What Am I Looking at Here Exactly ?, Radiator or Condenser or both? Options

[Literati914]

Typically an A/C condenser is located in this position, but this is a conversion car w/ a 6 installed (not sure which)… I don’t see a vertical radiator and also the dual fans are throwing me on this if it’s just A/C. I've never seen a horizontal radiator, but then.. that's not saying it couldn't be a thing.

[Jack Standz]

It's how the refrigerant oil flows that is the kicker here.

Oil mixes with the LIQUID refrigerant, oil separates out when the refrigerant goes through the phase change to a gas and forms a million tiny bubbles. The oil is the skin of these bubbles.

Compressors oil via oil in the suction line (return); it's in the form of bubbles in the suction line. It looks like green foam coming back to the compressor.

If you trap the oil anywhere you can starve the compressor of oil.
The oil is heavier than the refrigerant.

A horizontal condenser can work but the liquid side (exit) should be physically lower than the gas side (entrance) to keep the oil from accumulating in the condenser.

Most cores (both condenser and evaporator) are vertical.
Most evaporators have both entrance and exit at the top of the cores and it's not as critical as a condenser.

Some Fords have a condenser that can be easily installed backwards. You end up with the entrance on the bottom and the exit on the top. Compressor life is less than 2 hours when that happens...

The pics in this thread do not look like a compressor killer to me.

The oil runs around the system with the refrigerant. I want a 4/1 ratio of ref/oil.
So, 4 ounces of oil per pound. A 914 with 134 will be somewhere in the 2.0 lb size.
The 8 oz of oil will be distributed as follows.
2 oz compressor, 2 oz condenser and lines, 4 oz in the evaporator.

Thanks for the explanation.

Have been thinking about someday putting an A/C system in the 914 one day and another potential installation option is very helpful. Have seen horizontal condensers installed on Type IV motors in buses (underneath the rear, but in front of the motor, mounted to the frame "rails") with some louvered covers to reduce holes being put through the condenser from rocks and things. They seemed to work, but did have concerns about oil pooling and not circulating to lubricate the compressor.