'87 911 A/C Upgrade - "Progress"

[CBRacerX]

So while my car was down for some other projects, I took the plunge and decided to get the AC going again. The original AC worked "OK", but when I put the 3.6 in the car it was set aside. I do need it for comfort - this is my summer street car after all.

So I looked a the options and purchased Rennaire parts to perform the conversion. I will be mixing in at least one Griffiths item - the extra center vent to replace the bow tie, and perhaps others (read on).

I went with the Procooler approach, desert duty front condenser and barrier hose, etc. My install has a few wrinkles:

-RSR 3.8 tail (Getty Design) with no provision to mount a condenser
-964 Case and AC Compressor mount with Varioram intake

So first, the easy stuff - replaced the front condenser, removed the old AC lines. Removed the evaporator unit and installed the new evaporator, then wrapped it up with the foil and foam insulation (that was "fun"). Installed the new expansion valve.




Say what you will about this part from 1987, they didn't seem to go cheap! This is a complicated bit of plumbing.




Of course, it was a very clogged up bit of plumbing as well, at least as far as airflow goes...




The new unit looks a lot simpler!




Starting to wrap the present. This was tedious.




Made seals for the bottom of the box from hardware store stuff

[CBRacerX]

After installing the valve it got wrapped up too.



One I got the box back in the smuggler's compartment, I resealed the intake with the fan resistors.



Rennaire included sealing material in their kit.



Back where it came from.



Obligatory shots of the upgraded unit installed. This was a tight fit but not too bad to reinstall. Working from inside the car to guide the drain tube really helped.



The barrier hoses are installed. I chose to start with getting these on properly then securing them underneath.

[CBRacerX]

So now the more interesting part. I have two "projects" that need to be done to complete the AC upgrade, excluding the usual excitement of recharging.

The rear condenser from my stock system needs to me mounted inside the RSR tail. Has anyone done this? I'll need to fasten some, well, fasteners inside the tail to hang the condenser on - any good suggestions on adhesives for this other than Marine Tex?

The compressor is a significant issue. I have a 993 compressor, and the factory hoses that attach to that unit. I was thinking of buying a crimper (unless I can lease one from a Pelicanite) and attaching the new hoses I have to these fittings (cut them carefully from the factory hose). This is a good solution to give me factory evac/recharging ports (one is on the hose, one on the compressor itself. The only challenges seem to be the crimping and the routing of the line from the compressor to the decklid condenser.

[geoz]

subscribed.

btw, what is the black goo around the valve? i have that, too, and feel very tempted to try & peel it off.

also, do you think insulating the evaporator box helps? mine is open, either because a PO messed with it or it is generally that way in RHD cars. unfortunately I have not been able to find anyone to help me out on that.

[CBRacerX]

Originally Posted by geoz

subscribed.

btw, what is the black goo around the valve? i have that, too, and feel very tempted to try & peel it off.

also, do you think insulating the evaporator box helps? mine is open, either because a PO messed with it or it is generally that way in RHD cars. unfortunately I have not been able to find anyone to help me out on that.

Do not peel off the goo - it is needed!

I cannot imagine insulating the box will hurt things, and compared the rest of this it is the cheapest thing you can do, other than removing the bow tie vent.

[CBRacerX]

A bump for the Monday crowd - here are my questions:

1. The rear condenser from my stock system needs to me mounted inside the RSR tail. Has anyone done this? I'll need to fasten some, well, fasteners inside the tail to hang the condenser on - any good suggestions on adhesives for this other than Marine Tex?

2. I have a 993 compressor, and the factory hoses that attach to that unit. I was thinking of buying a crimper (unless I can lease one from a Pelicanite) and attaching the new hoses I have to these fittings (cut them carefully from the factory hose). This is a good solution to give me factory evac/recharging ports (one is on the hose, one on the compressor itself. The only challenges seem to be the crimping and the routing of the line from the compressor to the decklid condenser.

