'74 2002tii with Behr a/c - repair or remove?

[Steve Tochi]

Mine came with a Behr console but missing compressor/brackets so I decided to yank the hoses and change the console.  But I'm near the beach in Socal, so if it gets to around 90 degrees, heat wave, don't drive and stay indoors.  Below 50 degrees is a cold snap, get mittens out and bring pets indoors.  From what I know about Bay area weather, what may be of more importance is a functioning heater for all months of the year. 

[GC-CA]

My reluctance to the a/c is that I did not miss it when i owned my first tii in Manhattan Beach (warm place) so why now?  Not planning long trips and the long console would look nice with a Blau Frankfurt...still leaning on pulling it. 

 

Love the opinions

[Flamingo 5]

I live in west palm Beach Florida .

winter lasts 3 weeks .

having a ice cold a/c also got me to the

Vintage in May and Octoberfest in September 

[chargin]

I live in HOT SoCal, a/c is a must for me. If I lived somewhere lower temp I wouldn't have a/c hassle 

 

 

 

[Chris_B]

4 hours ago, Steve Tochi said:

 From what I know about Bay area weather, what may be of more importance is a functioning heater for all months of the year. 

 

Except when it is +100 degrees for 4 or 5 days running. If it weren't such a huge undertaking in a non-A/C car, I would have A/C in a heartbeat.

[irdave]

Eh.  If it's not working right now and you don't feel like dealing with it right now, remove it for now.  If, down the road, you feel like,"Sure wish I had some AC" then put it back in and update it with newer whatever to make it work.  And if you're still trying to get the car running well, the less variables the better.  And they're faster without it.

 

For the 2 or 3 weeks a year it's hot enough to think about AC up here I have a truck with AC and tinted windows.  Dog loves it.

 

And, notice how it all comes back to location?  :) 

[Conserv]

7 hours ago, Chris_B said:

 

Except when it is +100 degrees for 4 or 5 days running. If it weren't such a huge undertaking in a non-A/C car, I would have A/C in a heartbeat.

Chris,

 

Just as an aside, it’s really not a huge undertaking in a car that has not previously had A/C. Expensive? Could be. Might not be.

 

Behr and Clardy allowed 10 man hours for professional installation back in the day. The owner of I.C.E. AIR told me that the Clardy installation team of which he was part, working at the Port of Entry holding lots ca. 1976, could do much better than that. In 1976, with my father helping me install a new Clardy system in my then-new ‘76 — neither he nor I had ever installed A/C previously or since — we probably each spent 8-10 hours (so 16-20 man hours) to install the A/C and have it ready for Freon. We admittedly agonized over drilling the right holes in the right places, given it was a brand new car. We worked solely from Clardy’s illustrated instructions.
 

A brand new I.C.E. AIR system, a knock-off of the original Clardy system, is $2K-ish (others here may have a more current price).  A system comprised of a period evaporator/blower (Behr, Clardy, or Frigiking) with new compressor, condenser, auxiliary fan, and hoses, is generally much much less, probably $400 -$1,000, depending mostly on what you pay for the evaporator/blower, wiring harness, and console panels. Read Rob Siegel’s Just Needs a Recharge and do it yourself!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by Conserv

[Conserv]

I can say, with great accuracy, that an ‘02 with working A/C is worth somewhere between $0 and $5,000 more than a similar ‘02 without working A/C, although I suspect the average is very close to $0.

 

Have A/C because you want it. The next owner is just as likely to not want it as to want it. I’m an ‘02 A/C fan (no pun intended), but so what: I’m probably not the next owner of your ‘02!

 

When you remove the original A/C, be certain to plug the holes into the passenger compartment: those for Freon hoses as well as those for the evaporator condensate drains. Keep the A/C system for the next owner, or don’t. Unlike an engine block (numbered) or even a head (dated), A/C was strictly post-factory. If the next owner wants A/C, he/she is just as likely to want a new system as a period system. Or they might want a different period system. And the period systems are not part of the original car, so I wouldn’t place great value on having the car’s first A/C system still with the car.

 

Case in point, my ‘73 tii came to me without A/C, but clearly had A/C previously. Based on the location of the evaporator’s Freon hose holes, it was a Frigiking system. I’ll re-install A/C when I have the car re-painted, but I’ll install a Behr A/C, simply because I prefer the appearance of the Behr over the Frigiking. I couldn’t have cared less about the car’s “A/C past”.

 

I, personally, wouldn’t pay more for an ‘02 with A/C, or choose one ‘02 over another on account of it having A/C. And, recall, I’m a person who likes A/C in an ‘02.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by Conserv

[David Layton]

Steve, my 73 had a Frigiking and I tracked down Behr evaporator elements including a NOS console front form Saul at Maximillian.  This is the reason why I was researching the blower motors, including later cars, as a contingency.

 

Also, Rob Siegel's book in a 'must-have' for an AC install.