Anyone install Vintage Air in a 1967 Coronet?

[Billccm]

Are there "only" two things not lining up?

Compressor and PS?

Can the pulleys be slightly re-positioned on the shafts?

I believe the power steering pump can be aligned with some combinations of shims and spacers and washers.

What has me stumped is the alternator. This alternator mounts differently on the 1967 vs 1968 and newer. I've also got a separate belt and pulley just for the fan that is part of the alternator mounts. It's got a cast iron cradle like mount that bolts to the block.

If I use the vintage air alternator mount per the instructions the pulley will be too far forward by a large margin. The alternator pulley will be close to hitting the radiator shroud.

It almost looks like if I just keep the alternator mount stock I can make this work, but vintage air says no way

 

[Billccm]

I'm trying to convince myself this would work.

 

[71RRHI]

That bottom picture, the belts don't look like its lined up.

 

[YY1]

Interesting they didn't just give you a compressor mount.

They should do that and make it adjustable so it lines up with AC and non-AC pulleys.

 

[YY1]

Yeah, bottom pic looks like front of comp is angled towards driver's side.

 

[Billccm]

Well, I have tried every combination of spacers and shims and this is the best configuration. I decided to get the heater hoses connected so I can fill the system with plain water and pressure test it overnight. If no leaks I can at least start the car and see how bad the belts behave.

Power steering hoses reconnected and reservoir has fresh fluid.

My mechanic friend couldn't make it today, but he hopes to come by tomorrow morning. He told me to keep in mind that 3 degrees or so is acceptable (he said back in the day it wasn't precise). Anyhow he is my only source of knowledge I can get any answers from.

Vintage Air replied to my email with a photo of an application without power steering and a separate idler. No words or text. I assume they are recommending I converted to manual steering as the only solution?

Pictures attached make the set up look distorted belt wise, but I can tell you the skew is under 3 degrees.

 

[Billccm]

Vintage Air reply.

 

[Kern Dog]

I'm trying to convince myself this would work.

View attachment 1648745

View attachment 1648746

I’m looking at these in my tiny phone screen but they seem right to me.
If you’re okay with waiting a couple of days, I can try to snap better pictures of my car and a few others.
I’m at a Mopar show in southern CA and expect to see plenty of BB V8s with A/C. There may be some with your power steering pump too. Send me a PM and let me know if you want me to post pictures here or in a PM.

 

[Billccm]

I’m looking at these in my tiny phone screen but they seem right to me.
If you’re okay with waiting a couple of days, I can try to snap better pictures of my car and a few others.
I’m at a Mopar show in southern CA and expect to see plenty of BB V8s with A/C. There may be some with your power steering pump too. Send me a PM and let me know if you want me to post pictures here or in a PM.

Thanks Kern. Since you are at one of the largest collection of Mopars that gather it would be nice for a few photos if you come across my configuration. Please post here in the thread.

I browsed last night lots of 1967 B Body vintage air pictures. I noticed every single one that used the vintage air alternator mount had electric cooling fans, OR a Saginaw pump.

So, if you find my configuration (RB, mechanical fan, and TRW pump) I would be greatful. Enjoy yourself; I wish I could be there and meet you guys

 

[Dave6T4]

Here's mine.

View attachment 1649386

 

[Billccm]

So my retired mechanic friend who has installed three of these systems showed up at precisely 8am this morning. He stared at the configuration for several minutes without saying a word and then declared "you need to start over".

After I came to and got up off the floor.......we discussed the set up. He wants to start over and use pulleys, fan, fan clutch, etc from a 1969 B Body. This will allow use of the vintage air alternator bracket and follows the vintage air instructions much more closely.

I paid him for his time and decided to take a risk and proceed.

Refrigerant lines are still not connected and I have wiring to do, but I had to start the car and at least check for cooling system leaks. Filled the radiator with the garden hose and fired her up. From what I can tell I didn't break anything. Dash gauges working, lights working, under dash gauges okay, battery was charging, and I idled until the thermostat opened. The heater control valve must default to closed when not electrically connected as only one hose got hot. No cooling system leaks and no belts threw off any pulleys. For now I'm going to proceed to wiring.

