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Stealth A/C install


grotflo

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For those of you looking for alternatives to Behr and Frigiking evaporators (and especially if you want a keep the stock center console), I present this as an option.  I don't know if I'm the first person to install this, but it certainly hasn't been documented on the FAQ yet.  Here's what it looks like installed in my car.

 

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Now onto the details.  Here's the evaporator/blower unit I used.  It's small and has pretty good air output.  I haven't actually compared its cooling abilities to a Behr or Frigiking unit, but it makes Atlanta summers much more bearable.

 

The installation is fairly straightforward.  My car came to me with a non-working Frigiking unit, so it had holes in the firewall behind the center console.  If I were starting from scratch, I would have moved the holes over to the passenger side a bit, but it still works just fine as is.  Here are the basic steps to install this:

 

1) Remove glovebox.  You won't need the glovebox tray or latch, but you will need to keep the padded front cover plate.

 

2) Lift up the dash to expose the sheet metal frame below.  The top of the A/C unit has two threaded rods that are used for mounting.  Position the unit where you want it and then mark the two hole locations on the underside of the sheetmetal.  My recommendation is to position it as close to the firewall as possible so that you leave enough clearance for the cover plate to be reinstalled.

 

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3) Drill the two holes.  I have a two piece dash, and the holes ended up just behind where the bottom piece ends.

 

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4)  Put foam rubber strips on the top of the A/C unit to prevent any rattling.  Because it's mounted directly to the sheet metal, leaving it un-cushioned would probably lead to lots of rattles and buzzing.

 

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5)  Two mounting points aren't sufficient to hold it securely, so I bent some aluminum bar stock and drilled holes in the end.  I then attached one end to the back of the A/C unit and the other end to the sheet metal. 

 

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6) Next you'll need to drill a hole in the firewall for the drain tube.  In my opinion, the single small drain tube can't keep up with the amount of condensation this produces - after extended use, I can hear water sloshing around in there.  It's a problem when the unit is mounted flat (parallel to the road).  To help it drain more easily, the unit needs to be tilted a few degrees so that the drain hole is at the lowest point.  I did this by bending the aluminum bar stock at the back.  

 

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7) At this point, you can hook up the A/C lines and wire it up.  If I were to do it again, after I got the unit dry fit, I would remove it to put on the lines.  They're hard to access once this thing is in place.  A note on the fan switch: My car had a manual choke that was useless after I changed carbs, so I used that hole next to the steering wheel to mount the switch.  Looks stock.

 

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8) After you've tested everything, you can reinstall the dash.

 

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9) The final step is to modify the padded cover panel you removed from the glovebox.  The construction of that part is interesting.  There's a sheet metal internal frame surrounded by foam, then skinned with vinyl.  I had to cut both the foam and the metal frame (from the inside) to get it to fit over the A/C unit.  This step took a lot of time and test fitting, but once done, it looks mostly stock.  I bent some steel brackets and attached some magnets to them, then screwed those into the metal frame.  I couldn't get a good photo, but the brackets slide into the sheet metal frame under the dash.  To install the cover plate, you kind of lift it up into position, then pull toward the rear of the car.  It wedges into place nicely, and is very secure.

 

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That's pretty much it!  I'll add some more photos of the completed install so you get a better idea of how the parts fit with the defrost hose and center console.  To direct air to the driver side, I added some flexible hose and angled them.  Not a good long term solution, but it works for now.  I would love to create some sort of angled flap system in the three outlets.

 

Hope this helps inspire others to come up with their own solutions!  I'm happy to answer any questions, or take more photos.

 

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Edited by grotflo
  • Like 4

1973 BMW 2002 (Verona)

1975 BMW R90S (Silver Smoke)

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Great write-up and great installation. You should be able to graft dole eyeball type vents directly onto the front panel and those stubs. 

 

Something like this:

 

A6C08719-6821-4954-8889-E6CE87B75EC8.jpeg.6a09d26ec85430b8530fe2f0778b7cff.jpeg

 

 

rtheriaque wrote:

Carbs: They're necessary and barely controlled fuel leaks that sometimes match the air passing through them.

My build blog:http://www.bmw2002faq.com/blog/163-simeons-blog/

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Very nice!  Incidentally, I used to live within walking distance to those Southern Air guys in Greer.  Went there a few times with the 2002 to browse their evaporator options, but back then they didn't offer anything quite this small, so I never took the plunge.  Anyway, that unit nestles up very nicely under the dash like that!  I guess the compromise is that you loose your glovebox and I trust you need to pull that cover plate off whenever you're going to use it right?  But still, a very nice alternative to the stander center column setup!  What compressor and condenser are you using btw?

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Yeah, the cover plate has to be removed when the A/C is on.  In an attempt to run it with the cover plate installed, I tried some flexible vent hose to route the air to other places, but it restricted flow too much.  Actually if you look closely at the first photo, you'll notice that the fasten seatbelt sign is missing the plastic panel in the center.  I routed a vent hose up through the dash to the bottom of that, and used it as an air vent.  It worked okay, but again, not worth losing that much air flow.  With the amount of glass in an '02, it heats up inside pretty quickly, so the more cooling I can get, the better.  

 

I'm using a Sanden 508 clone, a 10x18 condenser, and a 10" fan up front.  I think that's the biggest condenser I could fit without modifying the hood supports, and it was a tight fit at that.

1973 BMW 2002 (Verona)

1975 BMW R90S (Silver Smoke)

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2 minutes ago, grizzlebar said:

Though it doesn’t look like it can do heat as well

 

You may want to change to the Under Dash vents option, wouldn't that blow unimpeded? 

 

Possibly just a cover changeout? 

I don't take myself or opinions Seriously

My 4th 2002 and the first set of Square Tail-Lights

See the 4 versions of my 2002 project here: SoCal S2002 | Facebook

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  • 5 months later...

My windows aren’t tinted. It was hot. Here’s what I learned though. If I parked in a parking deck during the day (i.e. the interior temp wasn’t too hot), the A/C could keep up and I would stay comfortable on my ride home. But if the car was outside in the sun all day, it couldn’t effectively cool it off. Really depends on where you park and whether or not the 2002 is your primary car. It also cools much better when the car is moving - idling in Atlanta rush hour traffic was not ideal. 

1973 BMW 2002 (Verona)

1975 BMW R90S (Silver Smoke)

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