OP
OP
SirReal63
Full Access Member
I bought the parallel flow A/C condenser several months back and now was a good time to install it. I had to have a small leak somewhere in the system but my R134 sniffer could not detect it, I checked everywhere but the condenser as I could not get to it when it was all buttoned up. My UV dye detector was mostly useless as it lights up all over the place around the system. Time to replace the condenser which also lit up under the UV light, I suspect the leak is there.
These are marketed a direct fit but in reality they are not, the issue is the rubber grommets they fit into to hold them in place. The size and shape of the attachment ends of the new condenser is very much different than the original equipment. I knew going in this was the case but the benefits to the efficiency greatly outweigh the minor adjustments to the rubber.
The problem, shape and overall size...
The old...rounded off and overall height less than the new...
In order to make a proper fit you need to not only make the rubber accept a rectangular piece but you also need to account for the height difference. At first I tried to just hog out the rubber to fit and I got it close but not really close enough, this rubber is at least 36 years old and not really that pliable. (The nibs that are supposed to hold it in place were either missing of bent and deformed so much there was no straightening them. I don't think they are needed as the cavities the rubber fits into securely holds it in place.)
I could see the bottom was too thick but did not have a clean way to remove it. I decided I could cut all of the bottom out, trim off the excess and glue it back where it came from. This was easily achieved with an old wood chisel heated up enough to push right through the rubber. It worked so easily!
Once the bottom/top was removed I simply had to remove enough material to make it fit properly without having to crank down too much on the top cover that holds all of this together. Since this piece has a curve in it on both the top and bottom pieces I duplicated the curve in hopes it would help add enough pressure to the condenser to hold it securely.
All trimmed and glued back together.
The final product, nice and level and the top fit on like it is supposed to.
I recharged the system and dash temp came right down to 40 degrees, it was 80 degrees in the shop so that is a 40 degree delta, I just hope it stays that cold when it is 105 outside.
The vents switch correctly between defrost, bi-level and dash. I still have the rebuild kit for the controller but will not try and fix it as it isn't broken yet, the vacuum hose refurb seems to have fixed the issue of blowing out all vents at once. Time will tell of course. If it loses charge again I am going to replace the compressor, it appears to be original or replaced long ago and the UV lights it up all around it, except where the hoses connect, and the hoses, crimps and connections do not light up. If I replace the compressor I will replace the hoses as well.
These are marketed a direct fit but in reality they are not, the issue is the rubber grommets they fit into to hold them in place. The size and shape of the attachment ends of the new condenser is very much different than the original equipment. I knew going in this was the case but the benefits to the efficiency greatly outweigh the minor adjustments to the rubber.
The problem, shape and overall size...
The old...rounded off and overall height less than the new...
In order to make a proper fit you need to not only make the rubber accept a rectangular piece but you also need to account for the height difference. At first I tried to just hog out the rubber to fit and I got it close but not really close enough, this rubber is at least 36 years old and not really that pliable. (The nibs that are supposed to hold it in place were either missing of bent and deformed so much there was no straightening them. I don't think they are needed as the cavities the rubber fits into securely holds it in place.)
I could see the bottom was too thick but did not have a clean way to remove it. I decided I could cut all of the bottom out, trim off the excess and glue it back where it came from. This was easily achieved with an old wood chisel heated up enough to push right through the rubber. It worked so easily!
Once the bottom/top was removed I simply had to remove enough material to make it fit properly without having to crank down too much on the top cover that holds all of this together. Since this piece has a curve in it on both the top and bottom pieces I duplicated the curve in hopes it would help add enough pressure to the condenser to hold it securely.
All trimmed and glued back together.
The final product, nice and level and the top fit on like it is supposed to.
I recharged the system and dash temp came right down to 40 degrees, it was 80 degrees in the shop so that is a 40 degree delta, I just hope it stays that cold when it is 105 outside.
The vents switch correctly between defrost, bi-level and dash. I still have the rebuild kit for the controller but will not try and fix it as it isn't broken yet, the vacuum hose refurb seems to have fixed the issue of blowing out all vents at once. Time will tell of course. If it loses charge again I am going to replace the compressor, it appears to be original or replaced long ago and the UV lights it up all around it, except where the hoses connect, and the hoses, crimps and connections do not light up. If I replace the compressor I will replace the hoses as well.
I had always been told you cannot paint a car with spray cans piecemeal and get a good consistent paint job. I had no intention of painting this whole car, just the doors needed it but as usual the project snowballed into painting the whole car, minus the hood, for now. I will revisit some areas where I skimped too much and get them sorted out better. 
