But it's an hour job tops putting it back in if you leave the hoses entact.

I have nearly the same car, except '84 and 157k miles. I'm very close to pulling the trigger because my system, although serviceable, is not working well. If I were to be objective, I'd say I hate having all that clutter (and weight) in the car for something so useless to ME.

My car is more "middle aged" than yours, but like others said, are you protecting this car for future owners or is it YOUR car?

IF you want A/C, you're really looking at replacing the hoses with barrier hoses anyway, since they are the achilles heels in that system, as far as leakage anyway.

Read up on some of the A/C enhancement threads. Those guys are dropping thousands and replacing many of the parts anyway.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer and nobody can make this call for you (or me). We need to do the Ben Franklin approach and weigh the plusses and minuses and go with our own values.

If you're a real DIY'er and like to change plugs/belts, adjust valves, etc. then you're better really appreciate what the A/C does for you, because it's a real pain to work around.

I think I agree with the philosophy of pull it and save it. Don't leave the hoses in, either, because they are designed to leak! If anyone wants a working/functional/effective A/C those hoses will need replacing anyway.

edit: PS: I believe the weight and, more importantly, the location of the weight (furthest from Center of Gravity) is significant if you pull the compressor and front condensor and its protective cage/bar. And, if you ever try to access your steering shaft, the evaporator could NOT be more in the way. It's wholly evident to me that the Germans, who rarely use A/C, stuffed the components in there as a complete and total afterthought - also contibuting to the inherently poor efficiency.

Shop labor and all components for a 134a system in an A/C gutted 911 for a lot less than $4k???

You ain't gonna send your kids to Ivy league schools on the profits on that!!! Better think again....rear condensor and evaporator plus compressor alone... or wait clutch..... and....and....and barrier hose....

You're working for close to free buddy!

or is this salvage parts and moonlight labor????

There is no standard answer to your question c2 rower.

It comes down to: If you are selling any time soon, keep the A/C. If you are completely satisfied with the way your car currently performs, keep the A/C.

If, however, you are keeping the car "forever", or you are planning on eventually stripping a lot of weight off the car to improve cornering, acceleration, and thrill factor for the street and/or track, lose the A/C.

Once you decide what your long term uses are for the car, the correct answer will come to you.

Good luck.

Mike

My 1987 Carrera minus 400lbs. Au revoir A/C!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1151359939.gif

I still have my factory AC in my 3.2. It took me over 3 years to get it working properly.

I also keep the power windows, tri-amped Soundstream Rubicons, huge subwoofer, drink holder, sunvisors, full leather, power brakes, window defroster, heaters, factory bumpers, etc etc.

So it's not a track car, what else is new? I like it that way and both sides of my brain are happy.

I'm in the same situation so this is an interesting thread.

I really wish that mine was originally an a/c delete car!

Like it or not resale is always factor when modding a car. Joba, expenses, way of life can change overnight and he might have to sell the and not having a/c will hurt his chances of a quick sale.

I'd rather look at this any day of the week. Access to everything is so much easier. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1151372932.jpg

I think it's possible that we enthusiasts sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture, with regard to market value.

Most 911 buyers are new to 911's. And most people new to 911's see these cars as European exotics -- less of a stripped-down sports car and more of a rare, luxurious, high-performance supercar. A new buyer might typically be a guy who just came into a big bonus or an unexpected windfall. He'll spend a couple of weekends looking for a car to show his new level of success, and then he'll find one and buy it impulsively. No surprise, he'll expect options like electric windows, leather, a nice stere, etc. He might be thinking he's buying a car that will go 200 mph while blowing ice cold AC on the couple of full-size adults dozing off in the back seats.

Then he'll get in the car, and hear the wind noise from the windows, and smell the burned oil in the exhaust, and start to get a more realistic picture of just what a 911 is (and isn't). And then maybe he'll get punked in a few stoplight races by Hondas, or whatever. He'll put the car in the garage, maybe wax it again, and regroup.

It's at that point (hopefully) that guys will learn about Pelican, and the gospel of simplicity and light weight and well-focused engineering. At that point, he'll start cutting weight, stiffening up the suspension, and learning about the joys of really driving a beautifully-balanced and beautifully-designed sports car.

He'll embarrass a few of his Honda-owning friends at an autocross or DE.

But at that point, the car will be stiff, loud, with a lot of money in it on mods that most car buyers wouldn't be able to understand at all... in other words, just like we like 'em.

