Installing Vintage Air AC into Midyear Coupe 2 - Cooling Your Vintage Vette, Part 2

The drier is attached to the passenger side of the condenser using the supplied mounting brackets.

O-rings are used for all A/C connections, and the supplied tube of refrigeration oil ensures an air-tight seal for these connections. This is a very important detail to prevent refrigerant leakage.

Preformed No. 6 hardline tubing connects the condenser to the drier before the condenser is installed.

This shot shows the condenser with the attached drier in place in front of the radiator.

The upper condenser No. 8 hardline which goes to the compressor is installed next, followed by the No. 6 hardline from the drier through the core support.

A supplied 3/8-inch x 2 1/4-inch bolt secures the front bracket, with a 1/4-inch spacer between the bracket and the water-pump flange.

The upper passenger-side water-pump bolt must be removed so the front compressor mount bracket can be secured to the block.

Some engine heads have 3/8-inch bolt holes and some have 7/16-inch holes. The compressor mount kit provides both sizes of bolts for these holes. Our head had 7/16-inch bolt holes, so it was necessary to enlarge the compressor mount bracket holes to accommodate the larger bolts.

The compressor adjusting bracket attaches to the compressor using three 3/8-inch bolts with Nylok nuts. The compressor is then attached to the mounting brackets with the supplied bolts and Nylok nuts.

The compressor adjusting bracket attaches to the compressor using three 3/8-inch bolts with Nylok nuts. The compressor is then attached to the mounting brackets with the supplied bolts and Nylok nuts.

The instructions advise that a 61-inch to 62-inch belt (not supplied with the kit) will work. We found that a 61-inch belt was ideal, and we adjusted the tension on the alternator belt after the compressor belt was mounted and tensioned.