[Tigerrat]

That black stuff is called Prestite, a sticky tar tape. I think you will find the crimp tools kinda pricey. When I added a condenser and new compressor I ran all the hoses, had the connectors and then took the car to a small AC shop to get the hoses cut and crimped. Less than $100. Then I came home and used my vacuum pump and stuff to vacuum and charge with R-134A. I don't know much about the crimping but do know there are some nuances, like bead or barb fittings. Ken

[CBRacerX]

Thanks Ken - the crimping tools seem to be $100-150 plus the actual crimp ferrules themselves. Did you go to an AC shop that was not car specific?

[CBRacerX]

Another idea. Today I got a 993 condenser. Very light, very small. Would it make any sense to mount this on my RSR tail instead of the stock '87 condenser?

[Tigerrat]

Yes, I just called around to find a small shop where I thought they guy would work with me. I think he enjoyed working on a Porsche. I have a 993 and am amazed at how well it cools with that small cond. On the 88 I have the normal front and rear condensers and added one under the left rear wheel well from ZIMS. I have a Procooler too. I'm no AC guy but I think the decklid is not the best place to put a cond. and that is why the original one is the size it is. Have you looked at putting the 993 cond + fan under the front or rear wheel well? Don't know but then you might could skip the decklid one.

[CBRacerX]

Here is the 993 condenser and what I think is the matching fan. I am not married to putting it on the rear decklid, but I do not have the room up front. The inner fender on the drivers side is a possible location.

[CBRacerX]

Most have likely seen this, but here is what the lines coming out of the 993 compressor look like. You have an output that is on a level horizontal plane before you attach the hoses.

[CBRacerX]

Worked on getting the 993 compressor hoses converted to use the reduced diameter barrier hose. Turns out they are an interesting size fitting...

[Wavey]

CB - the stock Carrera condenser mounts with bracakets to the deck lid hinges, then there's that center clip at the back. Those parts won't work for you?

I just finished an almost identical rebuild - Rennaire front condenser, evaporator & insulation, Procooler, barrier hoses, R12 charge. Stock compressor and rear condenser. I'm getting as low as 38 degrees at the vent. I think you'll be happy.

[CBRacerX]

Originally Posted by Wavey

CB - the stock Carrera condenser mounts with bracakets to the deck lid hinges, then there's that center clip at the back. Those parts won't work for you?

I have an aftermarket RSR 3.8 tail on my car. So I'll need to mount whatever I use up there from scratch (I asked for adhesive suggestions but no responses yet). I spoke with Jeff at Rennair today and he told me the 993 condenser would certainly work, but with the desert duty front condenser it would not really be needed. So my plan for now is to use the stock version, as long it passes the leak test.

[Wavey]

OK, so I guess you can't mount to the hinges. There are some great structural adhesives but not so much on the consumer level. We use a structural epoxy from Lord Adhesives in the shop but it takes a special gun, mixing tubes, etc. Actually I think JB Weld could work really well for this, it just cures slow and can flow away from where you want it, until it sets up. I just used JB over the winter to repair an area on my 3.0 Carrera tail where the FG had separated from the metal base - worked great. Also used it to repair a broken rear view mirror post, which everyone said wouldn't hold but it's still together over a year later.

[Mysterytrain]

CB, I have toyed with the idea of using the 993 condenser and fan in the left rear fender and a desert duty up front. Let me know if you decide to part with yours.

[CBRacerX]

Here are a few shots of the compressor installed for Jeff at Rennaire. We are going to convert the factory lines here to a standard size that can be crimped onto the reduced diameter barrier hose.

[CBRacerX]

In the previous post you can see what I am up against with the rear condenser. I have already removed the posts that interfered with the mounting from the tail.

[jmh61]

I had a similar problem mounting the rear condenser in a fiberglass ducktail. In my stock tail the condenser was held by a clip to the passenger side decklid hinge and a clip to the center rail of the decklid. The duck tail doesn't have a center rail so I couldn't use the stock center clip. I hate to admit this, but I ended up attaching the drivers side of the condenser to the hinge on that side with plastic wire ties. I intend to make an aluminum bracket for that side but haven't gotten around to it... the suspension rebuild I'm in the middle of is taking priorty. The wire ties have been on for a year now and are working fine.