Remove Ac-what Did You Do???

[poorsha]

I am in the process of removing the AC from my recently aquired 78SC.
I have removed everything from the engine compartment, the hoses to the front and 90% of the stuff from the luggage compartment.
What did you do with the holes left from removing the brackets that held the hoses in place?What did you do with the wiring?
Thanks in advance.

[rbuswell]

I've followed the threads of other Pelicans who have done this. I bet you'll find some good ones with a search on "Remove A/C" or something like that. I haven't pulled the trigger myself. Sounds like you're through the worst of it, though.

Others have put the original bracket screws back in where they came out with a generous dab of silicone (bathtub style?) to prevent leaks ... kind of like breadcrumbs. That way they can follow the trail and go back and re-install the A/C if they so choose. No clue on the wiring.

[javadog]

You have several options, according to what you are trying to achieve. You can leave the holes open, as some have done; you can plug the holes with rubber or plastic plugs available everywhere; you can plug the holes with metal patches.

As for the wiring, you can leave it or pull it, depending on you goals. It can be a bit tedious to remove but it is possible.

JR

[NoLift911]

If you are going to remove - remove all of it - it all adds up. On my car it is like it never existed, every nut, bolt, washer, clamp and every bit of wiring throughout the entire car removed. For the large holes I welded in patches, sealed with seam sealer and repainted. Virtually undetectable when complete.

[poorsha]

Thnaks for the replies.
nolift911:
I am looking for the same reults you have done. No sign of AC.
So what did you do with the holes underneath?

[KFC911]

I used JB weld for the small holes underneath (virtually undetectable w/ my color of paint), and fashioned a metal plate for the holes vacated by the condensor fan in front and in the passenger footwell. Looks fantastic if I do say so myself .

[NoLift911]

Originally Posted by poorsha

Thnaks for the replies.
nolift911:
I am looking for the same reults you have done. No sign of AC.
So what did you do with the holes underneath?

Screw holes for the hoses? I cleaned them up and hit them with a TIG to seal them (MIG does not work too well) - more seam sealer and then paint and then undercoat. Tedious but did it over a winter.

JB Weld would work for those too in case of no welder.

[burgermeister]

For the screw holes on the underbody, I peeled the neoprene washers off the brackets (could also buy new ones at the hardware store) and put the screws back on with said washers to seal the holes. I thought it important that AC can be easily re-installed if I (or someone else) should decide to do so, plus it seemed like less work than any other method except leaving the holes open. I doubt the extra 3/4 oz of weight slows my commuting time significantly...

I still have the rear condenser and the evaporator / fan in the smugglers box, as well as the driver side front-rear hose stuffed under the sill panel .. someday I will remove said panel and take that hose out, and maybe the remaining bits will follow eventually.

Pretty much, I've been removing stuff as it gets in the way of repairs / maintenance, and adding it to the box in the attic.

I recently removed the drier - turned out to be my hissing leak. Actually corroded through the sidewall of the aluminum - some gunk stuck behind it appears to have been the culprit...

[poorsha]

Thanks again to all.
Looks like JB Weld for me as I have no welder (nor do I know how to use one even if I did).
The rest of the crap is coming off this weekend (along with the rear seats and anything else I can find that won't be missed).
Cheers.

[Gunter]

While your'e at it, remove the expansion tank and washer fluid tank under the left fender and check for corrosion. (Fender wall to battery area)
That's a favorite area for rust to start because the 2 tanks are in the way of cleaning, lots of dirt there!
Also, the battery tray area is suspect for rusting.
Enjoy.

[poorsha]

Thanks Gunter.
Did you find the hood you were looking for?

[Gene Wilkes]

POR paste is an excellent filler!

[frankc]

Don't forget that at least for 77+ cars with a center vent, once you remove the AC, the center and side dash vents do nothing. You can't direct fresh air to them as they are dedicated to AC air only. I'm not sure if this setup changed in the later years.

I did the first part of removing all the AC components described above several years ago. Now I'm in the process of acquiring all the plumbing pieces necessary to convert my ventilation system back to a non-AC system so those dash vents actually function. I will take pictures and post a write-up of the procedure.

Frank

[poorsha]

Frank, thanks for the heads up.
I look forward to seeing your posting and especially some pics.
Perhaps I should have checked the site before I did a hack job on the hoses.

Free AC hoses (some assembly required):

[burgermeister]

Originally Posted by frankc

Don't forget that at least for 77+ cars with a center vent, once you remove the AC, the center and side dash vents do nothing. You can't direct fresh air to them as they are dedicated to AC air only. I'm not sure if this setup changed in the later years.
Frank

On my 88, the side vents blow heat (quite a bit of it, too ...). There is a hose from the footwell blowers (which no longer work) to the vent, and it looks original, not cobbled.

[Rot 911]

The '86 and on Carreras do indeed blow heat out the side vents.

[Don Ivey]

Is it possible to remove the compressor and somehow cap the hoses going to it, in order to save the Freon in the system. I need to repair the seals in the compressor and don't want to waste what freon is left. Thanks,

Don Ivey
'87 Carrera

[KFC911]

I couldn't even find an A/C shop that would "recapture" mine (I was trying to do the right thing) when I removed mine. Upon disconnecting, there was barely a Pfft...(i.e. not much left in there). That's probably your only option though (assuming you have all 3lbs or so).

[rbuswell]

Originally Posted by poorsha

I look forward to seeing your posting and especially some pics.

+1. I've looked in old USA and Euro PETs and other source and have yet to see any non-A/C vents to direct outside air directly to the center dash vent. If it exists, this would be the ideal conversion for an A/C delete project.

[frankc]

Originally Posted by rbuswell

+1. I've looked in old USA and Euro PETs and other source and have yet to see any non-A/C vents to direct outside air directly to the center dash vent. If it exists, this would be the ideal conversion for an A/C delete project.

I've researched this quite a bit myself. If you look at the PET for a 77, there are two ventilation systems listed. The picture below is for "ventilation heating system 2" which is a non-AC system.



The important parts needed in order to get the center and side vents functioning are #'s 18, 19 & 20. Note that there is a typo on the diagram in that it shows two 18's when one should be 19 (simply the Right side of 18). The reason you need new control boxes (18&19) is because if you look closely, you will notice there is a small duct coming off the main defrost duct on top. This small duct feeds the side vent and is non-existent in the AC version of the control boxes. Here is a closer picture of the control box with the extra duct:



Now we all probably know by now that these control boxes are NLA, and the superseded part is very expensive (I think it was something absurd like $400 each last I checked). The truth is, all that is really needed is the plastic manifold from a non-AC car which clips to the top of the control box, not the whole control box, but the part is not sold separately. I was lucky and found someone willing to sell me just two outlet manifolds for a good price. So all I need to do is swap them out with the single outlet ones on my existing control boxes and run some vent tubing to the side vents.

Part #20 is ridiculously priced from the dealer as well for just a piece of plastic, so it is best to pick one up used someplace.

Here are some part numbers:

#18: 911 571 049 01 control box (L)
#19: 911 571 050 01 control box (R)
#20: 911 571 039 00 distributing piece


Below is the 77 AC ventilation system. For comparison, the part numbers for AC versions of the control boxes (parts 4 & 5) end in 02. Note how the small duct is missing from these boxes. Part #6 is the manifold from the AC which goes directly to the center and side vents.

I believe the superseded boxes end in 07 (from SC/Carrera). btw, don't pay any attention to the parts on the lower half of this diagram. I'm not sure what they are for and they are even not listed in the PET (perhaps for the gas heater???).




Hopefully this helps.

Frank