I'm thinking of tossing the stock AC unit in my truck. It needs to be converted over to 13a anyway. Anything i should be careful of when removing it? Such as the hoses? Will they spray anything out when unhooking them? Also, there looks like a bunch of AC crap in the cab! Is it all pretty simple to remove?



Dave

 

You need to make sure it is professionally discharged and the freon contained.....releasing A/C freon into the air can land you a fine of $100,000 or more....

 

And make sure you tape over any ports where hoses attach, or two parts come together.

Failure to do so, will result in the compressor, condenser, expansion valve and dryer tank to be ruined.

Once air gets inside, you can kiss those parts goodbye in less than a month, less time if the air is humid.

Once outside air gets inside, the entire A/C system must be evacuated ASAP, otherwise....

 

So tape up the parts to the AC unit, or the hoses from AC unit to truck? Not worried if it gets toast, i won't use it again. Can i get any money for it on ebay/craigslist or are they worthless. Also, it looks like there is some AC stuff under the dash on the passenger side. Small cooling vents. Are those part of the AC system?

 

There are peeps out there that will kill for a Factory Integral A/C.

It was an extra cost option on all models, so very few were installed.

Most of the trucks that had one, have prolly gone to the big boneyard in the sky.

Stick it on craigslist or on ebay...see what happens.

Make SURE you tape over any exposed ports, otherwise it won't be worth 5 cents in a matter of weeks.

btw: You can still buy freon, so you don't need to convert anything.

It's not being produced anymore, but there's prolly several million cans of the stuff available from autoparts stores, A/C shops, even a few dealers still carry it.

Freon is expensive, about 20-25 bucks for a 14 ounce can (takes 2 1/2 cans to do a recharge).

But once the system is operational, it will go years before another recharge is necessary.

 

I'm just wondering, does the AC currently work in the truck?

 

That's a good question, but here's a better one.

Is it really Factory (installed) Integral A/C?

Integral means the A/C and heater are integrated into one unit.

Both use the same plenum chamber, and the controls for the A/C are part of the heater control panel.

Fresh air is used for both systems.

If you remove a factory installed A/C system, the heater comes along with it.

Most likely, it's either a dealer installed A/C (two were available - Deluxe or Economy).

Or a Sears, Mark IV or someone else's add on A/C. All the OP said is "stock AC." What does that mean?

btw: The dealer installed Deluxe A/C kit is also integrated into the heater, while the Economy A/C is a recirculating unit.

 

Well, the heat and ac use the same controls. Under the dash looks way different from the other '68s i've seen. Weird vents, an odd radiator and a very weird small 'second' glove box that is unbelievably smaller then the other one. It looks very stock to me. All integrated into the dash.
Here is what the control panel says:
First Lever: Cool AC OFF HEAT WARM
Second lever: AC & OFF AIR HEAT DEFROST
This brings up another question. Lever one doesnt work. It is completely loose and seems unattached to anything. My problem is, is when the second lever is on heat or defrost it isn't very warm. Could this be because of the first lever not set to heat or something else is wrong?
I can still get freon? Holy crap maybe i'll keep it!!! Or how much $$$ do you think i can get for this system?

 

Two glove boxes: Your truck has Factory Installed Integral A/C.

All the the cab's interior A/C/Heater parts are illustrated here: 1964/72 Ford Truck Parts Catalog / Illustrations / Section 195 / Page 5.

The second glove box is on the passenger side lower just to the left of the louvered registers that are part of the bezel and are not adjustable.

There are two additional registers in the center that are adjustable.

Dunno what you can get for it, but if one lever doesn't work, that's a detriment.

The A/C/Heater control panel is only used with factory A/C, there's not one available new anywhere, so to fix it, you'll have to find a used one, as Ford never sold individual parts for it.

Besides, if you remove the A/C, you'll also remove the heater!

This is an integral = integrated A/C Heater system, which uses the same controls, plenum chamber, ductwork...the whole tamale.

 

Thats messed up! Guess i better fix it and keep it!!!

 

Could it have a broken cable that's causing the one lever to be loose?

 

I doubt it.

The upper and lower levers pivot off a central bracket (one lever above, one below the bracket) that's attached to the A/C Heater control panel.

It's been years since I looked at one of these control panels, but as I recall, the levers have a short shaft on each that were pressed into plastic bushings mounted into the bracket.

Once the plastic bushing(s) give up the ghost, the lever(s) just flop around, and then you're SOL, because the plastic bushings (or any other parts of the control panel) were not sold separately.

The entire control panel had to be replaced.

 

i dont buy the fact about it being all about the ozone. not one bit. there are still 18 wheelers that dont have catalytic converters that spew nasty stuff to the environment, and theres oil refineries that pollute the planet as well. and there are still aerosol cans such as bug sprays that use cfcs as a propellant which are harmful to the ozone. so i belive the whole 134a conversion was just to stimulate the market and an opportunity for someone to get richer and nothing more. this planet has been estimated to have been around for over 4 billion years. through ice ages, meteors half the size of the moon, solar flare storms, etc. i seriously doubt a can of r12 or failing to put your beer bottle in a seperate trash bin really is worth a damn.