Glassman10

So, the car in itself is really running great now and the last thing that needed to be addressed was the AC unit which is an aftermarket unit that says it was made by SANKYO Electric and was a 508. The unit got new fittings so it could be charged and it indeed held pressure. The coolant was put in and it pumped out 55F air from the vents, ran about fifteen minutes and then blew the hose from the compressor to the condenser. After sitting forty years, I replaced all of the hoses in the cooling system but did not address the AC, so, I'm not terribly surprised that it went, it's a question of where i might find new ones. I turned immediately to this board. I don't really have searching skills for parts like this and could certainly use some help. It's that 1979 RX7 that has been in storage forever.

Thanks in advance!

Glassman10

Well, I'm in the process of answering my own question but I'll pass along what I've found so far. There's a company in Ocala Florida that will replace the blown hoses and put the fittings on. I have to pull the hoses and mail them down there. Here's a website for such stuff that can be added to the information databank

https://coldhose.com/pages/ac-hose-repair

I will let the board know how this goes. I want to take the car for a road trip, fuel costs not withstanding but not without AC.

Ckforker

Many local hydraulic hose companies will also do it, that's what I did. It's worked great.

yeti

iTrader: (1)

So, I have been looking into this myself. But I figured I'd go ahead and replace the ends too just to make for sure I'd not need to revisit this again. Based upon my research the ends are SAE 45 degree flare which is used in some HVAC solutions currently.. I also found that Four Seasons makes a lot of the ends we'd need.

https://www.summitracing.com/search/...&keyword=flare
I was also looking at field serviceable ends so I could do the job myself:
https://www.google.com/search?{google:acceptedSuggestion}oq=field+service able+SAE+flare+hose+ends&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=field+serviceable+SAE+flare+hose+ends
https://www.google.com/search?{google:acceptedSuggestion}sourceid=chrome& ie=UTF-8&q=20820-8-8

Glassman10

So far, the hoses are out and according to "coolhose" fittings can be reused. They show a sufficient bunch of different types they regularly make up that I have no deep concerns about getting the right ones. At this point, they're all in a box and tomorrow will go off via USPS. Cost I don't know yet but being comfortable is ( Not quite) priceless. It's such a nice car. I think it will need the desiccation filter as well. Next will be reupholstery. I'm not small and getting in and out puts undue pressure on the left side of the seat back which has torn. So, come winter, I'll have that redone in a heavier leather. It's bad on both seats.
Then? Well the cassette player doesn't make any noise. It does wind and rewind. Beyond that. it needs me to regain my youth and we're ready to go. It came with this monster Fosdick amplification equipment which should blow the plaque off your teeth. I'm deaf so nothing fazes me at all. I would post a photo of it but I'm seriously computer/phone challenged. I'm relieved I can post here.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Or find a local AC place that specializes in doing custom AC for hotrods and old restorations. They should be able to make new hoses at a reasonable price. Thats what I did. Just ask around at cars and coffee to see where the hotrod guys got their AC.

Glassman10

Being in a small town, it's not a slam dunk. I was really pleased to find coldhose . I'll come back here and say how well the work went and how long it took along with costs. It's just another option and those are always useful.

Toruki

R12 is so expensive now and R134a is not as effective as R12 in these AC setups. I had converted to R134a but when my system leaked, people here recommended R152a (dust buster) instead of R134a and I've been running it for a couple of years now. Most recently in this heat wave, I found myself getting too cold!

While your hoses are off getting fixed, take out your compressor, empty the oil. Replace the oil making sure it's compatible with your new choice of refrigerant. For the Sanden compressor, I used 5.5 oz of "Supercool Premium Synthetic Ester" with ~4 oz in the compressor and 1.5 in the new receiver drier. You'll need a new one of those.

Edit: it was 3 oz in the compressor and 3 oz in the receiver drier.

When you're reassembled and ready to fill it up again, this is an excellent thread, comprehensive. https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generati...enser-1137402/

Post #18 has a great start to finish how-to (thanks GSLSEforme, we miss you!).

Glassman10

Thank you.

Who might I get a receiver dryer from for the AC?

Toruki

This is the one I bought for my '83 FB with the Sanden based system.

Kizmit99

I just wanted to jump in and let you know that I bought the drier Toruki linked to - and it did not fit the original plumbing in my '83 GSL. I understand that there are multiple variants of A/C that went into these cars originally, I think mine was a Nippon Denso (?) compressor. Anyway, I ended up buying this one from Amazon and it did fit my original hardline fittings:

Glassman10

Since Coldhose is replacing all of the original hoses and fittings, I'm guessing that they will likely know what dryer will fit in this layout. I hope so, otherwise , it's on, into the fog.
Yet another case of "I did not know what I did not know."

yeti

iTrader: (1)

If you have flare fittings you'll want FOUR SEASONS 33318 or Murray 80-8025. https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generati...rings-1146647/ Pictures and whatnot from when I was a bit turned around.

Glassman10

I always appreciate input on this. At this point I have sent the entire mess to Coldhose in Florida and they have replaced all of the hoses and all of the fittings. They have also put a compatible dryer in the system. I will see how well this all works when I get the box back. So far, they seem very professional. It's costing about $250 dollars for everything. My best hope when I began to have this fixed was to stay at $250 and that won't be the case. I expect now, with it reinstalled to run about $500 for everything. I won't be surprised to hear that I've been taken advantage of, but I'm content. I want to take the car on a 1500 mile trip to see a friend. Anyone watching the weather can see that having functioning AC is necessary. It looks like water wings wouldn't hurt either. I'll post again when it's all fixed. At this point, the car needs only upholstery and that will come in winter when it's tucked away in the shop snugged up to the heater.

It's really a kick to take it out and run through the gears. Everything is perfect. It gets a lot of second looks. I certainly don't.