Compressor upgrade

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Yes, I logged over 3,000 hours as airborne support on flying status in active duty (crew chief), the spent another 31 years as an Air Reserve Technician
Did you know a Chief who's last name is Spence?

...and thanks for your service.
 
Well I just got back from Randy bouchillon about putting a c171 on my engine.
Supposedly "nobody makes brackets for that compressor because they had so many leaks and failures". Really? I've had a bunch of cars with them and never had a problem with one
 
I have an LD340 intake and Sanden 7 series short compressor. I modified the stock '69 AC bracket so I could retain the 2 original belt idler pulleys and run the original AC crank pulley which has a single dedicated AC belt as was original on '69 small blocks.

Classic Auto Air sent me BPE brackets which would have had AC and PS share one big long belt which would have insufficient belt wrap and likely have slipping issues. And don't bother calling BPE they do not care one single bit about helping anyone with anything.

I still have original RV2 compressor. Giant heavy ugly pig that saps power to turn it. That can sit in storage go with the car when I die.

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Vintage air has a nice bracket for the 70-78 smallblock, part number 162774-SDA and a nice bracket for the 69 and down, part number 161004. These are the only bracket kits that allow you to use the full size 508 compressor. all other bracket kits-you have to use the shorty compressor. I would think bigger is always better.
 

If you are going to use R-134 in your new Sanden powered A/C, you better change the condenser to a triple-pass style at the same time.
 
I have a brand new "car quest" condenser I've bought within the last year "factory replacement" for my truck.... Hopefully it'll work. What if you put 134 in a factory original condenser and not a "triple pass?
And I guess I'm gonna have to find a set of factory SB AC brackets and modify them to fit ..
Id rather use factory style hoses which can't be used with the sanden or the shorty compressor.
Got some good info on all the different options to add AC to something that didn't originally have it or to upgrade original style ac systems here guys, keep it up.
 
I have a brand new "car quest" condenser I've bought within the last year "factory replacement" for my truck.... Hopefully it'll work. What if you put 134 in a factory original condenser and not a "triple pass?
And I guess I'm gonna have to find a set of factory SB AC brackets and modify them to fit ..
Id rather use factory style hoses which can't be used with the sanden or the shorty compressor.
Got some good info on all the different options to add AC to something that didn't originally have it or to upgrade original style ac systems here guys, keep it up.
I've bought stuff from these guys over the years. Good quality, prices and Tech advice.

 
I have read (could have been in another post on here in another thread, it's been a while) that as rugged and durable the old RV2 was, the C171, sanden, etc only eats like 5hp while the RV2 cost 25hp penalty of engine output.
The only problem I see is that with the intake i have, with factory brackets anyway the compressor will be right on top of the T stat.
I remember when we did the engine in my son's ramcharger he originally put an offy intake on it (360 LA) and we had to change it out for that reason.

It would totally not surprise me that the RV2 takes that much power to drive, but that said, I'd have to see it to believe it. I can certainly see that they would take more than the Sanden. But what difference does it really make? If you have AC on something, obviously you ain't lookin for every last bit of HP. I plan on putting a Sanden style compressor on my 75 F250 before long. It has the original York compressor. They normally are indestructible, but this one isn't much longer for this world.
 
looking more like Im gonna have to; either find a way to get my magnum heads drilled for an LA intake and use a different intake than I wanted to
OR go all custom aftermarket parts, including compressor (so I can find brackets that will work with my combo), or else find some factory brackets and fit up/modify/ fabricate myself to fit. which certainly is possible.

Don't kill me, but I'd rather use factory type replacement parts, for future simplicity in finding needed replacement parts down the road.... but Im not gonna "not" put AC on my projects.
But please keep the ideas comin. Others are hopefully getting some "good" from them.

I have 2 trucks Im putting AC in, that came from the factory without. My 83 had "dealer air" added on, I don't know if my son kept the bracketry from that engine or not. That would possibly give me a "running start" to fab something up.
Nor do I know if he kept the stuff from under the dash that was on that truck.
My 85 was factory "non AC". I have "factory AC" heater boxes for both that I've gotten from multiple trucks, between CL and our own "Hemi SS dart" back from when he had his swap meets for a few years running... before he sold his building.
I started with 3 heater/plenum boxes, was able to salvage 2 good ones out of the 3... One had a bad "box" from rough handling, either during removal or from storage.... and 1 had a bad top. One of the good units I had to patch a small hole in the lower box, using material cut from the "parts" one that was otherwise busted up, to make a patch... it wont be seen once mounted in the truck. I have bought the MEGA heater box rebuilding kits for both, from DMT. so those will be the basis for my AC conversions.
The 83 is 3/4 ton, will be getting a Magnum 360 dressed like the 300hp "crate motors" sold by MP back in the late 90s.
The 85 is 1/2 ton, has a freshly rebuilt and upgraded /6. I THINK I have all the factory bracketry Im gonna need, for that compressor mount. Pirated from a junkyard bound F body for the compressor mounts for that one. I have all new "four seasons" brand factory style hoses, H valve, drier, and a new (might be reman) factory C171 compressor for that job.
Mainly starting to piece together what I need for the 83. and that's the one that I might have to find/make/modify compressor mount brackets for.
Ive known guys to cut the crimps off the factory ends and "re hose" them. I may be in that boat, if I wind up having to go with an aftermarket universal type compressor for that truck.
but with the wife and her asthma, I'm gonna need to put AC on both of these. Honestly, besides about 3-4 days a year, I could take it or leave it, if it weren't for that.
 
I modified an RV2 bracket for my daughter's car. Bracket and Pulleys came off a 1979 D150. I do have the later factory intake with the thermostat housing moved over. Might be tight on the back of the compressor with the center thermostat housing type intake.

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I'm late to this thread. Just a FYI. The Chrysler RV-2 compressor is a very durable compressor, but no longer available as new. Rebuilds are a crap shoot. C-171 compressors do have leakage problems, and some compressor/clutch combinations are hard to find. As for the durability of the Sanden, they are really good. It is the Chinese "knock-off" Sanden "type/style" that have durability issues.
 
I modified an RV2 bracket for my daughter's car. Bracket and Pulleys came off a 1979 D150. I do have the later factory intake with the thermostat housing moved over. Might be tight on the back of the compressor with the center thermostat housing type intake.

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Hey, great tip on modifying the brackets. Would you be able to elaborate on what you had to do? Did you have to drill new holes? How is the driver side of the compressor bolted up? More pics?
 
The driver side isn't modified at all. On the passenger side I cut off the existing compressor mounting tab and welded on a longer tab with a hole in it because the new compressor mounting holes were narrower. This compressor came with the Classic Auto Air kit. If you don't have access to a welder, I think you could bolt a piece on the passenger side instead of welding. The modification has to be on the passenger side or the belts will rub the water pump or they would in my case.

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