volvowagoon
Active member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2012
- Location
- Franklin, IN
Hey guys, I was poking around the projects section and came out pretty shocked to find little to no information about AC compressor retrofitting. Eventually, I'm hoping to swap a 3800 and 4l60e into the '89 245 whenever it decides to roast its transmission or chuck a rod.
What I want to know is how people retain AC in their modern engine swaps if they do it at all. It seems like most of the LS swappers are ditching it completely, but I like my cool air. Adapter fittings and tube bending are simple. However, in a system that already has a hard time with r-134a I am not so convinced that sticking a bigger compressor meant for an OT set-up is going to blow colder air in this tiny TXV system.
Am I overthinking it? Will the compressor out of a big American car outflow the tiny exchangers? Can I rely on my r-134a pressure switches take care of those problems? Will my evaporator freeze? Let me know if you can help! I really want to keep the factory controls. At the max I'll swap to the newer OT parts, but I'm not particularly interested in a vintage air or similar. Thanks!
What I want to know is how people retain AC in their modern engine swaps if they do it at all. It seems like most of the LS swappers are ditching it completely, but I like my cool air. Adapter fittings and tube bending are simple. However, in a system that already has a hard time with r-134a I am not so convinced that sticking a bigger compressor meant for an OT set-up is going to blow colder air in this tiny TXV system.
Am I overthinking it? Will the compressor out of a big American car outflow the tiny exchangers? Can I rely on my r-134a pressure switches take care of those problems? Will my evaporator freeze? Let me know if you can help! I really want to keep the factory controls. At the max I'll swap to the newer OT parts, but I'm not particularly interested in a vintage air or similar. Thanks!