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Air Conditioning

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NigeType3 Officially Full-On Dubber

371 posts · joined Dec 2002 ·

#380126
Thats pritty cool to bad they don't make a type 3 kit.

Doug Sweetman Nil Bastardo Carborundum

2,128 posts · joined Sep 2002 ·

#380182
Bloody brilliant ! now all I have to do is win lotto and build an engine that wouldnt stall everytime the system kicked in at idle.... 🙂

Nice to finally know where an off the shelf system is available from.

What do you reckon, maybe $2500 - $2800 AU landed ?

Bizarre Moderator The artist formerly known as blue74l

12,789 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#380215
Yeah - at the most.

Still isnt TOO bad i reckon.

Also dont reckon you would need too much of power as it says it has a 7 piston compressor??
Gathering that means it steps down at idle etc etc

Reckon i might really look into this.
Futue te ipsum!!!

Yogie Moderator Custom Title Time!

1,608 posts · joined Jun 2003 ·

#380260
Looks great. I have asked them if they do a RHD ghia as well because they only say all ghia.

Yogie

penguin ackkkkkk thhhhhpt!

3,383 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#380440
Not bad, but pity there is only a left hand drive for early bugs 🙁
'Ah, whatever................'

TonyOz Learner Dubber

7 posts · joined Jun 2005 ·

#383816
For early bugs it wont matter....and besides the only mod would be where the steering column is...how hard would that be to cut out a pices of the fibreglass surround. I am waiting for some enterprising aussie to buy one then copy it from locally avail parts....shouldnt be hard.....hmmmm...theres an idea!
The type three of course presents a mounting problem in a confined engine space...but i am sure that VOTEX made one for the US market in the late seventies for the fastback and the squareback. The a/c unit VOTEX made for the Bug as plush! Peter Arnoldi in Perth rigged up a few beetles with air con when some folks ran them in the Variety Club Bash's. They worked a treat too!

Yogie Moderator Custom Title Time!

1,608 posts · joined Jun 2003 ·

#385032
They emailed me back and said it would be too hard to do a RHD ghia version. I have since called in to a company that does work for the automotive industry and they tell me they could do a mould of the internal part of the air conditioner for about 1k and then the part would be about $200 each if they did 5 of them, chepaer if more were done.

Would anybody else be interested in getting together a group buy to do this?

Yogie

vwtrev1 Slammed & Awesome Dubber

81 posts · joined Mar 2005 ·

#385080
This air conditioning unit is that the one from Taiwan.
Last February at Dubs by the Pub there was a guy with a setup in a superbug that he got from Taiwan and planned to import more. Anybody know his name and contact details. This unit just bolted on no modifications or welding.
Trevor//

ratty 63 Custom Title Time!

1,083 posts · joined Oct 2003 ·

#385084
vwtrev1 wrote:This air conditioning unit is that the one from Taiwan.
Last February at Dubs by the Pub there was a guy with a setup in a superbug that he got from Taiwan and planned to import more. Anybody know his name and contact details. This unit just bolted on no modifications or welding.
Trevor//
Yeah, that wasn't a bad system - only thing I didn't like was the idea of running the hoses from the compressor to the front of the car, thorugh the heater channel - I like my heater too! I'm sure that something else could be done to get around this issue.

R 🙂
40hp, 6V and ...er... slowly making improvements 😂

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!

Founding member of the Gold Coast Dub Club Inc. 🙂

Bizarre Moderator The artist formerly known as blue74l

12,789 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#385097
If it just bolted on how do you get the hoses in the heater channels??
Futue te ipsum!!!

ratty 63 Custom Title Time!

1,083 posts · joined Oct 2003 ·

#386149
...he used the passenger side heater channel - fed the coolant lines into the heater channel from beside the gearbox, then into the area under the back seat to the drier/reciever (yeah OK, so he had to cut a hole somewhere to get the hoses into the area under the back seat...so not strictly 'bolt-on'), then the hoses ran back into the heater channel and up to the front of the car, where another hole must have been cut to allow the hoses out to connect to the blower unit.

S'pose it doesn't matter which way you do it - at some point you will have to cut a hole somewhere to run the hoses....

R 🙂
40hp, 6V and ...er... slowly making improvements 😂

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!

Founding member of the Gold Coast Dub Club Inc. 🙂

Yogie Moderator Custom Title Time!

1,608 posts · joined Jun 2003 ·

#386367
ratty 63 wrote:By 'internal part' do you mean the under dash section?

