Beat the Arizona Heat - My custom AC system build Options

[AZBanks]

I've created a few threads with vague titles but I'm hoping the title of this thread is pretty clear.

There are places in Arizona where the summers are pretty nice. Those are the places up in the higher elevations of Arizona.

I don't live in one of those places. I live in Phoenix.

As you may have heard, Phoenix is hot in the summertime. Driving a car without AC in Phoenix in the summer time is pretty miserable. Car dealers don't sell cars without AC in Arizona. Satan keeps a winter home here because the summer are too hot.

OTOH, it's a dry heat and I never have to shovel it.





The NARP is a 71 914 that started life with a 1.7 liter engine. I had a 1.8 liter engine sitting in the garage for my other 914 project and when the 1.7 got too aggressive in marking it's territory I decided to swap in the 1.8. I also swapped in an transmission I got from Oscar at the same time.

The 1.8 came with a boat anchor of a York AC compressor connected with a side mount on the passenger side of the engine. I removed that almost as soon as I got it home.

I picked up the 1.8 a couple years ago from Patrick Motorsports for a GREAT deal and James said it came out of a running car so I thought it was good to go...

I had never looked it over as well as I could have. I've known James for several years and trusted him and I still do. I never asked or looked at the engine to see about oil leaks. It really could have had a hole in the case and it still would have been a good deal so I don't want this to sound like a complaint about James or PMS because it is not.
I cleaned a LOT of crud off the 1.8, replaced the front crank seal, swapped the engine tins from the 1.7, and installed it and James was correct, it runs great.

It was still dripping some oil and I wanted to add an AC system so it is back out of the car less than 500 miles since it first went in.

I've tracked the oil leaks to a couple push rod tubes so all the push rod tubes are getting new seals.
Another reason I dropped the engine was to replace the shift input shaft seal on the transmission. It was the only seal I didn't replace last time I had it out of the car and of course, it just had to leak. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

It didn't help that I put Swepco oil in the trans before I installed it the first time. The good(Evil) Dr. set me straight so it is now running good old 90 weight Dino oil.

The transmission now has all new seals and is ready to go back in the car. The engine will have the new push rod tube seals and oil cooler seals to go with the new front crank seal I put in before the first install.

So there is the background on the engine and trans. Now it's time for the AC system.

This is a total experiment based on other AC threads here and on the bird and based on systems and guess-timats from other cars. I made some of my guess-timats based on parts and sizes from my 1990 944 S2 Cab. The cabin of the 94 is a bit smaller than the 944 cab so parts that can cool the 944 should be about the right size to cool the cabin of the 914.


As I said, the 1.8 liter engine came to me with an OLD York compressor. I did not want to use that massive HP hog. There was a decent pulley mounted behind the fan but it is also a heavy piece of steel.

I bought an original dealer installed style AC system a few years ago from some one either here or on the bird board(I don't remember which and it doesn't really matter at this point). I bought it mainly for the under-dash evaporator and the controls.


The NARP never had AC so it is not hacked up. It has 99 problems but ragged holes in the body and front trunk for AC aren't any of them.

The engine tin on the passenger side of the 1.8 is hacked up and bent up pretty bad. I should have taken pictures before I started cleaning it up. I am going to finish cleaning it up and paint it. I don't want to hack up the good tin that was on the 1.7. I'll save that and hack it up for my next project.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sawzall-smiley.gif)

With the advances in modern compressors, condensers, and fans I decided to try an installation with the condenser mounted to the underside of a GT style engine lid.


In addition to the original style under dash evaporator, I am using a Sanden sd5h11 6333 compressor. It is the modern equivalent of the SD507 and is designed to use R-134a. I will be mounting it to the passenger side of the engine with amount plate I got from Gilmore Enterprises out of Las Vegas. Their website (gilmore-enterprises.net) doesn't list parts for the 914 or any individual parts but Ed, the owner is super easy to deal with. I called him up, told him what I was looking for, and it was on the truck heading out to me later that day.

I picked a universal fit parallel flow 11" X 21" condenser and 2 high flow, low profile 10" fans and a drier with a trinary switch.