I recently bought the Great Pumpkin, a 71 roadster , LS5, 4-speed.  It was frame off restored a few years ago, then hardly driven until a new owner screwed up a bunch of things, pulled the engine, and finally sold it.  As I am cleaning, fixing before repainting and putting the engine back together, I noticed the heater assembly has been replaced, and the new one doesn't fit the marks on the firewall.  The new one is correct for a non-air car, so I am wondering if my car was factory A/C.  Can anyone give me a list of things to check?

Thanks
greatpumpkinls5

Does the center console support A/C? Do you see any signs of A/C high/low pressure lines, condenser, evaporator, receiver/dryer, compressor bracket?

Scott

Since the car has been all apart and the heater replaced, all signs of lines, etc, would have been removed.  The engine is out and apart,  and missing a lot of accessories, so that is no help.  The center piece of the instrument bezel is new, and non A/C, so that is no help.  Can you describe the shape of the heater box where it goes around the heater hoses in the engine compartment of your car?  My current, non-A/C unit is notched so it can be installed with hose installed.  But there are signs of sealer an inch or two farther inboard, as if the heater box had surrounded the hoses.  Does anyone have any suggestions about under the dash?

Does it have the side air vents in the kick panels? Non-A/C cars did, but A/C cars did NOT. There would be cables from the console to the vents to operate them.
On A/C cars, there is NO vent on the driver side at all, and the one on the pass. side is operated by a vacuum servo.

There are cable operated vents on both sides, but the cables, vents, and kick panels are all new.  The heater control assembly and vent levers are old.  The whole console has obviously been out and apart.  I would still like to hear from someone with an A/C car about the shape of the box in the engine compartment.

Thanks

I found a picture of an A/C box.  It matches the shape of the old sealer on my car.  The decision now is...  That seems to be the only remnant of the original factory air.  Everything has been replaced with new, non-air parts.  If I want to put it back, it will be a major challenge to find all the parts.  But it will certainly add to the enjoyment and value of the car.  Any thoughts??
greatpumpkinls5

I highly recommend installing Hot Rod Air.  The kit is very straightforward to install, it used new components  and a Sanden compressor for use with R-134.  The controls adapt to your control wheels and replace the vacuum control lines with an electric/vacuum control system.  The only thing you might want to replace is the lens on the control panel.  Replace the non-air lens with an air lens.  The whole kit should come in under $1,500.00.  Their customer support is great also.  I installed it in my non-air 69 roadster and love it.

Jim, 1969 L46, is exactly right. If you want A/C back in the car look at Hot Rod Air. I don't know if you have the control wheels in the console but they are easy enough to find. Look them up on the net and see if it sounds good to you.

Scott
ranger32007-05-30 14:02:39