R 🙂
Yes the under dash part is what I mean.

I also had another look at my LHD version today as well and it would probably take 3 parts to do the underdash section properly.

This means it would be about $900 Aussie on top of the US$1,299 to get one to fit a RHD car. Still, if more people joined in a group buy, the price would come down.

Anyone interested?

Yogie

tassupervee That really hurts doesnt it!

1,171 posts · joined Sep 2003 ·

#388649
Men
A couple of things here.
Despite whatever claims they make as far as compressor type is, it will go close to killing a Kraut on a hill no matter how many pistons they crow about!
Thos compressors are going to suck around 6 to 8 HP.
They are simply comparing a generic Sanden or Nippon denso compressor to probably an old and obsolete York 2 cylinder commonly found on early A/C'd V8 Fords (XB, XC and Fairlanes come to mind).
The idle issue is easy to get around using a vacuum dashpot, a small solenoid valve and a bit of initiative.

Al the components apart from the dash ducting are commonly available from ANY refrigeration or Auto Air-con dealer.
The only real difficult part apart from the custom underdash ducting is making the compressor mouinting brackets as these will technically be a one off and ANY mechanic will charge you around 40 to 60 bucks an hour to design it and make it and it WILL run to quite a few hours of work, this I can guarantee you.
Another consideration is a twin groove engine pulley to drive the compressor. AC compressors need as tight a belt wrap as possible or they will slip when things get hot under the collar.

I used to work for an auto air-con joint and we specialised in custom and one-off installations.
Ill make some calls and price some stuff and find some A/C parts dealers that will sell direct. There is no need to import all the generic bits such as the universal evap. unit, hoses and copmpressors blah blah when it is all freely available here.

L8tr
E
Im not a complete idiot, quite a few parts are missing....

Yogie Moderator Custom Title Time!

1,608 posts · joined Jun 2003 ·

#388691
I have managed to find a RHD version of the underdash part. I will try and put up some photos of the LHD one soon. I have since gone to an air conditioner company in Brisbane and they are working out how to get me a new evaraporator and condenser as well as all the hoses, compressor etc.

Gilmore Enterprises in Florida do a compressor mount that I will buy so that should cover it.

I will be putting a down the middle kit on to type 4 engine to go in my ghia so the extra horsepower there will make up for any loss added by the air conditioner (that is why I am putting in the bigger engine by the way)

Yogie

tassupervee That really hurts doesnt it!

1,171 posts · joined Sep 2003 ·

#388941
Yogie wrote:I will be putting a down the middle kit on to type 4 engine to go in my ghia so the extra horsepower there will make up for any loss added by the air conditioner (that is why I am putting in the bigger engine by the way)

Yogie
Hehehehe, I like the way you are thinking M8!!:thumb:thumb:thumb
L8tr
E
Im not a complete idiot, quite a few parts are missing....

baybuscamperkid prince of insufficient light, ruler of heck

4,316 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#388969
so much easier being a kombi driver, the old mk4 matador and similar aircon units are a perfect (and i mean to the mm perfect) fit in a bay kombi glovebox.
Reimagined/Recycled/Upcycled Cool

Yogie Moderator Custom Title Time!

1,608 posts · joined Jun 2003 ·

#389296
This is similar to the unit I have for my ghia

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tassupervee That really hurts doesnt it!

1,171 posts · joined Sep 2003 ·

#393834
K guys
My M8 got back to me with some suppliers for the generic A/C parts.
Heres a copy of his mail:

Look up http://www.jayair.com.au, they are the biggest wholesaler / importer of A/C bits into Australia by a long shot.
Ram-Air in Melb makesengine mount kits or Jimmy Russel at AKTF in Taren Point (Sydney) (aka The Kit King)

Also look up http://www.ingram.com.au
or http://www.ashdowns.com.au

He didnt sound too confident of finding a RHD version of the ducting unit tho.

To make a duct unit. Probably the best way is to glue together sandable foam sections and cut and sand to the shape you want and use that as a plug mould to make a fibregalss mould for the duct unit.

