Hey everyone,

O.K. Can I swap the A/C unit from a 1970 into a 1971 that did not have A/C. I have the interiors completely out of both cars and the engines out also. I took the unit off the fire wall of the 70 already. The heater core hoses seem to be in a different place. Any input would be a great help. Thanks.

If you have both cars it is a help. To do this right you need to seal the fresh air vent on the left side and install the max door/gate in the cowl on the RH side. Without the max door, you will not be able to re-circulate air and get the max setting. I did this on my 69 while it was apart and so it can be done. I don't remember the heater hoses being in a different place, if they were I think I just added the slots for the A/C type box. I used an 80 outside box (fan and evaporator) because it has the better orfice tube instead of the complicated VIR setup of the 71. If you do that, you may have to grind the outside of the fan portion so it doesn't hit the body. Regardless of which outside box you use, you need some different ducts (not all), a different wiper-switch bezel with the vents, and a shifter plate without the vent-knob slots. Good luck.

|UPDATED|8/18/2003 7:22:31 AM|/UPDATED|

Thanks for the info.

I read in corvette fever Q&A that the firewall opening for the heater box opening is a different size for a AC to non AC car. In this case the person wanted to remove the AC and the smaller non AC box would not cover the larger AC opening

Anips,

I found that out when I installed the A/C in the Vette w/o A/C originally. I cut the firewall a little. A few bolt holes lined up perfect but I had to drill two more. Everything seems good so far. Good thing I opened the box and checked the heater core, it was shot. I'm starting to put the car back together now. I should be ready to roll by spring maybe sooner.