Differences in AC brackets, C body to B body?

[fesser]

I have a chance to by a complete 69 440 HP. Owner says he pulled it out of a New Yorker. I want to use it in my 68 Coronet R/T that originally came with AC. One reason I am leaning toward buying this engine is that it is complete, minus the carb, and I really like the idea of having every bracket, pulley, nut and bolt for the engine accessories already in place. I know the air cleaner, and pie tin are not correct for my car, and I believe that at least one of the exhaust manifolds is different too, which is okay as I have those pieces. Then I got to wondering, are there different brackets and pulleys for the ac, power steering, and alternator when used on a 69 Chrysler (compared to a 68 Dodge)? I was hoping they would be the same.
Thanks.

 

[R413]

Chrysler corp. completely changed the A/C and alternator mounting brackets from 1968 to 1969. So if you want the correct parts for your 1968 car this 1969 set up is all wrong.

If you just want it to work then you can use every piece of the 1969 on your 1968. B and C body have a different PS bracket, but it will work on the other body styles, the offset is the same.

 

[fesser]

Chrysler corp. completely changed the A/C and alternator mounting brackets from 1968 to 1969. So if you want the correct parts for your 1968 car this 1969 set up is all wrong.

If you just want it to work then you can use every piece of the 1969 on your 1968. B and C body have a different PS bracket, but it will work on the other body styles, the offset is the same.

Thanks very much. That is exactly what I needed to know. I may do it anyway since odds aren't good that I am going to find an intact 68 HP with AC. I mainly want the car to look stock. May have to rethink that though.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Thanks very much. That is exactly what I needed to know. I may do it anyway since odds aren't good that I am going to find an intact 68 HP with AC. I mainly want the car to look stock. May have to rethink that though.

It'll work and look stock to 99% of the people... Personally if I want air I don't waste my time on the OE RV2 compressor... Put a Sanden on it, less HP to run, doesn't leak, doesn't vibrate... Consistent cold air...

Grab that 69, use the Alt, idler, W/P, crank pulley & P/S If your set on OE use the RV2, if you want A/C that works use a Sanden with Bouchilion brackets...

When using the Bouchilion I like to use a black compressor, it tends to disappear...

 

[ruffcut]

I agree with 1WildR/T. Go with the Sanden and use the rest of the brackets and such. You can thank us later....ruffcut

 

[R413]

The 1969 and up set up is better looking and lighter weight.

The 1968 design goes back many years, it has a big cast iron alt mount on the front of the head, and the compressor mount is cast iron and spans the fron of the intake bolting to both front intake bolts. I have a 1961 413 that looks mostly the same as a 1968. Differences are the idler pulley bracket has a small change. The alternator adjuster strap is different.

yes the sanden is a change for the better.

 

[R413]

And the HP block or not doesn’t change the pullies and brackets on the front of the engine.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Pay no attention to the chrome air cleaner, aluminum valve covers & lets paint those fittings black... Then the A/C just fades away..

 

[fesser]

I thank you all. I am sure I can live with the 69 stuff, especially if I run the 69 block. At least the parts will be correct for the engine, if not the car. I most likely will go the Sanden compressor route. Sometimes form has to follow function. I don't know why but I feel weird about certain things. This car can never be a "numbers" car due to the wrong engine, wrong transmission, and missing fender tag and build sheet, but I don't want it to be a restomod either. I also really want the HP stamped block even though I know there is no difference in the block. I sort of feel like if the air cleaner says 440 Magnum, then the front pad should have HP stamped on it. I know that sounds strange. I also would not put R/T emblems on a car that wasn't an R/T from the factory. Just a personal quirk.

 

[fesser]

Fast forward to 2025. Plans for stock appearing 440 are kaput. Going to run a 400/451. I bought the Classic Auto Air system supposedly designed for 69 B/RB with air conditioning. I recently started mocking things up on my engine. I intend to repaint it and wanted to see that everything would fit while I don't need to worry about scratching things up. My issue is I have some of the parts that came on the 68 440, minus the AC specific parts and a couple of brackets (the long one from the alternator, and pretty sure one from the PS Pump mount), and I believe everything but the water pump pulley off the 69. Both cars had 4 groove crank pulleys, with the most obvious difference being the 68's second pulley in is slightly smaller in diameter than the other three. All four are the same on the 69's pulley. I started with the 69 parts on the engine, and partially mounted the CAA compressor mounting plate and the compressor that I bought with their kit. I say partially because the plate requires the use of spacers behind it and there was no combination of the spacers that were included that would allow me to run bolts through all of the mounting holes and snug them up.

