I have a 77 short bed with a 302 engine. The truck is an original AC truck and I would like to bring it back to have ac. I have a friend who has a 72 with a 390. He does not want ac in the truck so he has offered to give me the pieces needed. My question is, will they fit on a 302

 

The brackets for mounting the compressor on the block will not fit if that's what you are asking. The truck parts should work.

 

Thanks for the info. I figured the brackets were different. I did not know about the other componenets.

 

1968/72 F100/350's were available with three different types of A/C, which type is it? If it's factory installed Integral A/C and he removes it, he won't have a heater!

All three of these A/C's are "Hang-On's" .. the bezels bolt to the bottom of the dash.

NONE of the parts are the same as 1973/79 except the York compressor used with factory installed Integral A/C.
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3 different types of A/C were also available for 1973/79 F100/350's & 1978/79 Bronco's. Which type does your 77 have?

1) Factory installed Integral A/C is combined with the heater. The A/C controls are located in the same panel as the heater controls.

2) Deluxe dealer installed A/C is combined with the heater. The two A/C switches are located in the HUGE dash bezel that sweeps across the entire right side of the dash, covers up the glove box.

There is a separate 'hang-on' glove box bolted to the bottom of the dash.

3) Economy dealer installed A/C is not combined with the heater. The two A/C switches are located in a panel that also contains two registers. This panel fits into the dash to the left of the glove box.

 

If one were to locate factory AC parts(of the first kind), would they work with modern chemicals? I remember hearing that the chemicals changed years ago and older systems either had to modified or replaced with the new type.

 

Older A/C's use R-12 freon that the EPA has banned the production of.

Some of this R-12 is still available from A/C shops, but they want about 25 bucks for a one lb. can, and the A/C takes about 2 1/2 lbs. Original price was about 2 bucks a can.

The newer A/C's use R-134 freon, the older R-12 A/C compressors won't work with R-134, have to be changed to the R-134 Nippondenso type compressors.

 

Number dummy,

I don't know anything about ac components, so bear with me. If I get a 72 compressor and have it rebuilt, will it now use todays Freon?

 

Number Dummy, I do understand that factory air is in the same box as the heat. I have that part in my truck. Its the other parts I need to locate.

 

Hi Benbuilder,
Probably not. The other issue is that the two refrigerants are not compatible. This means that any lines that had R12 will need to be replaced or cleaned. Read that as condensor, accumulator, evaporator, etc....

 

So lets say a truck is set up for AC from the factory minus the compressor. The hoses and cab have been set up for type one AC.

What compressor will work for the conversion to use the R-134?

 

Thanks for the help everyone. So how does a guy, if he has a complete AC truck with all components, run AC? The old Freon must be in limited suppy.

 

You have 2 options.

Option 1: spend $50 a can for the old r12 stuff.

Option 2: as discussed earlier, to run the newer r134 you will need to have the compressor rebuilt with new seals etc, replace all the lines, and essentially rebuild the factory system (ie: condenser and such).

At least that is my take on it.

 

Yes, it is getting harder to find. You can ask HVAC shops if they have any. One other avenue is if you have a friend that works in an old industrial building. Sometimes they keep the old stuff around for the ACs and freezers.

 

I have had a couple vehicles converted to 134A. All seals must be replaced. Both conversions were relatively successful. However, because 134A is not as efficient as the old R-12, the system will not cool as well when little air is passing over the condenser, like when you're sitting in sweltering heat in stop-and-go traffic. The solution is a larger condenser which is not a simple job. A high-capacity electric fan might also solve this problem.
Eric

 

I have the original style york compressor(it has been replaced with a new one) and it works fine with R134a. The sanden compressor is probably going to be more efficient and have less vibration. You do need to flush and change all seals and dryer when converting from r12 to 134a, probably need a new compressor too.