But at that point it will also really only worth top dollar to another fanatic from Pelican, or a similarly-experienced sports car enthusiast.

But on the bright side, there are more of us every day. ;)

Well stated Jack!

You should be a writer...

Mike

Gee Jack; If I remember correctly, you not only had AC on Black Beauty, but one of those huge underbody condensers as well.

I ditched my AC 20 years ago and I live in Texas. I've thought about getting one of the retrofit systems but WTH? When I give rides to the first timers that roar with the windows down adds to the fear factor. I gave a 24 year old a ride the other day. He had typically been in a fast Mustang/Camaro whatever. He said the ride was like a video game come to life. Difference being the violent sensation of accerleration sound and noise. Now if I had AC it just wouldn't be the same would it?

Jack 'Hemingway' Olsen. http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/clap.gif

The way I see it, it breaks down to 3 groups. 1. Rides around with a car that has AC that either never works, needs constant recharging to get any cold air, and when it is on, competes with wide open widows for cooling effect. 2. Removed it, deals with hot days when it occurs, but mostly forgot the car even had it to begin with. 3. Spent the extra $2000 and added weight to get the AC to function like a Camry. They can often be spotted with temperature guages jutting out of the vents.

If the SC had it as an option, what does that say about the Carrera system? AC in older 911's is never going to be as efficient as front engined car simply because the have to pipe all the cooling the whole length of the car and then back into the interior. Too many hoses, condensors, evaporators. I bought mine 7 years ago, it was a 1989 that was perfect. The AC system had just been recharged and I had the bill. I then spent the next two years constantly reading the owner's manual seeing if I was doing something incorrectly to get it to work. Finally gave up and it sat in my car unused for another 2 years. I finally removed it in 2 stages. The first was just the condensor. The next year when I rebuilt my engine, I pulled all the other hoses, condensors, and evaporators to finish. Now I have a rare AC delete Carrera.

I'm sure it doesn't help resale, but does having SSI's and straight exhaust help? What about a roll bar? 22/30 t bars? Every upgrade you do is going to add little to you investment. If your concerned, carefully remove it and keep it in a box somewhere. I had my stuff in a box for years until I got the energy to sell it on eBay and made nearly $1000 off it. It finally was worth something.

The question about removing the AC didn't include throwing away the parts. I would recomend replacing the lines and the reciever but all the hard parts, if properly stored, will be just fine for replacement, including the compressor. No one said anything about replacing the AC system, just reinstalling it. Trust me I almost never lose money on a job. I do however do free work for the greater end goal but......................
I removed my AC for the reasons origionally posted. I vac packed all the parts and can reinstall it (in working order) whenever I see fit.
I just don't see the problem.

I removed my entire AC system (except for the blower in the smugglers box) sold what I could and threw the rest in the trash. This was 4 years ago and really haven't given it much thought.

Hey Kurt - was just reading your post about the A/C.

Did you gut the evaporator and just leave the blower, or just leave the
evaporator in place and pull the lines?

PS: Do you have a new email address? I got an invalid address response from your Earthlink address.

Inspirational comments, Jack. Always good to read your posts. Just did my A/C delete this past weekend. Prior to removal, I debated should I, shouldn't I, on and on and then epiphany struck my b/t the eyes. Felt good. I don't care about resale and if I have to sell her for some unforeseen reason, I saved the removed components and will include them for the next owner. If it takes a dough ray me hit, so be it. Lighter is brighter.

87 Blk Coupe

Lowered, stiffer torsion bars, new HDs, turbo tie rods, corner balance, oh, what a slippery slope.

I think it is funny that two of the guys arguing loudest for keeping the car original have a '74 with a 3.0 and a '78 SC turbo!

I decided when I bought my car that I wasn't going to spend the extra $ every year or two to have the A/C maintained and have air that is barely cold blowing on me. I'd rather keep the engine/suspension/etc. in top shape. I fit into 89911's "2. Removed it, deals with hot days when it occurs, but mostly forgot the car even had it to begin with." category.

c2 rower, if you are on the fence, leave it in, but don't bother to keep charging it. If you are going to get serious about autox/DE, light weight is a beautiful thing.

I wouldn't remove a working AC system. I only removed mine because the hoses were shot. If and when I decide to replace the hoses, I'll put it all back in, but there's no point in leaving an inoperative system in the car because you're just carrying around dead weight and using engine power to run a compressor that has no use. It seems to me that non-existent AC wouldn't hurt the value any more than inoperative AC.