Complete A/C System Overhaul

[buffalomesa]

I finally started tearing into my A/C system today, with plans on having it finished within the next week or two. I've been threatening to do a retrofit for years now, and the time has finally come. I'm replacing every component in the system with the exception of the hard lines. I have a remanufactured compressor, new OEM dryer and expansion valve, Goodyear barrier hoses, evaporator core, and a Four Seasons retrofit kit (o-rings, ester 100 oil, fittings, etc). After much deliberation, I've decided to adapt a universal 12x14" parallel flow condenser. I only want to do this job once in the forseeable future, and I don't want to have the head pressure issues that happen with R134a and the stock condenser.

Anyway, I pulled the A/C box out of the dash this afternoon. You have to remove it anyway to replace the expansion valve, which is why I decided to go with a new evaporator. I expected it to be dirty, but the evaporator so thoroughly blocked with crud that it wouldn't have cooled at all. I've cleaned the box itself, and tomorrow I'll replace the weatherstripping on it. The blower fan box had split apart at the seam, and I'll look to see if I can find a better one at the junkyard tomorrow. If not, I'll melt it back together and replace the foam on both sides of the flapper.

I'll take some pics of the new condenser once it arrives and I work out the mounting. The dimensions are close enough to stock to work, and since it has mounting holes all the way around it, I should be able to make the stock brackets work. I expect to have to cut the tabs on the right mounting bracket about 1" shorter, and I'll have to mount the whole thing slightly lower in the brackets. This will also involve making a couple of short hard lines to get the hose connections to the stock locations.

[ARCHINSTL]

Wow - (part of) what you've done is what I will do later this Summer: Remove the AC box.
I will not be redoing the system, as that would be too many dollars. My goal is to remove the evaporator and fabricate a "diverter" of sorts to direct the full blast of the fan into the heater core.
Since you have the box out, does it look like installing such a diverter in the original box is (relatively) easy to do, or should I look at making an OE-type connection from plastic?
See the translucent OE connector in the second pix in xirdneh's XLNT heater analysis: https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... ter#p33600

Incidentally, the FSM just mentions removing the glovebox and side air duct (what's this?), a couple of connectors, and 3 nuts and 4 bolts. Some of these I can see, but are there some hidden? I presume the entire dash need not be removed.
I tried to remove the bottom of the fan housing last Fall, but there is a mounting bracket that completely precludes it; apparently (at least on my '86), the evaporator box must be removed first?
Thanks!
Tom M.

[buffalomesa]

It took me very little time to remove the fan box and the evaporator box. I imagine it would be fairly easy to just make the condenser box into a duct from the fan box to the heater. I wish I'd known of your plans, a local junkyard crushed a non-a/c Tercel 4WD a few months ago. I'll check tomorrow and see if an 83 in another local yard has a/c or not.

Removing the fan box and condenser box are amazingly easy. I didn't consult the FSM, so I started by removing the glovebox along with the metal brace that the hinges bolt to. I then unbolted the fan box and it popped right out. I Removing the condenser box started with removing the short hard line between the drier and firewall, and the big hard line at the firewall. Also remove the grommets the lines pass through from the firewall. Then it's just a matter of removing a few 10mm bolts and nuts and easing it out. The whole operation probably took less than 30 minutes.

BTW, if you decide you might want to resurrect the a/c at some future time, keep an eye on ebay. You can pick up the system a piece at a time and save a lot of money.

[ARCHINSTL]

Thanks for the info! I sent you a PM.
Tom M.