Climate Controls

[RAINMANYEH]

OK, so I have t had my roadrunner long and couldn't locate a similar post for this question. My climate controls do not function properly. IE, they do not all push in like they should. This is a non-A/C car. The current climate controls have controls for A/C (first pic). Am I correct in thinking the controls should be the simpler one to just turn the heat off and on and to defrost (second pic)? Thanks

 

[A12]

Absolutely the non A/C controls are all cable and lever functioning controls and the A/C controls are vacuum and the (IIRC) outboard controls are lever cable. I think there is no way to use the heater/defroster/temp control on an A/C equipped car or vice versa.

 

[A12]

The back view of the A/C heater/A/C control showing the vacuum connections and cable/lever outboard controls



I don't know if I can locate an image of the non-A/C control quickly, maybe some other member can quicker?

 

[Ranger]

Am I correct in thinking the controls should be the simpler one to just turn the heat off and on and to defrost (second pic)? Thanks

Yes.

I don't know if I can locate an image of the non-A/C control quickly, maybe some other member can quicker?

Is this what you are looking for?

 

[quikbird]

Simpler controls.

 

[RAINMANYEH]

Thanks for the quick replies. This might also explain why the heat is always "ON".

 

[RAINMANYEH]

OK.... First off, let me say that when I bought the car at auction, I thought it was a little funny that they said it was a non-A/C car, yet it had the factory A/C controls on the dash. I just figured that along the way someone put the wrong controls in. Plus, I got it for about half what it's worth, so even having to put some into it, I'm still ahead.

So I get down in the garage this weekend and start taking lower panels off the dash... Things start looking strange for non-A/C. There are neumatics under the dash for one, then I look into the heater box and it's a different heater core than I already ordered (I admit, I should have looked before I ordered it). Then I look under the hood and there are 2 lines coming out of the firewall that were plugged and painted over. Again, I didn't see this in the auction environment. There is also an extra channel on one of the pullies..... Hence, this was an A/C car. Now I've got to source the other A/C components to put it back right.

 

[Mopar Vince]

Have you thought about modern A/C?

Do yourself a favor and just get a vintage air kit. http://www.vintageair.com/6670moparbbody.asp
The original units robbed alot of HP and also weigh a ton.
Unless you are super "original" (is that a factory color?) then you might as well get a modern A/C kit.
By the time you source all of the original components and then buy the super expensive R12 freon; you could have bought a vintage air kit and had it professionally installed.
The 134 compressors are lighter and don't rob as much HP either. They also have a polished version if you like shiny things.
I put their kit on my 70 4-speed runner and it about froze us outta the car.

 

[A12]

Do yourself a favor and just get a vintage air kit. http://www.vintageair.com/6670moparbbody.asp
The original units robbed alot of HP and also weigh a ton.
Unless you are super "original" (is that a factory color?) then you might as well get a modern A/C kit.
By the time you source all of the original components and then buy the super expensive R12 freon; you could have bought a vintage air kit and had it professionally installed.
The 134 compressors are lighter and don't rob as much HP either. They also have a polished version if you like shiny things.
I put their kit on my 70 4-speed runner and it about froze us outta the car.

Totally agree with Mopar Vince. My '68 Road Runner has factory A/C and I went through hell (pun intended) to get the correct lines, R12, rebuilding the heater/A/C box, getting the vacuum lines and controller working, finding leaks after putting in several pounds of R12.....on and on. Once I got everything sorted out it worked "okay" for "up North" so if you're not looking to keep it OE as stated go the Vintage Air route and be COOL.

But I will admit all of the hard work was worth it to keep it looking OE.................and stealth.....that's an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold with Edelbrock and everything ground off, with a Holley Street Avenger 770 and a Comp Cam, with an electronic ignition with the ECU mounted inside on the A/C heater box and the wiring run through the main wiring harness through the firewall bulkhead connector.....looking stock and running good.

 

[RAINMANYEH]

I talked to a local classic car shop and they are a distributor for classic industries. The kit he recommended was classic's vintage air kit that changed the pneumatics to electric, but kept the OE buttons.

I got the non-A/C heater core shipped back today and the correct one ordered.

Thanks for the above.... The RR isn't the original color, so I'm good with this route since it's not all original.

 

[Big John]

My 300 originally had A/C. Somewhere in it's history, the A/C got lost.

I had almost zero. The vacuum control was broken, fan switch didn't work on high, the evaporator had the fittings twisted off and everything else was gone except the heater box and vacuum pots and lines.

I bought a "kit" from Bouchillon Performance. Basically a bunch of parts the extremely helpful people there suggested. A crossflow evaporator, new hoses and connectors and a R134a rotary compressor. They also sold me this trick water pump pulley that eliminates the idler pulley. I found a NORS evaporator on Ebay. I also bought a hose crimper because I have another A/C project also. I found NOS vacuum switch at Rock Auto of all places. I think I got the last one. A vacuum pump from Harbor Freight works good enough. I had an A/C gage setup already.

Since this was a new experience for me, it had a steep learning curve, but the results were worth it. 40 ish vent temperatures cool the 300 just fine. I'm going to add a couple electric fans this winter to keep the pressure down and the vent temperature down.

It doesn't look stock... The compressor just isn't even close. The condenser fittings are both on the right rather than left and right. The hoses don't look stock either. It cools the car and I'll bet the Vintage Air won't be any closer to stock looking than mine.

I suggest you call Bouchillon before Vintage and tell them what you are doing. They are Mopar guys plain and simple. I've never heard a bad word about them. I think Vintage Air is OK, but I can't say I never heard a bad word... and I'll leave it at that. Decide from there.....

 

[69hemibeep]

Thanks to you John I also used Bouchillon Performance. Everything fits great but I have yet to fire the car and try it.

 

[quikbird]

there is another co. that advertises in mopar muscle etc. I think called classic air that claims there stuff looks like original but works better. have not used it but did look at it.

 

[RAINMANYEH]

The guy at the local classic car shop is a Mopar guy too. He has a 70 RR he us working on and a 71 Charger. He told me he worked with Classic Industries and Bouchillon Performance several years ago to get a kit put together. He was going to call his contacts and see about getting a kit for me.

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

My cars OEM AC was long gone as well, and still I have none to date. I remember the first thing I did when I found that abandon vac line under the dash, researching where it went and what it was for then finding out that I could buy a new controls unit for the dash controls and hooking the line back up and then finding the pneumatic brackets in a box of parts that came with the car and wondering just how the hell it all hooked up, then asking around here and there and getting some members to sell me the ducting and parts for the dash vents etc. Now it all works just no AC unit lol but it was fun hunting for all the OEM stuff and getting it all working again, sense of pride there for a minute Hoping the aftermarket unit will just connect to my OEM stuff some day.

 

[RAINMANYEH]

Nice JB!

I changed the spark plugs yesterday and man, with the headers, #3 was a PITA! There rear 2 plugs on the Charger are difficult, but a piece of cake compared to #3 on the Roadrunner.

 

[quikbird]

If you have power steering 3 is a definite tough one to get to.

 

[Ranger]

More like impossible.

 

[Big John]

Spark plug socket with the 3/4" hex on it and a 3/4" box wrench.

 

[RAINMANYEH]

If you have power steering 3 is a definite tough one to get to.

More like impossible.

Spark plug socket with the 3/4" hex on it and a 3/4" box wrench.

Headers and power steering.... I used those and other tools to finally get #3 replaced. It took me as long, or longer, for it as it did for the entire passenger side. You couldn't pay me to do #3 on someone else's RR.