First glance with things just snugged up in place...

So what is shown in the picture above is the alternator and bracket, the power steering pump and bracket, and the 4 groove crank pulley that came off a 69 440 from a C Body. The water pump pulley was on the 68 440 that was in my car when I got it.

Just holding the AC compressor in place against the bracket showed that things were not going to be easy. The two pulley on the compressor were further forward than either of the pulleys on the alternator. I also found that I could not get all four bolts started in the mounting plate at the same time, the issue seems to be the lower hole (second one in on the driver's side). I could get three started but the fourth seemed slightly out of line. Not a big deal since I didn't have the spacers in place because the one called for with the shared power steering bracket hole was too long. I figure I will worry about getting correct spacers later in the process.

To be thorough, I put the 68 alternator and brackets (missing the long one) on to see if it made a difference. It did not. I played with the 68 crank pulley but since it seems at this time that the compressor might need the two forwardmost grooves that the 68 won't work due to the second groove being smaller.

I am clearly doing something wrong...

No amount of shimming is going to get two belts around the alternator and the compressor pulleys.

I see that 1 Wild R/T's setup above doesn't appear to have this issue, so I am off to the Bouchillon website to see what I can learn. I am all ears if someone has any
ideas or has been through this.

Below is the 68 alternator setup, minus the big top bracket I am missing. I actually would like to use this, and the 69 power steering setup if they are compatible as far as pulley alignment. I like the way the 68 alt. bracket uses three bolts into the head vs. one.

 

[ruffcut]

Just thinking, but the idler pulley is lined up with the 3rd groove and the water pump pulley should be also. the back 2 grooves should run the AC pump and the alternator. That would leave the front most groove for the power steering pump. What if you placed the AC pump behind the bracket? I don't have any pics available of mine at the moment. ruffcut

 

[fesser]

What if you placed the AC pump behind the bracket? I don't have any pics available of mine at the moment. ruffcut

Tried messing with that. It won't clear some of the hardware on the face of the compressor, and then it becomes offset from the idler pulley that mounts on the same bracket/plate. Just holding it in that position didn't seem to get it close enough to the alternator alignment either..

I think I have had a breakthrough since I posted earlier. I started thinking about Bouchillon's kit that reuses, somehow, the main bracket from the stock compressor. I pulled the bracket off my 69 AC pump, removed the CAA plate and bolted the old original on there. I was able to use one bolt (and a wadded up t-shirt) to secure the Sanden in place in a relatively square fashion. Everything seems to line up. I had an old belt that I threw on there to get a better visual and I like what I see so far. My new plan is to modify the old bracket to get the pump to rotate downward a bit, and fabricate something to support the back of the pump. There is a bolt hole in the head that is on the same plane as the intake mounting surface. I may make a bracket using that to secure one of the back mounting ears on the compressor. I am also waiting for a reply from Bouchillon about their kit. Might save me a little work.

While I was typing the above, Randy Bouchillon emailed me and answered my questions. I just ordered their compressor mounting kit 4710, that is supposed to use all of your original parts and mount the Sanden using their brackets. I will wait and see what I think when it gets here but at least I have a Plan B if I don't like it.

Stock bracket. You can see where the driver's side ear on the bracket could be shortened a good bit to bring the compressor down some.

 

[fesser]

And just confirmed that I will be using the 68 alternator brackets. The kind with the casting that bolts onto the three bolt holes on the end of the head. Decided to try the 69 setup to see if I liked it better. Everything bolted to the water pump and block fine but the one bolt that goes into the head on the 69 system was about 3/4" above the hole in a diagonal line. Took me an embarrassingly long time to realize I was looking at the difference between a B and an RB block. Oh, well. I like the 68 one better.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

69 there is a bracket for low deck engines to move the hole up to the RB location...
Upper left corner...

 

[fesser]

69 there is a bracket for low deck engines to move the hole up to the RB location...
Upper left corner...

View attachment 1805451

I see the 3/4" (give or take) spacing but can't picture how that goes in there, unless the big tunular spacer is narrower by the thickness of the flat piece?

Also, since you were kind enough to reply, do you recall what part number your compressor mounting brackets were?

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Shorter spacer.... I've used over a dozen #4700 kits... I use the 69-71 brackets, they are easier to find... You have the 68 & earlier, use it... Just gotta have the right water pump, drivers outlet, there are two versions.. Early water pumps have the bolt boss below the thermostat these take bracket #4705.... Later have the boss offset to the passenger side..