A/C Parts Source?

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Road Grabber

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I'm trying to replace the lines, hoses, components for an A/C system on my 1970 Dart Swinger 340. I want to keep it original.

Does anyone have pat numbers so I can search this or a vendor(s) that can supply them?

I have the compressor to have rebuilt but I need the rest of the components that were removed and bumped around over the years. I want new replacements.
 
I would look into finding a parallel flow condenser to make the system work well with 134a. Mopars used an evaporator/dryer that looks like the universal aftermarket type. I would invest in a crimping tool or have a local shop make up barrier hoses to connect everything. It's really not too hard to do and makes a huge difference in system performance and still looks stock unless you're an AC guru.
 
The original style AC lines are not available new. You will have to find original lines and have the rubber hoses replaced. The hard line along passenger's side inner fender, hard line between between expansion valve and AC core, hard line between condenser and filter drier those are not reproduced. You will have to have those made or find originals. Some guy with a bronze '69 Barracuda did a build thread on this forum and he fabricated the hard lines and rounded up all the missing AC under hood parts.
 
340sFastback said:
The original style AC lines are not available new. You will have to find original lines and have the rubber hoses replaced. The hard line along passenger's side inner fender, hard line between between expansion valve and AC core, hard line between condenser and filter drier those are not reproduced. You will have to have those made or find originals. Some guy with a bronze '69 Barracuda did a build thread on this forum and he fabricated the hard lines and rounded up all the missing AC under hood parts.
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Yeah, making the lines isn't terrible. It's the best way.
 
nitro_rat said:
I would look into finding a parallel flow condenser to make the system work well with 134a. Mopars used an evaporator/dryer that looks like the universal aftermarket type. I would invest in a crimping tool or have a local shop make up barrier hoses to connect everything. It's really not too hard to do and makes a huge difference in system performance and still looks stock unless you're an AC guru.
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Mine is a factory AC car but I put Sanden compressor and parallel flow condenser on. I modified original AC compressor brackets to retain original belt idler pulleys and original AC crank pulley. As original as I could get it with upgraded compressor and condenser. Compressor hoses are all new and not exact to originals. Hard lines from filter drier to evaporator are original to car. Original Heat AC under dash units restored. Blows ice cold on scorching hot summer days.

PXL_20250123_160313942.MP.jpg
 
In the link below that guy was missing all of his AC under hood components. He had the High Side hard lines fabricated and was able to locate all the other original under hood parts. I also stole his idea for the parallel flow condenser and hard line from condenser and filter drier and applied it to my car:

1969 Barracuda Fastback
 
Thanks for the replies. I will sift through and try to look into this.

Can anyone provide a picture of a parallel condenser? A suggested source?

Would an AC repair shop be able to create lines?

If I can narrow it down to a system I can get components without buying the wrong parts and wasting money.

I would like to keep the appearance of original if possible.
 
340sFastback said:
Mine is a factory AC car but I put Sanden compressor and parallel flow condenser on. I modified original AC compressor brackets to retain original belt idler pulleys and original AC crank pulley. As original as I could get it with upgraded compressor and condenser. Compressor hoses are all new and not exact to originals. Hard lines from filter drier to evaporator are original to car. Original Heat AC under dash units restored. Blows ice cold on scorching hot summer days.

View attachment 1716357086
Click to expand...
That's the best way to do it. The Sanden takes less than 5hp to drive compared to the 25hp of the old iron lung...
Road Grabber said:
Thanks for the replies. I will sift through and try to look into this.

Can anyone provide a picture of a parallel condenser? A suggested source?

Would an AC repair shop be able to create lines?

If I can narrow it down to a system I can get components without buying the wrong parts and wasting money.

I would like to keep the appearance of original if possible.
Click to expand...
There are 3 types of condesnsers. Serpentine is what the original unit are, basically a single tube wound back and forth like an old school transmission cooler. Picollo is the second type, its two end pieces with typically a bunch of 6mm tubes connecting the two. It's an intermediate design. Parallel flow is the best design, it's more like a stacked plate transmission cooler.

The reason for the change in condenser design is that 134a expands something like twice as much as R12 did. All modern aftermarket condensers are usually parallel flow. Basically you'll want the biggest condenser you can fit. Measuring your existing one and trying to match up something similar in size is a good starting point.

I'm guessing that a factory air 340 would have had a 26" radiator?
Horizontal SuperFlow Condenser with brackets 14 IN. tall x 25 IN. wide x 1 IN. thick
Something like that might work for the condenser.

And maybe something like this for the hoses and dryer:
Beadlock 10-Fitting Refrigerant Hose Kit with Drier for 134a

You'll want to do a little research and find out what size your existing hose connections are. You might need to salvage some existing fittings, you might not.

There are lots of other vendors besides Vintage Air, they are probably the biggest though.
 
For parallel condenser look at that '69 Barracuda build thread link I posted above. The condenser part number is in that build thread. That condenser the stock AC line on driver's side will hook right up. The hard line from condenser to filter drier is an off the shelf line you have to bend yourself. I copied what that guy did on my car as far as condenser and that hard line

'70 up 340 is different pulley and belt setup. But the AC lines and condenser ect all the same as a '69.
 
In post #9 above the '69 Barracuda build where guy used a parallel flow condenser here the condenser and hard line he used. I copied what that guy did on my car. And factory AC line on drivers side will hook right to this condenser no adapters or mods needed. See link in post #9 above for more detail. Below is the picture of my condenser to filter drier hard line I bent (I stole idea from other guy):

CN 21004C

Vintage Air 125743 Vintage Air U-Bend-Em Refrigerant Lines | Summit Racing

Condensor AC Line.jpg
 
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To look 100% correct you will need to find new old stock hoses. Todays crimpers do not look like OEM.
 