Its a pretty time consuming and costly process tho but the results are really worth the effort as you can fabricate the ducting to look however you like foir that "Original Equipment" look.
Witness some of the stunning custom dashes and consoles the rice boys fabricate for their japper vrommpssht doof doof cars. Amazing!
Whoever ends up doing the job will get his money back many times over by selling copies of his ducting.
This is how we used to do custom integrated A/C installations.
We used the same (sandable foam) method to fabricate custom evaporator cases on cars that never had integrated A/C in the first place.
However, the issue of ducting is really a personal one and having a universal underdash evap/blower unit with thestock aimable louvres sited centrally in the car will provide plenty of cooling air in the confines of a VW cab without looking too "aftermarket".
There are universal bezels that replace the louvres on a traditional underdash evap unit that simply have (something like) 4 x 2.5" round spigots which you attach flexible ducting that you can run to dash vents sited wherever your little heart desires.
This would allow you to mount your underdash unit high and right back under the dash and the flexible hoses can be hidden from view to give some semblance to an integrated A/C system.
This arrangement would save dozens of hours of tedious fabrication, sanding and filling as well as glasswork chasing a custom ducting setup.
It also give you the option of running one outlet up to the demister vents for superior winter defogging.

Best of luck with it tho.

L8tr
E
Im not a complete idiot, quite a few parts are missing....

nbturbo Veteran Volks Folk

2,171 posts · joined Dec 2002 ·

#393933
Yogie wrote:"Gilmore Enterprises in Florida do a compressor mount that I will buy so that should cover it.

I will be putting a down the middle kit on to type 4 engine to go in my ghia so the extra horsepower there will make up for any loss added by the air conditioner (that is why I am putting in the bigger engine by the way)"
""J Raby from RAT was doing an air cond. compressor mount and bottom pulley to go with his DTM's.This gear should be available by now.""

nn[ Edited on 5-8-2005 by nbturbo ]

1303Steve Scirocco Rare

8,650 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#393955
Hi

My case is a little different, Im going to use the aircon compressor on my suby motor, but Im planning to run the evaporator under the back seat and send the cooling air down the heater channels or even just blow it under the front seats. I have no idea if this will work, any thoughts Tass?

Steve

Doug Sweetman Nil Bastardo Carborundum

2,128 posts · joined Sep 2002 ·

#393975
Yeah, wear warm socks..... 🙂

I dont see why it wouldnt work in cooling the cabin.. but it might be a little slower as you wont have the cool breeze blowing in your face ?

Would be a really stealth a/c install though

tassupervee That really hurts doesnt it!

1,171 posts · joined Sep 2003 ·

#394010
Yer M8, doug is quite right.
The immediate effect of AC is very much lost if you cant "feel" the cool air on your face or body.
On some older installations we have done where the evap unit sits right over on the passengers side, the owners complain bitterly about the system "not being cold enough" despite the thermometer showing outlet temps of 4Deg C.

Your idea is a real good one but the important factor is to be able to pipe the cooled air up out of the vents and onto your upper body where the effect is most apparen, and needed!

Another consideration is heat loss (well cold loss neway) via the long run thru metal passages.

You only have to loose a few degrees C to feel the whole exercise was not woth bothering with.

L8tr
E
Im not a complete idiot, quite a few parts are missing....

1303Steve Scirocco Rare

8,650 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#394102
Hi

Good points. Im building a 1303 (L bug), they air can be shut off at the footwell as in all later bugs and on the 1303 it comes up the A pillar then goes to the screen and those little vents on each side of the dash.

Steve

nbturbo Veteran Volks Folk

2,171 posts · joined Dec 2002 ·

#394128
Steve,are you using the evap from the Suby or a hybrid one? Is the Suby heater core and evap in the same housing like some other cars? If I can ever get mine going,I was going to mount the evap under the bonnet and perhaps use some dash vents from the later bug that fit under the windscreen.These vents should blow enough air up the screen and onto your face.I have already cut holes in each end of the heater channels to run the suction and pressure hose up to the front inside the channels.I would mount the condenser under the rear parcel tray with 2 fans.I managed to pick up a NOS Repco under dash A/C complete.The front vents can be taken off and I could fab up a shroud to hook into any sort of dash vent system.The fan and thermostat switch can be pulled out and mounted anywhere.I was interested in what you said about the Toyota with an elec. compressor.

KDFking Wolfsburg Wizard

453 posts · joined Feb 2003 ·

#394477
you can get complete air con units made for bugs in thailand for 450$au plus shipping,im thinking of getting one for my bug on the way home..they look pretty good too,custom made to fit in the middle under the dash.

1303Steve Scirocco Rare

8,650 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#394478
Hi

I havent got hold of the evaporator yet, but I have a heater core form my old bug out of a Toyota troppy, I will make a box to combine the 2 under the back seat, the condensor will be mounted in the tail.

Steve