Questions about Air Conditioning, ... help me make my car cooler! Options

[tygaboy]

Hi World - I need some info:
I'm working to add A/C to my build and I found this little set up that's 10.5" wide, 8.5" deep and 4.5" tall.

What I don't know is what's possible in terms of orientation of these evaporator/ fan units.

I know they have to drain any condensation (and not into the motor, etc.) but assuming I address that:

- Is there any appreciable impact to how the evap unit performs if it were stood on end, turned upside down, etc.?

Essentially, does refrigerant care about flowing up vs down vs sideways?

- Do any of the other components, like the expansion valve, care about orientation?

If needed, I'm totally OK with cutting up the case, making one that suites my needs and reusing the components.

Or, if there are other considerations, if I'm missing something, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Chris

[Andyrew]

The case should have some kind of drain port you can use to orient it. Apart from that it shouldn't matter how you mount it. The best spot I found is either directly where the wipers are (no go for wipers) or where I'm mounting mine (glove box area cut into the firewall).

You can go all project Binky on us and totally make a custom housing to fit somewhere but it's all about those fans as they are the bulky item.

[tygaboy]

The case should have some kind of drain port you can use to orient it. Apart from that it shouldn't matter how you mount it. The best spot I found is either directly where the wipers are (no go for wipers) or where I'm mounting mine (glove box area cut into the firewall).

You can go all project Binky on us and totally make a custom housing to fit somewhere but it's all about those fans as they are the bulky item.

Thanks Andrew. I've started looking at DC brushless fans to replace the squirrel cage set up. There are some ~ 5" x 5" X 1.5" that appear to have adequate CFM.
Something like this would really open up where I could fit it and might allow me to totally hide it.
I'm pretty sure I can make this work and not have to cut into the front fire wall.

"Film at 11:00" as I futz with all this.

Thanks again!

[jd74914]

Thanks Andrew. I've started looking at DC brushless fans to replace the squirrel cage set up. There are some ~ 5" x 5" X 1.5" that appear to have adequate CFM.
Something like this would really open up where I could fit it and might allow me to totally hide it.

Be careful there. Most axial fans have pretty sketchy fan curve documentation. You need to know not only the air flow (cfm) but also the corresponding head rise. The original fan impellers likely have significantly higher head rise vs. flow curves to push through the heat exchanger. Not saying the swap won't work, but you really need the fan curves for the original and potential replacements before making a decision.

Limited understanding here but I believe the liquid feed is supposed to be below the gas out.

I know this is true for the condenser and there are rules for the drier mounting, as was pointed out earlier. In the perfect world, I'll be about to keep things oriented "as delivered" but repackage the components.
I think I'll call Vintage Air and see what they have to say.
Thanks!

There can be ideal evaporator orientations too; it's very design specific though. Mostly comes down to the size of the tubes. Unlike condensers it's not super critical, just provides a slight efficiency gain (we're talking maybe a few percent here). I'd be more concerned about blower bearings TBH. In stationary blowers like that the thrust bearings are generally pretty wimpy since they're really not designed for load, just to prevent contact between impeller and housing. In an automotive application you would think they would put some more thought into them due to lateral loading, but who knows.