85 GSL with A/C FMOC Installed
11-24-07, 01:36 PM
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85 GSL with A/C FMOC Installed
I know there are a bunch of FMOC threads, and Trochoids is the main resource that we all used. There didnt seem to be a write up on instalation with A/C for people that aren't as technical with custom fab work.
Here's a write up of an FC FMOC & lines installed into an 85 GSL with A/C dryer and condensor.
1) Buy the cooler of course... I used EBAY and got an FC cooler with lines for 25$.
The one I purchase had rubber insulators between the mounting bolts and the oil cooler (they all may have this... but I am not sure).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...166013322&rd=1
Buy an oil pedestal. I bought mine from a member on the forum and it has 2 tapped 1/8 npt fittings on it that I have temporarily plugged. ReSpeed has a nice pedestal as well or you can just get the stock FC pedestal with new o-rings.
2) Clean the oil cooler. I used Gunk 3x over to make sure everything was spotless.
3) Purchase a 4 foot section of L bracket with predrilled holes.. and 2 U clamps from Home Depot
4) Remove the lower plastic grill piece... and at this point start spraying the front cover oil line connector with PB blaster.
5) Cut 2 sections of the L bracket so that they are long enough to run from below the front bar as pictured verticaly up to the metal lip above the front bar. The U bolts will be used to fasten the L brackets to the large bar, and I used self taping screws to attach the top of L brackets to metal lip. This holds it SOLID.
6) Mount the cooler to the brackets UPSIDE DOWN & with the side of the oil cooler that normally faces the engine facing outward. Then mount the L brackets as described above. The clearance mounting it this way is EASY and you dont have to mess with any of your A/C lines or components.
( NOTE: I opted for using the stock hard line for the rear of the motor because it runs the length of the motor under the A/C compressor above the motor mount and it makes me feel a bit safer to have the hard line where you cant see it to monitor the condition.)
7) Measure your oil line lengths. I used some cheap hose I had laying around to mock up length so that I could make sure there were no clearance issues and that the hoses were as short as possible. Mine ended up being 24 inches each line since both hard lines end in virtually the same location.
You can see in the pics that the hose that runs to the front cover runs in a different direction than does the hose that runs to the rear of the motor because of the A/C dryer.
8) Here's where a choice comes into play....
Either you can carefully cut the stock clamps off the OE oil lines using a dremel or similar cutter (same as with Trochoids directions) and do as I did with a double clamps on each connector using 300 PSI Goodyear Hydraulic line (Less than 15$). The main reason why I went this route is that all of the hydraulic shops around me didnt want to fab my lines.
OR....
If you have a cooperative hydraulic shop... Just bring the lines to them and have them make them up according to your measurements. I would have went this route if I could find a shop that would have helped me.
9) Drain your oil and coolant.
10) Remove the coolant hoses that run into the beehive, the oil line banjo bolt facing the firewall and the 2 10mm bolts that hold the behive to the motor oil pedestal mount on the engine and remove the beehive.
11) Cap the coolant line that comes out of the engine below the beehive and loop the heater hose line back around to the fitting as pictured. (you could also buy a longer length of hose and connect the engine line directly to the heater core) but it looks cleaner this way.
12) Loosen the front cover oil line using 2 wrenches and carefully remove the hard line.
13) Remove the large bolt that runs into the rear iron at the base. This is where the side line from the cooler will connect.
14) Remove the battery and its mounting base. Mine was in bad shap so I sanded it and used rustoleum on it.
15) Everyone recommends using new crush washers on the banjo bolts and I would have EXCEPT... I could not find them at all of the hardware stores...ACE Home Depot & Lowes along with the hydraulic shops that were of no help anyway... Mine appeared to have been in good condition otherwise the general recomendation is that you should purchase new ones.
16) Loosely fasten the rear hard line running it as pictured. In order to fit between the A/C compressor and the motor mount there will be some minor slight and GENTLE bending required. It fits perfect with clearance all around other than the slight bend.
17) In order to fasten the short front FC hard line to the front cover I also had to bend it slightly.
18) Run the rubber lines to the cooler as pictured. The bottom line (comming from the front cover) to the left of the A/C dryer and the side line (comming from the rear plate) to the right.
19) Use the foam protective covering from the stock fc lines if you have them to wrap around the lines where they route under the metal that the radiator is mounted as pictured.
20) Gently tighten all of your line connections, Mount your new oil pedestal, add your oil and coolant and you should be good to go.
As a side note I did confirm that the thermostat inside the oil cooler did open being that it is mounted upside down and it has been functioning fine.
