Dealer installed A/C ?, Looking for opinions Options

[robkammer]

Hello again Teeners! As I go about sorting out the new to me Bumblebee, I wonder about the value/viability of the non functioning dealer installed AC. The negatives I see are about 100 pounds of dead weight, a wide open and chopped frunk floor, less frunk space, and questionable plumbing and wiring.
I'm interested in hearing opinions regarding any positives against these negatives. If I were to pull it out I would most likely hold on to it in the event the next steward would want it. Or offer it for sale to any interested parties.
Looking forward to all replies!

[dlee6204]

A functioning A/C system does not hurt value IMO. Yes the installs at the dealers weren't the greatest but A/C is such a nice feature to have and as long as its working few would complain about it.

A car that has had its system removed but is left with hackjob/holes in place does more to hurt its value. Unless you're doing a full restoration with extensive rework to fill up the holes, I would leave the system in place, get it operational and enjoy. My 0.02.

[ClayPerrine]

Betty's 914 has had the dealer installed air functional for years. It is a necessity here in Texas during the summer if you want to actually drive your car.

There are things you can do to improve the AC and make it more functional. But I would keep it.

Clay

[lalee914]

If you need info on the dealer installed AC systems, you can find that on my web site:

http://p914-6info.net/Manuals.htm

[robkammer]

Teeners: I forgot all about this post, years fly by. Update: I have removed to Ac, It’s been a journey. Stoddard had replacement stampings for the frunk floor, including the tow loop and spare tire bracket. I had a resto shop weld them in and they did a terrific job. I removed the under dash unit, found a full gauge console to replace the short AC version and that looks good. Pulled all of the hoses and filled the holes with plastic plugs, just in case the next person thinks AC is needed. The last part of the journey is to repair/replace the butchered engine tin and shroud. I have the engine out now and only need 1 tin, or sheet steel to weld about 6 square inches of metal to the right side tin piece. Also need to reform and weld the right side engine shroud where they cut and hammered it out of the way for the compressor. Hard to believe it’s been six years since my post.
Good news is that the car is almost 80# lighter, and runs much cooler with all of the tin in place.
Cheers!
Robbo