Video of it running

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AksXImgz5jdygqkCbOLTNvgHTpg_XA

 

[Dave6T4]

My car used to have a factory A/C system on it, so I had the 4 groove crankshaft pulley and the different alternator bracket that bolts down to the motor mount. Also has smaller water pump pulley and idler pulley. The kit alternator mount looked like a piece of $hit, so I did not use it. The belt looks to be out of alignment from A/C pulley to alternator pulley by about 1/2 the belt width, but I can live with that.

 

[Kern Dog]

It looks like your pulleys are sorted out. The alternator/A/C compressor belts look like they could be a little tighter but it looks to me Like you have the pulleys figured out.
I looked for cars at the show today but what arrangements I found wasn’t like the car in the video link you posted.
I am sorry that I couldn’t help.

 

[Billccm]

Putting together a wiring strategy. Need to buy more spade lug connectors and heat shrink tomorrow.
Question for @Kern Dog ; did you run both white wires from the ECU Gen IV to the (-) battery post as vintage air instructions?

(Hope you had a great time at spring fling and made it home safe, BTW)

I like to connect a wire jumper to the starter relay stud, and with the battery disconnected measure continuity thru the various terminals while cycling the ignition switch to run. Found a BLK with tracer that should be good for the run voltage that used to power the controller.

 

[Kern Dog]

Putting together a wiring strategy. Need to buy more spade lug connectors and heat shrink tomorrow.
Question for @Kern Dog ; did you run both white wires from the ECU Gen IV to the (-) battery post as vintage air instructions?

(Hope you had a great time at spring fling and made it home safe, BTW)

I just got home from the show and had a great time.
Regarding the wiring, I don't remember off the top of my head. I'll be out back in the shop tomorrow to tinker around so I'll take a look and report back.

 

[Billccm]

Well I'm about 90% satisfied with the wiring. At the "binary switch" I had few choices to make connections and decided just take a direct route and try not to be elegant. I used tubing to pass wires through existing openings and soldered and heat shrink connections. Putting that one screw in for the grill at the "binary switch" might not be achievable.

The instructions stated three or four times that white wires go directly to the (-) battery post. I soldered a ring terminal to the white wires. For (+) I decided to go straight to the battery with a soldered ring terminal. If I decide later I can always shorten the wire and go to the starter relay stud.

I soldered a male lug to the violet vintage air ECU feed and plugged it into a black tracer that was used for the heater control.

Used a existing hole for the old heater box and a fender washer, 10 24 x 1.5 inch and made my own double nut stud to mount the circuit breaker.

Calibration performed and all modes working heater box door wise. Blower has low to high speeds. I guess once we get heat and AC we can test temperature.

Going to install the remaining pressure lines tomorrow.

 

[Billccm]

Controller looks nice.

 

[Billccm]

I really don't want to jinx myself, but I'm so close to being done I want to declare victory.

Vintage Air wise the installation is 90% complete. I need to dress some wiring and install the dash ducts.

I did start the car and let it idle until the thermostat opened. Heater blows hot and the temp slider works to shut off the heater water.

So far, no leaks.

Routing those last two compressor refrigerant lines was performed many times trying to get it to look like the figures in the instructions. No way they could be routed in the fashion showed in the drawings unless the lines to the condenser were changed in length and angle. This is the only way I could connect and route these lines.

Debating on relocating the ignition box, or doing the right thing and switching to pertronix. I'll think about it.

Trying to find someone to vacuum and charge the system. If my luck holds out there the remaining work is installing the grill and seats.

 

[Billccm]

Was going through all of vintage air boxes in the garage to make certain I didn't miss anything and got a panic attack when I came across a refrigerant line in the bottom of the evaporator packing material.

Looks like someone with a Tri 5 Chevy maybe missing a refrigerant line.

 

[Kern Dog]

That reminds me of the time I was helping a guy do an engine swap way back in the 90s.
As we set the engine in and was ready to bolt up the transmission, I said to the guy….They forgot to put a crankshaft in the engine !
The guy didn’t know much about cars… Is that important??
I got a good laugh from that.