AC upgrade/overhaul-it's done and works!!
 

I can't believe it but it appears I'm done.I still have to tweek how much refrigerant to use ( I added 3 cans ) of HC12A,the place I bought the refrigerant said it should take 2 1/2 cans so I may be a little over but it's blowing nice and cold.Thanks to everyone that gave advice or coached me along it's really appreciated.

Can you give details of what you did? Did you add a condensor?

I removed everything,that includes rear engine condensor,all hoses,receiver drier and the evaporator assy in the smugglers box.I then added a huge underbelly condensor I bought off Ebay,a fan assisted condensor in the drivers side rear quarter panel,a new receiver drier and a new expansion valve on the evaporator.I kept the OEM front condensor with fan so I have 2 condensors with fans and the underbelly.I had new barrier hoses made locally and used HC12A refrigerant in place of R12 and kept mineral oil as my oil.The previous owner had already added a Sanden # 507 compressor so I was good there.Now it's just a matter of tweaking the amount of refrigerant for optimal results,I'll wait for our hot weather to set in to do the tweaking.This has been a tough yet rewarding DIY project.The only "special" tools you need to do this is a vacuum pump and the charging hose setup but you need lots of patience.There were many times I thought what have I gotten myself into but with the help of this board I got thru it.I haven't added up all my receipts yet but I am guessing my total for the project is about $1000.00.

Glad to hear things worked out.

What is the temp down there now? Where did you get thet HC12A?

It was rainy and only 70 today,I purchased the HC12A from Fox Tool + Supply in Tenn.

I've been intending on installing HC12a too. The directions say to draw a vacuum in order to insert the refridgerant into the system. Can you explain the procedure? Thanks.

Anthony if you are changing refrigerant type you should replace the receiver drier.Once that is done you have to hook up a vacuum pump,I purchased mine on Ebay for $71.00.You also need a charging manifold/gauges,I purchased those off Ebay also for $25.00.You hook up the manifold on mine there are 3 hoses,the red is the high side the blue is the low side and the white goes to the vacuum pump and then to fill the refrigerant after vacuum is complete.I let the pump go for over an hour to try and make sure I boiled off all the moisture that was in the system from being "open" for several months.After that is done you close all the valves,disconnect the pump from the white hose and attach your filling hose adapter.You open the can tap then slowly open the white hose fitting at the manifold,this bleads out any air then you close up the fitting,open the low side valve of the manifold and you can hear the gas being sucked into the system.On my car it sucked in 1 can,I then added a 2nd can and it sucked in about 1/2 of that can,I then started the car and turned on the AC,this pulled in the balance of the 2nd can and then I added the 3rd can.It sounds complicated but if you do some research it's not bad,I knew very little about AC before starting this project and now I feel like I know this system inside and out.

Thanks for the info! I've read almost every topic on Pelican and lots of different web sites and am getting well versed in A/C systems. I picked up a Sanden compressor and the HC12a on ebay. I also got the manifold gauges and the cheapie Harbor Freight vacuum pump that others have used. It just wasn't clear how to use it until now. Thanks!

If you have any questions while you are doing your install feel free to PM me,I'll help if I can.