1974 Dealer Installed A/C

[Fast74Ranger]

My 74 F100 has a dealer installed air conditioning unit. Is anyone familiar with the dealer A/C? This particular unit kept blowing fuses last time I messed with it. It is on my list to repair though. I would like to know if anyone knows where to find wiring diagrams or even literature on it. I will eventually convert it to R134a so I can use it again. The control panel is weird. The center vents were removed and the panel inserted there. The knobs are in decent shape but I would like to know if I can get my hands on a new faceplate label for it. The corners are coming up and its starting to look..... old!

[fordman]

maybe you have a bad wire some where thats touching ground and you haven't found it yet. or something like that maybe the blower motor is bad inside and crossing over to ground blowing the fuse. when does it blow the fuse? after the blower motor is turned on or right after you put a new fuse in.

[Fast74Ranger]

Its actually sporadic. Sometimes it blows the fuse right away, sometimes it runs for a bit. Im almost positive its just a wire shorting out somewhere. I've ran as high as 35amp fuses and it still blows them.

My main concern is that silly face plate. Its like a wood grain sticker and the corners are starting to come up.

Does anyone know anything about the Dealer A/C units? ANY info would be great! Im totally clueless on them.

[fordman]

maybe you could sneak some super glue under the edges

[Fast74Ranger]

Ok, so I still havent found anyone that really knows about the Dealer A/C. The Ford parts dealers around here must be silly, since they cant answer any of my questions. Maybe one of YOU guys have seen this setup before? The lower pic is of the tag on the compressor. It says its a Borg Warner/York compressor.

[trukcrazy]

Those types of dealer installed units were very common during the 70s. They were installed in the cars as well as trucks. You will probably have to restore you pieces yourself or find another vehicle with the same setup. Good luck.

[Joe Kriston]

Gosh,that's a doozy,Ranger....I've had four different add-on a/c units,and none of them were integrated into the dash like yours...Are you sure yours isn't a factory unit and somebody didn't just hay-bale different control knobs into place?...You might want to also check if there are any older a/c shops in your area....Sometimes those dealers would use jobbers to supply and install the add-on a/c units...You will need to find out what brand it is....I'm pretty sure York/Borg/Warner was used in a variety of aftermarket units...

[trukcrazy]

Hey Joe, those were the dealer add on units beginning in the 70s. I have seen them in Granadas, Fairmonts, Mustangs and Pintos as well as trucks and at the time actually knew a couple of people that had those added by the dealer when they bought a car. Sort of in between the older A/C shops, dealer installed and actual factory installed A/C. They use the duct work and blower motor of the heater with the added condensor and compressor. You idea of checking the older A/C shops is a good one, but those parts will probably have to be NOS Ford if you can find them.

[Joe Kriston]

What's a Pinto?....Oh,yeah,..the bbq that seats four....

I gotcha,John...Sort of a hybrid,eh?....Yeah,when I moved to Phoenix in the mid eighties there were still quite a few aftermarket a/c dealers around,but I never saw any like you're talking about...'Course,that was back in my cult days---when I didn't drive Fords...

[binder56jd]

tc- correct me if i'm wrong here- wouldn't the switches be a fairly generic item to automotive electrical applications?

Fast- generally speaking the dealer won't be of much help(unless they have an OLD parts guy) on anything over 15 yrs old- i don't think you'll find a new woodgrain overlay w/ the ford emblem on it, but the adhesive back woodgrain should be available through automotive interior and/or dash renewal outfits- i would go with JK's suggestion and try an AC repair shop for the switches-jmo

[binder56jd]

http://www.aircoparts.com/

had to go look it up

[CJ,s 67 F100]

Only four things that will blow the fuse on your system
1. Wire or wires grounding
2. Switch or switches grounding
3. Blower motor grounding
3. Clutch on the compressor grounding

Ohm out each item individually after you have run it until it blows the fuse.

I would check the clutch first. Its the easiest to check and usually the culprit. jmo

[Fast74Ranger]

Thanks for all the replies so far! Im still struggling with this, but its nice to actually have people to talk to about it.

Joe- Im certain that this was installed into this truck by the dealership. Im only the 2nd owner on it and the person who bought it originally wasnt a "jimmy-rig" type. The control head is stamped with the Ford logo and the woodgrain on it even matches the woodgrain on the dash trim. The knobs seem to be consistant with the control head.

Trukcrazy- I didnt even think about searching Ford cars in the junkyards. I tunnelvisioned on F-series pickups and to this day have never seen another unit like it. I've been in and out of 100's of 70's pickups and the only A/C units I come across are factory. Thanks for the tip! I'll broaden my horizons.

Binder- Thanks for the link! I couldnt find what I was looking for on the aircoparts.com website so I emailed them. I received a response back in less than 5 minutes! Kudos for them! They unfortunately told me that they do not carry parts like the control head labeling and dont know who would. I'll continue to search for restoration places until I succeed.

CJ- Thanks for the suggestions! I really do need to dive into it and see whats causing it to blow. Suprisingly Im not really worried about the electrical since I know I can figure that out. When I get it fixed I'll have it converted to R134-a and recharged.

Thank you all for reading this thread and if you replied, thank you even more! I'll post any updates as they come through the gate. Any more information or help on the control head labeling and general details about the system is always appreciated.

Jeremy

[trukcrazy]

Good luck Jeremy.

[CJ,s 67 F100]

Jeremy, Good luck with your project. If you want to convert it to 134A and recharge it, all you need is the refrigerant and a set of gauges. I,ll talk you thru it.