340sFastback said:
In post #9 above the '69 Barracuda build where guy used a parallel flow condenser here the condenser and hard line he used. I copied what that guy did on my car. And factory AC line on drivers side will hook right to this condenser no adapters or mods needed. See link in post #9 above for more detail. Below is the picture of my condenser to filter drier hard line I bent (I stole idea from other guy):

CN 21004C

Vintage Air 125743 Vintage Air U-Bend-Em Refrigerant Lines | Summit Racing

View attachment 1716357141
Click to expand...

Thank you. I will check it out.
 
340sFastback said:
In post #9 above the '69 Barracuda build where guy used a parallel flow condenser here the condenser and hard line he used. I copied what that guy did on my car. And factory AC line on drivers side will hook right to this condenser no adapters or mods needed. See link in post #9 above for more detail. Below is the picture of my condenser to filter drier hard line I bent (I stole idea from other guy):

CN 21004C

Vintage Air 125743 Vintage Air U-Bend-Em Refrigerant Lines | Summit Racing

View attachment 1716357141
Click to expand...

Are these the actual parts you used?
Did you have to make up brackets to mount the condenser?
I take it you used a line bending kit?

It is a number matching car. Depending on if I could find the parts I would consider this.
 
Road Grabber said:
Are these the actual parts you used?
Did you have to make up brackets to mount the condenser?
I take it you used a line bending kit?

It is a number matching car. Depending on if I could find the parts I would consider this.
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Yes those are the actual parts I used.

No brackets. I drilled holes in condensor larger, used 3/8 fuel like around an inch or so as a spacer, then it mounts through original holes in radiator support.

Yes I used tubing bender. But line is soft aluminum bends much easier then steel. Everyone will think your a rock star but its actually super easy.

PXL_20250127_213403511.jpg


PXL_20250127_212941616.jpg


PXL_20250127_212933048.MP.jpg
 
My 69 cuda has a completely stock system with R134 and it will freeze you out. Unless you have a reason you want to change condensers or compressors you are likely not going to notice any difference from stock. All i did was buy a new expansion valve and drier.

The above assumes that all your stock parts are functioning properly when assembled.

Individual ac parts are hard to find, but I have seen folks selling whole ac setups recently.
 
Mike69cuda said:
My 69 cuda has a completely stock system with R134 and it will freeze you out. Unless you have a reason you want to change condensers or compressors you are likely not going to notice any difference from stock. All i did was buy a new expansion valve and drier.

The above assumes that all your stock parts are functioning properly when assembled.

Individual ac parts are hard to find, but I have seen folks selling whole ac setups recently.
Click to expand...

I will keep an eye out for any stock AC parts as mine were bent up pretty good. Did you use a stock condenser or parallel with the R134?

Thanks
 

Mike69cuda said:
My 69 cuda has a completely stock system with R134 and it will freeze you out. Unless you have a reason you want to change condensers or compressors you are likely not going to notice any difference from stock. All i did was buy a new expansion valve and drier.

The above assumes that all your stock parts are functioning properly when assembled.

Individual ac parts are hard to find, but I have seen folks selling whole ac setups recently.
Click to expand...
All true the original systems will blow ice cold with r134. Its been done many times by a lot of ppl on this forum.
 
I used the stock condenser. I’m not saying a parallel is better or worse, just that the factory design works fine.

I think that the change from R12 to R134 is a fairly minor thing.

There has been a large amount of incorrect data circulated for the last thirty years that says you need to change everything from o rings to compressors because of R134. However, most of that has proven to be untrue from a practical standpoint.

I am not a professional AC guy, so don’t take my opinion as fact, however I have been recharging ac’s with R134 on a hobby level since the 90s with good success. If I doesn’t work when you recharge it with R134, you probably have other problems.

There are a whole lot of folks on the forum who are a lot smarter than me and have great ideas on improving things. However, few provide any actual data to back up claims. A great amount the time I suspect it is hard to tell whether something is actually better or just different.

If you are a perfectionist, and have a big wallet, and want every last ounce of performance efficiency, go for it. However, if you are like me and have a limited amount of time and money, I prefer to spend it where I get the most bang for the buck. As one of my friends used to say, “poor people have poor ways”…..
 
Mike69cuda said:
I used the stock condenser. I’m not saying a parallel is better or worse, just that the factory design works fine.

I think that the change from R12 to R134 is a fairly minor thing.

There has been a large amount of incorrect data circulated for the last thirty years that says you need to change everything from o rings to compressors because of R134. However, most of that has proven to be untrue from a practical standpoint.

I am not a professional AC guy, so don’t take my opinion as fact, however I have been recharging ac’s with R134 on a hobby level since the 90s with good success. If I doesn’t work when you recharge it with R134, you probably have other problems.

There are a whole lot of folks on the forum who are a lot smarter than me and have great ideas on improving things. However, few provide any actual data to back up claims. A great amount the time I suspect it is hard to tell whether something is actually better or just different.

If you are a perfectionist, and have a big wallet, and want every last ounce of performance efficiency, go for it. However, if you are like me and have a limited amount of time and money, I prefer to spend it where I get the most bang for the buck. As one of my friends used to say, “poor people have poor ways”…..
Click to expand...
I converted three mid 80s fox body mustangs from R12 to R134, changed o-rings, flushed compressors, changed filter driers, added PAG oil and they all blow cold on the hottest days. I am sure a parallel flow condenser is more efficient, better, etc etc, Sanden compressor is more efficient etc etc. But for the most part yes a R12 system in good condition is going to blow cold with R134.
 
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