1972 chevelle factory ac

[Riggsie19]

i have a 1972 chevelle with factory ac. The ac is not working. Should I try to restore the original ac system or install a conversion kit? I guess my question is , what is the best and most cost efficient way to fix the ac ?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

i have a 1972 chevelle with factory ac. The ac is not working. Should I try to restore the original ac system or install a conversion kit? I guess my question is , what is the best and most cost efficient way to fix the ac ?

Depends what's wrong with it. Does it need parts or just a recharge? Has it been adapted to use modern refrigerant? Is there a dead raccoon stuck in the vents?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

What is your goal with the car? I'm most cases, a modern ac kit is cheaper and easier to install.

 

[Riggsie19]

The vents and blower are good. I've had it looked at by 3 different ac specialist. One said it just needed to be converted from the old refrigerant to new. Said all I needed was new hoses and fittings. He was wrong. Another person said I needed a new or rebuilt compressor and clutch. And another person said to just refill with the old illegal refrigerant. I would like to do what's best trying to keep it as original as possible. Without spending thousands of dollars

 

[dave_the_nerd]

The vents and blower are good. I've had it looked at by 3 different ac specialist. One said it just needed to be converted from the old refrigerant to new. Said all I needed was new hoses and fittings. He was wrong. Another person said I needed a new or rebuilt compressor and clutch. And another person said to just refill with the old illegal refrigerant. I would like to do what's best trying to keep it as original as possible. Without spending thousands of dollars

Do you DIY much?

If somebody thinks your compressor is shot, and you have no refrigerant in the system, then I'd take this opportunity to rebuild the compressor, replace as many gaskets and seals as I could, and upgrade the system to R-134. Would probably be a fun weekend project.

Then again, the FIRST thing I'd do is grab a multimeter and make sure the a/c compressor was actually being engaged. (I don't know how much of your system is electrical vs. mechanical, but a bad relay or something could just be keeping your A/C from turning on. It's not super-likely, but sometimes it's better the eliminate the easiest stuff first, rather than the most likely stuff.)

 

[Riggsie19]

Good info thanks. Yes the compressor is engaging. You can hear it kick in. So what do you think the best course of action is? Just convert the system to 134? How much do think that would cost ?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Good info thanks. Yes the compressor is engaging. You can hear it kick in. So what do you think the best course of action is? Just convert the system to 134?

I'm a hyperliberal envirocommie, so yes.

How much do think that would cost ?

Depends. If you have leaks in your system, or a bad compressor, you'll need to get those fixed, but that's true regardless. Googling around a bit, I'm finding people who were quoted upwards of $1200 to do the conversion at a shop, but that's... scary-high.

You can get the old R12 on eBay; it's $30-$60 a can, so that's kinda your baseline cost. (Just to recharge what's there as-is.) But if you have a slow leak or a pinhole leak somewhere, you may need to feed it a few cans before you get it fixed for keeps, which would concern me.

The bare minimum to do the conversion is just adapting fill valves (another ~$20.) But other stuff (like changing the oil in the compressor - the two refrigerants apparently prefer different oil types - and replacing o-rings, etc.) is recommended as the "right" way to do it, but people seem to skip that a lot. Not super-expensive, but time-consuming. With R134 at $5-10 a can, you may actually break even going this route, if you DIY.

As always, Youtube is a good source of example videos.