Posted by Dennis (IP: 152.163.201.54) on November 13, 2000 at 17:48:08:
In Reply to: Swapping parts posted by MadMav71 on November 12, 2000 at 21:46:12:
While not the easiest thing to do, its not the hardest either. As Charlie said, most all the holes you need to drill are dimpled. Some holes you will have to seal up. Unfortunately, its almost impossible to swap a part at a time because the last thing you remove from the donor car is the first thing that needs to be installed in the other car. If you have a video camera you can tape the dismantling to aid you. All heater/ac controls are vacuum operated so mark all the vacuum lines carefully & make sure you have good hose & tight connections. Be careful of that vacuum switch on the heater control, after 20 years or more it breaks easily. You have to pull the windshield to change the dash but this is much better and easier than trying to cut the dash up (in my opinion). Good time to put a new windshield gasket in too. As far as freon, if you have an ac buddy, R12 is still available but at a premium. While you have the AC system apart, install all new o ring seals & consider having new hoses made. This will help retain that golden gas in your system. The major problem with Ford compressors is the shaft seal. Consider getting the compressor rebuilt. once you have your system working, run it at least once a week for about 10 minutes to keep the seals lubricated. Converting to R134 is an option. I have heard both ways on the good & bad of it. Half the people say its great & the other half say its crap. I am currently in a class on refrigeration & the instructor says its not going to last long unless you replace almost everything. I kept mine with R12 & Its working great. Email if you have any other questions.