impressive, but I'm worried about them fitting. Maybe Danhard can make up a custom unit that's a bit smaller. Spal makes a variety of smaller fans. Click here (http://www.spal-usa.com/html/dampframe.htm) and then go to fans.

You might considering getting a block of styrofoam and cutting it to approximate the size of the two condensers. Then, pull the front tire and play around a bit to see if you can make either of them fit. I think it's going to be a challenge, unfortunately.

Steve is right...the rear left fenderwell does have a bunch of room, but the catalytic converter and exhaust are right there. So, though you'll have a great deal of condenser surface to eject the heat, the condenser will be operating in a really hot area, especially in traffic where there's no airflow over the exhaust system. It's for that reason that I opted not to buy the Griffiths part, and instead went with the one up front.

Keep us posted.

EWPurdy · 07-14-2003, 05:59 PM

I just measured back there (rear WW). It would be a very interesting fit IF it worked. Looks to be too tight though.

--- Luckily for me, I have no cat.

jtratza · 07-14-2003, 07:42 PM

I live in Houston. Nothing is overkill when it comes to AC down here. Too bad I have a Targa 'cause the roof top unit would be perfect for summer driving. Maybe it could be made into a duck tail configuration?

masraum · 07-14-2003, 08:11 PM

Hey, awesome, I commute in Houston everyday. My AC has needed a charge for two years. Two summers ago I got laid off, no fixing it then, last summer I had just gotten a job back, so no extra expenditures then either. This summer so far I have been fine, I never really sit in traffic in the morning, so windows down is fine, and then in the afternoon I miss the traffic again and go topless. I do plan on fixing it though, probably this winter.

My current thoughts are to go with the underbody condensor from Performance Aire. So far it seems like the best option.

Kemo · 07-15-2003, 04:53 AM

Eric,

I saw a really trick setup from a guy here in Dallas that upgraded his SC to a C2 or 993 condenser in the driver side front fender well. I beleive that was his only condenser and he really liked the performance. I beleive his name is Ken, but I am not exactly sure about that. Hopefully, he will chime in and give some details. He removed his rear condenser because he was utilizing a fully functioning C2 decklid.