dumb ac questions to save for later

[69.5CUDA]

ok..so i have a "twin" of sorts slow boat build...a extended cab 74 and my 74 ramcharger will both be built at the same time with neerly identical specs save for paint

both trucks will be getting Ac..and i have the boxes, dashes, vents and such...no plumbing but i figure thats fairly generic and ive got a hose shop that can build to spec, all the under hood components would be better off as "newwer" units im sure

so what "new" parts should i put under the hoods and from what??...i figure the only "specific" part is kinda the condensor and even that should be able to be snagged from about anything thats roughly the right size

my real stumbling block im finding out is the control unit.....so i got wondering if there is a way to either "shoehorn" in a "pushbutton" unit from say 60s car's(ive got a handfull of said units) or even just rig a switch onto the temp selector to switch it to "max ac" when set all the way to cold....

as it seems to me all you really do when kicking on the air is divert some flaps, kill the heat, and turn on the compressor...right?

course im also re-using this same info for the lloyd as well...as i want the simplest controls possible...idealy nothing but fan control and a hot/cold switch or slider..switch prefered(3 way toggle hot, off, ac)

 

[thrashingcows]

I retrofitted the under hood AC system on the my 68T/C wagon...I used a kit from Bouchillon....pretty basic set-up, maybe take a look at their under hood kit for ideas. I think so long as you have a cycling switch, mine was just a fine tube bent around one of the lines at the firewall and covered in black goo insulation, has power to the compressor in and out but switched on/off depending on line temp.

So as long as you have the cycling switch just flipping a toggle to A/C...or power to compressor, it should work fine. If you are going newer compressor, maybe a Sanden, then I would also recommend going with a universal cross flow condensor. That is what I used on the wagon, they can be found in a 1000 different sizes so I just searched unit I found one the right size and shape to fit the opening.

 

[Dr.Jass]

Don't even attempt to use any of the AutoTemp climate controls from C-bodies of the '60s & '70s. They were pretty advanced for their time and worked wonderfully, but they're needlessly complex and a disaster when they do fail. The system uses both the AC evaporator and heater core full-time to match outlet temperatures to what the driver selected on the controls. You pick 75°, that's what comes out of the vents. Airflow past both cores was manipulated, and some tricky cycling chicanery was used to create the exact outlet temperature desired, rather than trying to average interior temps via cycling the outlet temperature. When the AC side of the system fails--and it will, eventually--you will always have hot air coming from the outlets, even if turned off, because of the natural airflow through the cowl vents into the interior. Not warm air, mind you--full-blast hot. The only thing you can do is turn the fan off, which doesn't do a lot of good at highway speeds.

It was a brilliant system, but it was tough to service even when parts were available.

 

[69.5CUDA]

idealy....for the trucks i want stone stock on the controls...but if i cant find them then i want simple as a bag of rocks

on the lloyd..i simply want dumb as a brick