When this magazine hits your mailbox (or newsstand) in May, the weather should be pleasant. The sun is probably shining, and the temperature cool enough that you can roll down the windows in your Mopar and cruise comfortably. But brace yourself-hot weather is coming. Are you ready for it? Is your Mopar ready for it? When it gets hot and muggy, many enthusiasts opt to drive their air-conditioned daily drivers more often and leave the "play car" in the garage.
After you disconnect the battery,...
After you disconnect the battery, drain the coolant, and remove the heater hoses from the firewall.
Next, pull the cooling fan...
Next, pull the cooling fan and its shroud. As long as you're careful, you can leave the radiator in place.
Driving your Mopar should be enjoyable. That's why we have them. We like to get in them and maybe pound a few gears around town, go to a local cruise night, or just take a drive with the family. But how enjoyable is it when the wife and kids are giving you the evil eye because the heat is too much to take?
Well, Bruce nelson and his wife are the very type of enthusiasts that enjoy nothing more than getting into their '69 RT and just going for a drive. Since Bruce and the Missus live in Florida, heat can definitely be a problem. we wanted to make Bruce's car a little more comfortable during those long, hot summer nights, so we called Classic Auto Air (CAA) in Tampa, Florida, to see how hard it would be to put A/C in a vintage B-Body Mopar.
we found out that CAA now has two facilities: the Tampa, Florida, facility and another in Richland Hills, Texas. If you are doing a restoration of your factory A/C unit, Tampa is the place to call. Likewise, the Tampa facility handles the modified/custom applications that many are doing when they modify their cars. custom plumbing and complete custom setups are common place for these guys. The Texas facility is the place to contact for the do-it-yourselfer and others who want a standard kit installed. these two locations make Classic Auto Air your one-stop shop for any automotive air-conditioning need.
You will also need to remove...
You will also need to remove the bolts holding the alternator bracket and power-steering bracket. These will be the mounting points for the A/C compressor bracket.
Here, you can see the mounting...
Here, you can see the mounting bracket and the spacers used. Keep in mind, the bolt going in at the alternator mounting point has a thinner bolt head than the rest.
This is because its location...
This is because its location is directly behind the alternator belt.
When we found that CAA had a kit available, we jumped at the chance to show you guys whether it fit or not, and how hard it would be to do an install. We can now say the kit does fit nicely, but keep in mind you will need to drill a few holes in your firewall for this installation. Don't get nervous and dismiss this kit because you fear drilling. The kit comes with easy-to-follow instructions, and once you get the kit installed, we know you'll never take it out anyway.
Our install only took a day, but we had a few knowledgeable guys doing the work. If you plan to do this install yourself, plan on taking a couple of nights after work to complete it, but come Saturday, you'll be cruising in comfort.