The Problem vehicle: 1986 K5 383 700R4 P/S P/B Stock cast iron headers, etc .......

I want to return the AC parts missing from under the hood of my K5.

The Evaporator, R/D, and Condenser are about all that's left from a hacker who removed everything he could without tearing the dash apart.

The blower still works, all speeds - some of the underdash ductwork is missing, but as it sits, the heat generally dumps onto the floor from under the dash and still works pretty awesome.

The Defrost still blows on the glass where it should, and the dash controls are all in place yet.

I think I need the following stuff:I installed twin electric fans last year and they work very well --- I made them 2-speed with a series/parallel relay setup that runs them on 6V each for LOW, or full 12V for HIGH, so tapping into the circuitry of the original wiring is easy - it's all there too.

What does anyone think? Should I buy a $500 kit with everything to add AC where there was no AC before --- or go with replacing what is missing?



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You've already modded things so it comes down to whatever you want to do and what seems easiest for you. Myself, the stock components worked quite well on those trucks, but you also are going to have keep in mind the need to convert the system from R12 to R134A so a newer system would likely already have that conversion in mind.

 

I know the condenser has smaller tubes and the internal fins are smaller too and more numerous, so they can get decent heat exchange --- so a new condenser is needed.

Yeah -- the old system was R12, and running R134a is a changeover, but with a new-reman compressor and new condenser, hoses (lower loss design), and an intelligent expansion valve and RD, I think I could be in a cash-equal problem here.

I don't care for aesthetics, as it has a Q-J and a Weiand manifold (I think --- gotta go look later) on a 383 stroker, and the HEI was replaced with a Mallory --- it's not gonna be a Concours Restored vehicle.

Oops ---I forgot that I have twin alternators too --- a slip up.

I think you're right. I know I wanted to go that way, but I needed a nudge.

Thanks for being a nudger.

 

I would like to add one point. The oils are not interchangeable between R12 and R134a and will cause problems if mixed in sufficient quantities. Be thorough flushing any components being re-used including hoses.

George