adding ac to 75 Power Wagon Crew Cab

[oldrookie]

Plan is to find a donor pickup for the ac parts, have a good compressor already mounted on engine. What years will work for my 75? What am I in for? Would a kit like Vintage Air be a better plan or is such a kit even available?

 

[Burt]

72 to 80 parts will work. A factory air donor would be best but hard to find. That is the route I went on the 73 I am rebuilding. I think it gives it a cleaner look. But you can get aftermarket kits like vintage air. The advantage to them is all new parts, and they are already R134a systems.

 

[oldrookie]

Oh, the 134a part, didn't think of that. Where you're going the original route what will you use? Thanks Burt.
Any others?

 

[Burt]

I removed everything from the donor truck. Dash, HVAC box, vents and tubing, lines, condenser, compressor. Had to replace heater core and condenser as they were bad.

 

[bikinkawboy]

As for the R134A refrigerant, it will work fine in an older system. However, you will likely need to change out the oil in the compressor to an oil compatable with the 134. Some oils were compatable with both, but I wouldn't take the chance. They used to make R134-R22 adaptors to go on R22 charge-discharge fittings. 134 isn't as efficient as the R22, so you will have less cooling capacity than before. Usually the biggest difference in the two systems is the size of the evaporator (the finned part under the dash). Depending upon how good the original systems were, you may never notice a difference. I can't say about the trucks, but the ACs on Chrysler cars of the same era would let you hang meat in them if you needed to.

My truck had a hang on system installed when it was new, but if I had a parts truck with the complete system, I'd change it out. Just my preference though.

 

[oldrookie]

Thanks, have began the search for a donor.

 

[7mopar]

R134A lubricant can be gotten in liquid form but would be best to use ester 100 and is compatible with R12 and R134a. It will absorb any left over R12 lubricant left in the system.