Compressor/condenser placement questions

[migkillr]

Right then! I can't seem to find exactly what I'm looking for so I'll ask questions. Below is a picture of my aftermarket compressor. I can't really find a way to tighten and loosen it, but that's not the issue. The issue is that the hoses are in the way of the oil filter and it's a real pain.


The other issue is the placement of this condenser under the tail:




My car is an '83 so this doesn't appear to be stock. It's had the widebody mod and this is in the deck along with 2 electric fans in the tail. It looks like I can rotate the compressor, but if I do there may be interference with the condenser. I don't know what setup is on my car, but if I had to guess I'd say it's cobbled together from pieces and parts. Has anyone else had this issue? If so, how did you fix it? Am I imagining that there isn't enough clearance when there really is?

Thanks ahead of time,

Dean

[James Brown]

You can move that hose but, might cause refrigerant to leak out when cracking that nut. I don't like that hose clamp on the suction side hose. The compressor can be adjusted by loosing the 4 bolts on the mounting plate. that allows the whole unit to be moved around.

[migkillr]

I don't like that either. As a matter of fact, I've not seen a hose clamp on A/C stuff before, so I'm thinking that whole fitting may need a redo.

Which 4 bolts? There are 4 holding the compressor to the bracket, 4 holding the brackets together (that looks like fore/aft adjustment) and I see two nearest the bumper and one toward the front of the car that look like side to side. Is that correct?

Thanks,

Dean

[Barrpete]

That looks like a Sanden 507 compressor. Possibly the Rennaire system I? If so you should be able unbolt the compressor from the mounting plate and rotate 90 degrees counter clockwise so that fittings point upwards rather than to the right.

Here's a link to Rennaire's site:
RennAire System 1

And the hose clamp is definitely not right.

Edit: missed the part about the clearance with the condensor. You might be able to replace those fans with something smaller that would let you mount the condensor back closer to its original location and then rotate the compressor.

[RSTarga]

Thats a pretty bad installation!

[Bob Kontak]

As James Brown Says you can loosen the nuts slightly and pivot the hoses. You won't lose (any or much) refrigerant if you loosen it just enough to require some pressure to twist it.

I bought a Sanden from Griffiths about 12 years ago. I bought a low pressure side barrier hose and a hose from the compressor to the condenser. They are a little longer than stock to allow you to place the compressor way over onto the rear fender for valve adjustments and other maintenance. They could fix you up but the hoses are spendy.

The hose clamp as several stated is simply wrong. However, there is something to "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Just know that clamp may fail.

You can rotate the compressor but then you may have deck lid/condenser clearance issues, especially with the one hose appearing to not have a 90 degree elbow.

Are the tail and deck lid factory? There should be screens in the tail air slats and the center of the condenser should be supported with a clamp piece. Maybe the fans throw things out of whack for a factory look. Again, if it works and you are ok with not perfectly factory, let it be.

[tcar]

Looks like you have a whale tail of some kind; the louvers above look like it. You wouldn't have room with the fans with a 'stock' decklid.

Also, the condenser looks thicker than the stock condenser (good for cooling).

Does it have the chin condenser (behind the front bumper)?

[migkillr]

Yes, I don't like the setup. Very "wonky" and now that I have to replace my oil tank, it's very much in the way and I can take the time to make it right.

It has a tail which is non-factory. I'm not at home at present, but think I'll acquire a new hose and see about moving the condenser and fan assembly if possible. One thing I know is....this ain't gonna cut it.

[migkillr]

Bob, does your oil filter hit the hose and have to be worked out to remove or is the hose out of the way?

Thanks,

Dean