Ok, maybe this is a little...
Ok, maybe this is a little too cold, but a working A/C is worth its weight in gold on those humid summer days.
It's summer, and you've just climbed into the driver seat of your Mopar. You back out of the driveway and start what you think will be a nice, enjoyable drive. But now you're sitting at your third very long stoplight, and the enjoyable drive is not so enjoyable in the 100-degree heat and 90-precent humidity. But it could be enjoyable if your ride had air conditioning. We hear you guys in the back row whispering, "Yeah, but my car never had A/C, so I guess I'm outta luck." Guess what, you're in luck.
What if your car never came with A/C? There aren't any factory A/C components left in the salvage yards, and if there were, would it be rebuildable? After a couple years and several thousand miles in the Valiant without air conditioning, we decided it was time, but we thought the same thing, and then found Classic Auto Air in Tampa, Florida.
Completed, the underhood parts...
Completed, the underhood parts are a clean installation that looks right at home.
Classic Auto Air has designed what they call their Perfect Fit Series system--a one-piece, in-dash, heat/cool/defrost total climate-control system that replaces the old heater box. What's more, the factory heater controls work the system. There's no need to find factory A/C controls, or modify your dash to use an aftermarket controller. Each kit is designed specifically for each year, make, and model of car. Another feature is the separate heat and A/C coils. Some competitors' kits use one coil for both the A/C and heat, but when part of the cooling coil is used as a heater, the heater tubes could possibly freeze and burst. having the A/C and heat coils as two separate units eliminates that problem.
Under the hood, a Sanden compressor is used instead of the old V-twin RV-2 design. This is not only more efficient, but looks a lot cleaner under the hood. Reproduction condensers are installed in factory provided locations and make installation a breeze.
Earlier we mentioned finding a rebuildable system from the salvage yard. There are systems out there, but when you factor in the inefficient 30-year-old design, the cost of finding, rebuilding, and installing such a system may cost more than it's worth. The kit from Classic Auto Air has all-new components with easy-to-follow directions. To us, the choice is obvious.
Completed, the underdash unit...
Completed, the underdash unit is a clean installation that looks right at home.
So, we've told you all the good features about the kit, but how does it fit? That's what we're going to show you.
Working Its Best
In order for an A/C system to work efficiently for a long time, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
The condenser must have a sufficient airflow through it for the heat exchange process to take place. If your car does not have a fan shroud to force the air to come through the radiator, or your fan cannot pull enough air through the radiator and condenser, your cooling inside the car will not be as good as possible.
If you're not using your A/C for an extended period of time, it is a good idea to run the A/C for a short period of time to keep the seals and other compressor components lubed by the compressor oil.
Starting under the dash, you...
Starting under the dash, you need to remove the original heater box. To get the heater box out, remove the bolts around the blower motor under the hood, and then unhook the hanger rod that attaches at the bottom of the vent opening and hooks at the top of the box. When you get it lowered down, unhook the cables and wiring.
Although your factory heater...
Although your factory heater controls are used, you will need to incorporate the Classic Auto Air-supplied blower-motor switch. Simply remove the original switch, and, using the supplied bracket, install the new switch to the unit.
The kit is complete with new...
The kit is complete with new adjustable control cables for the heat/air/defrost functions. Following the instructions...
...you need to attach the...
...you need to attach the new control cables to the controller. This will require cutting the two factory control cable pins and attaching the supplied bracket.
Before you install the unit...
Before you install the unit under the dash, you will need to cut away a small portion of the firewall insulation. you also need to cover the factory fresh-air opening under the dash using the supplied cover.
We removed the fresh air box...
We removed the fresh air box on the driver side, which necessitated getting a second plate.