Need help with low mounting AC bracket for 304 VN motor

[shane_3800]

Better add in a alternator upgrade with that, it draws 63 amps @ 12 volts!

My Mitsubishi only has a 40am alt lol.

 

[MikeC]

Kudos for your rebuild.

Thinking with the popularity of our cars it won't be long before someone fabricates an evaporator.

The heavy AC pipes can be rebuilt. They rebuild the metal fitting on new hose......had mine replaced along with condenser and compressor.

Weakness with our cars is they ran colder with R12. Using VP condenser and newer R123A isn't as cold but ok. People often overlook the belt which dries out because of power steering seeps from pump front seal. Any slipping is hard to notice but but can be picked up with strobe torch under reving torque load......makes a big difference.

How did you deal with inevitable plastic tab cracks and breaks?

Mine is 08/ 91. Would Mine have a filter I can access and replace? Where?

Remember a couple of years ago replacing fan resistor looking down into evaporator with a a torch and only seeing 3 or 4 eucalyptus leaves. Never see any leaves under plenum cover. Do you think they get in from elsewhere?

Unbelievable that photo really the amount of crap.

Thanks. My car A/C was rebuilt to run on 134 A in the late 1990's, but it was never as cold as it was on the original R12- that rebuild included a new compressor and condense but not evaporator. When the evaporator started leaking I had it regassed each year. There were slight leaks in the compressor and condenser so I replaced these again in the hope of stopping the leaks.An evaporator leak is almost impossible to confirm- I tried a halon detector, sniffing around the dashboard, front floor and at the evaporator drain tube and detected nothing. So , in the end, I had to bite the bullet and pull the evaporator out.

I brought the car up the Hume yesterday with the temp in the mid 30's and the A/C worked well provided I manually set the fan speed on 2 and set the mode to recirc.

I replace and check the A/C belt regularly- I know it slips easily. People should be aware that you cant adjust this belt with the car on jacks then run the engine-the belt rubs and burns out against the stabilizer bar.

The tabs and cracks were cobbled together with self tapping screws and thin metal brackets where required- fortunately a lot of them are redundant.

You wont have a cabin filter. I had to make one out of metal mesh and filter fabric from Bunnings and fit it over the cabin HVAC entry point under the plenum at the base of the windscreen, passenger side. I posted a photo of this up on this site last year. I don't have my home computer with me at the moment-so I can't re post the photo. The leaves in mine probably came from the years I did maintenance work in the food/dairy factories along the Murray- on a hot day it was tempting to park under trees.

I had to modify a VS/VR evaporator but I do I hope that someone starts making VP/VQ evaporators again- in a factory they just have to change the connection flanges. It would make things so much easier for us remaining owners.

 

[shane_3800]

Thanks. My car A/C was rebuilt to run on 134 A in the late 1990's, but it was never as cold as it was on the original R12- that rebuild included a new compressor and condense but not evaporator. When the evaporator started leaking I had it regassed each year. There were slight leaks in the compressor and condenser so I replaced these again in the hope of stopping the leaks.An evaporator leak is almost impossible to confirm- I tried a halon detector, sniffing around the dashboard, front floor and at the evaporator drain tube and detected nothing. So , in the end, I had to bite the bullet and pull the evaporator out.

I brought the car up the Hume yesterday with the temp in the mid 30's and the A/C worked well provided I manually set the fan speed on 2 and set the mode to recirc.

I replace and check the A/C belt regularly- I know it slips easily. People should be aware that you cant adjust this belt with the car on jacks then run the engine-the belt rubs and burns out against the stabilizer bar.

The tabs and cracks were cobbled together with self tapping screws and thin metal brackets where required- fortunately a lot of them are redundant.

You wont have a cabin filter. I had to make one out of metal mesh and filter fabric from Bunnings and fit it over the cabin HVAC entry point under the plenum at the base of the windscreen, passenger side. I posted a photo of this up on this site last year. I don't have my home computer with me at the moment-so I can't re post the photo. The leaves in mine probably came from the years I did maintenance work in the food/dairy factories along the Murray- on a hot day it was tempting to park under trees.

I had to modify a VS/VR evaporator but I do I hope that someone starts making VP/VQ evaporators again- in a factory they just have to change the connection flanges. It would make things so much easier for us remaining owners.

Or if they totally made a new heater box with new controls, new evaporator and heater core so it can have a cabin filter.

Rare Spares, are you listening.

 

[91SS]

Problem is, the VT 304 never had a proper serpentine belt on it, the AC compressor still ran a V belt. To achieve that would be a major re-design. To get a good service life from a serpentine belt it really needs a auto tensioner. It really is a shame Holden never did it properly on the 304.

I have seen a custom home made one. I'll see if I can find it later.

edit: or was it the PS that still had the V belt? I can never remember

During the mild resto 10 years ago I purchased an AC belt from Holden.......and it's actually a toothed belt to prevent issues discussed.
Trouble is its so tight I couldn't get it on regardless of persuasion.....evenwith idler off.......I didn't want to unbolt compressor.

So it's now in the parts bin.

So I put on the Bando belt which is thicker belt untoothed..

P.S.

Does anybody know the correct amount of gas that has to go into our retro fitted VNs with R134A gas and a VP condenser?

 

[MikeC]

My GMH recommended A/C belt wouldn't fit. I replaced it with a Gates 13A0850. If I replace it again I'd look for a belt in the Gates Fleetrunner series.
The amount of 134 A used to recharge my system was on a sticker on the filter/dryer/accumulator just after the conversion. Unfortunately I've replaced the accumulator a couple of times since and lost the info.

 

[shane_3800]

During the mild resto 10 years ago I purchased an AC belt from Holden.......and it's actually a toothed belt to prevent issues discussed.
Trouble is its so tight I couldn't get it on regardless of persuasion.....evenwith idler off.......I didn't want to unbolt compressor.

So it's now in the parts bin.

So I put on the Bando belt which is thicker belt untoothed..

P.S.

Does anybody know the correct amount of gas that has to go into our retro fitted VNs with R134A gas and a VP condenser?

The belt isn't toothed as such, I would call it sectioned, you can get them aftermarket. I think it's to help with the bend radius.

If it's a custom system it's a guess, but you can't fill it anyway so you'll have to leave that part to the A/C guy.
They have books and online charts to tell them the charge values.
But as I said in a custom system they will guess, then they check the system pressures and make sure it's within appropriate pressures on the high and low sides.

But at a guess it would be about 500-600g