I'm looking at a '79 F250, looks to be a decent truck, however it has the C6 tranny, like my '77 had...also it lacks A/C (a necessity in FL).
What would i be looking at parts/price wise to swap from the C6 tranny to a 4 speed auto? I would prefer a manual but that's too much work. It has the 350 motor and it is 4wd.

Also, what would i be looking at as far as "pain in the assness" to add factory A/C?

Thanks in advance.

 

The "from the factory" air conditioning uses a different firewall on the cab with a large opening. The opening is filled by a large plenum for the air conditioning system.

I believe there were also two different dealer installed air conditioning systems, one of which was a Ford system.

I recently purchased a "donor" truck from California and I believe it has this system. I don't know if it works at all, or if it does work, how well it works. I would like to sell that system complete with a/c compressor, brackets, pulleys, (400 engine) etc, etc. If you're interested, PM me and I'll shoot you some photos.

 

Dealer installed Deluxe A/C: The A/C is integral with the heater, uses an enormous bezel that spans the entire right side of the dash, covering up the glove box door in the process.

The two A/C control switches are separate from the heater control panel, mount into this bezel.

Since the Deluxe A/C was integral with the heater, it was necessary to remove the glove boxes cardboard liner.

A separate glove box assy came with the kit. It bolted to the bottom of the dashboard.
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Dealer installed Economy A/C: This simple A/C system is separate from the heater. The two A/C control switches are separate from the heater control panel.

These mount into a rectangular panel that also contains two A/C registers. The original glove box is extant.
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Factory installed Integral (with the heater) A/C: The A/C-Heater Control Panel is one single unit.

 

Bill,

Thanks for clarifying the dealer installed A/C options. The system in my "donor" is the economy system. I don't think I've ever seen the deluxe system.

How well do these systems work? I'm also curious (if you know) the costs associated with the dealer installed systems?

My experience is that it is always cheaper to order the factory option rather than try and add it later.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

The factory ac system isn't one I'd wanna use. Like Bill said, you would have to cut a third of your firewall out and mount the huge plenum on it, which nearly blocks the entire right side of your engine from view and service, and it's ugly. The under dash wiring is also non-interchangable and you would have to change that as well.

This is one of the few times I would recommend the aftermarket over OEM. And prices are comparable, unless you get very lucky with a complete and fully opereable factory system for cheap. If you have to replace any of the major components, the price goes up VERY fast.

I've priced an aftermarket AC system for my dads 65 F100 and it's $1000 complete, for a brand new system. The compressor alone for your OEM AC is $400 or so, and they are now 30 yrs old!, along with every other component in the system.

There is an AOD available for the 351/400. It was used on 80s and 90s 460 powered F series. Myself I have just a vague idea of availabilty, cost and installation ease, but I think there are threads on the topic if you use the search function.

 

As they say is southern Russia, replacement parts for the two dealer installed A/C's are slim-ski and none-ski.

When new and/or maintained, these two systems worked great. But Father Time usually has taken its toll by now, so most of them have given up the ghost.

The problem associated with the aftermarket A/C systems available today is...they are not in the dash, they are hang-on units, so they bolt to the bottom of the dash.

This may cause a problem if the truck has a 4 speed and/or is a 4WD, as the hang-on's bezel may interfer with the shift lever(s).

Then there's this: If the hoses or any parts of the A/C system where freon is present have been disconnected, outside air has gotten into the system.

When this occurs, the entire system must be evacuated within a couple of weeks.

If not, you can kiss the compressor, dryer tank, and expansion valve good-bye, as corrosion has formed internally, so the innards of these parts resemble the rusting away RMS Titanic.