I know this topic has been beat to death but this is more geared towards people that want to keep there stock A/C and dont want to do custom fab work.
Here's a write up of an FC FMOC & lines installed into an 85 GSL with A/C dryer and condensor.
1) Buy the cooler of course... I used EBAY and got an FC cooler with lines for 25$.
The one I purchase had rubber insulators between the mounting bolts and the oil cooler (they all may have this... but I am not sure).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...166013322&rd=1
Buy an oil pedestal. I bought mine from a member on the forum and it has 2 tapped 1/8 npt fittings on it that I have temporarily plugged. ReSpeed has a nice pedestal as well or you can just get the stock FC pedestal with new o-rings.
2) Clean the oil cooler. I used Gunk 3x over to make sure everything was spotless.
3) Purchase a 4 foot section of L bracket with predrilled holes.. and 2 U clamps from Home Depot
4) Remove the lower plastic grill piece... and at this point start spraying the front cover oil line connector with PB blaster.
5) Cut 2 sections of the L bracket so that they are long enough to run from below the front bar as pictured verticaly up to the metal lip above the front bar. The U bolts will be used to fasten the L brackets to the large bar, and I used self taping screws to attach the top of L brackets to metal lip. This holds it SOLID.
6) Mount the cooler to the brackets UPSIDE DOWN & with the side of the oil cooler that normally faces the engine facing outward. Then mount the L brackets as described above. The clearance mounting it this way is EASY and you dont have to mess with any of your A/C lines or components.
( NOTE: I opted for using the stock hard line for the rear of the motor because it runs the length of the motor under the A/C compressor above the motor mount and it makes me feel a bit safer to have the hard line where you cant see it to monitor the condition.)
7) Measure your oil line lengths. I used some cheap hose I had laying around to mock up length so that I could make sure there were no clearance issues and that the hoses were as short as possible. Mine ended up being 24 inches each line since both hard lines end in virtually the same location.
You can see in the pics that the hose that runs to the front cover runs in a different direction than does the hose that runs to the rear of the motor because of the A/C dryer.
8) Here's where a choice comes into play....
Either you can carefully cut the stock clamps off the OE oil lines using a dremel or similar cutter (same as with Trochoids directions) and do as I did with a double clamps on each connector using 300 PSI Goodyear Hydraulic line (Less than 15$). The main reason why I went this route is that all of the hydraulic shops around me didnt want to fab my lines.
OR....
If you have a cooperative hydraulic shop... Just bring the lines to them and have them make them up according to your measurements. I would have went this route if I could find a shop that would have helped me.
9) Drain your oil and coolant.
10) Remove the coolant hoses that run into the beehive, the oil line banjo bolt facing the firewall and the 2 10mm bolts that hold the behive to the motor oil pedestal mount on the engine and remove the beehive.
11) Cap the coolant line that comes out of the engine below the beehive and loop the heater hose line back around to the fitting as pictured. (you could also buy a longer length of hose and connect the engine line directly to the heater core) but it looks cleaner this way.
12) Loosen the front cover oil line using 2 wrenches and carefully remove the hard line.
13) Remove the large bolt that runs into the rear iron at the base. This is where the side line from the cooler will connect.
14) Remove the battery and its mounting base. Mine was in bad shap so I sanded it and used rustoleum on it.
15) Everyone recommends using new crush washers on the banjo bolts and I would have EXCEPT... I could not find them at all of the hardware stores...ACE Home Depot & Lowes along with the hydraulic shops that were of no help anyway... Mine appeared to have been in good condition otherwise the general recomendation is that you should purchase new ones.
16) Loosely fasten the rear hard line running it as pictured. In order to fit between the A/C compressor and the motor mount there will be some minor slight and GENTLE bending required. It fits perfect with clearance all around other than the slight bend.
17) In order to fasten the short front FC hard line to the front cover I also had to bend it slightly.
18) Run the rubber lines to the cooler as pictured. The bottom line (comming from the front cover) to the left of the A/C dryer and the side line (comming from the rear plate) to the right.
19) Use the foam protective covering from the stock fc lines if you have them to wrap around the lines where they route under the metal that the radiator is mounted as pictured.
20) Gently tighten all of your line connections, Mount your new oil pedestal, add your oil and coolant and you should be good to go.
As a side note I did confirm that the thermostat inside the oil cooler did open being that it is mounted upside down and it has been functioning fine.
I know this topic has been beat to death but this is more geared towards people that want to keep there stock A/C and dont want to do custom fab work.
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