328 A/C Compressor

Don't know on #1, and no on #2. But why keep the ports in back? It's tight and hard to get to. I RR'd my system completely and put the fill fittings up front by the dryer which is a better place to put them.

See here https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=281516 under "Climate Control"

Also, Steve is not out of business. He moved and is still in business. I have his phone number at home.

 

Sean, thanks. I'll explore the option to move the connection fittings to the front. Would be SO much easier to charge the system from there..

Greg

Edit--Sean, had a look at your thread--excellent info, thanks for the hard work. However I saw no mention of a procedure to move the gas fittings up front by the drier.
Would love to have info on that. I assume one fitting per side of the drier? Just don't know which to which side.

Also, you are certain the OEM hose fittings will not screw into the Sanden 8 and 10 fittings? That sucks!!!! I'll have to cut off the hose fittings and reattach new ones. Do we absolutely HAVE TO crimp the new fittings onto the hose (due to high pressures) or can we use strong hose clamps? PS--my hoses on my car seem supple and fresh, no need to run new hoses front-to-back.. (87 328)

??

 

Yes you have to put new fittings on the hoses. It's not easy, but not exactly hard to do either. Since you're back there doing work, I'd strongly suggest you remove the engine cover as it will make things 10x easier. Crimp fittings are required, unless you want to recharge your system 1xmonth.

I'll find Steve's number for you. Call him and see if he will come help you. He came to my house with the materials and we made all the hoses, fittings in my garage (I have an air compressor for the air-gun). Obviously I paid him for his time. You had to do the same thing on the 308 you converted before.

I can't recall how it goes up front. I'll have to look and see.

 

Why would you put R134 in it if you can get R12?

 

Unfortunately the compressor fittings need to be crimped on,and there are no adapter fittings either.Are your hoses original?The original hoses are notorious for chafing against the body.Did it hold charge prior the compressor leaking?

As for relocating the charging ports up front,you would need to splice in a inline T charging port fitting in the suction and discharge lines..The drier is the liquid side.
This is the type of fitting that Im referring to..
http://www.techchoiceparts.com/showitem.aspx?id=120614

 

Sean,
Good to know Steve Carr is still in business and does house calls. When I called his old # and it rang up a welding shop, I figured he closed. I'd appreciate any contact info.

Ian,
I want to be done with R12. It's very expensive and harmful to the environment. I'd rather be able to grab some R134 when needed and not need a license!

Maurice,
When I bought the car about 6 months ago, it blew hot air. I knew the system wasn't holding refrigerant charge. I pressure-tested it last week and heard a loud hissing noise coming from the compressor--I then knew where the leak was coming from. The hoses look great, don't seem to be rubbing in the back, I checked closely.

I'd like more info on relocating the fill fittings up front. Can you tell me specifically where the Hi and Lo side t-fittings would go? One per line, obviously--just not sure where.

Anybody have a line on a portable hydraulic hose crimper that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Maybe Harbor Freight? I'll check them out. Anybody have one to loan or rent?

By the way, I'm going with the Sanden 7H15 compressor, and the curved "ram horn" bracket.

Thanks,
Greg

Greg

 

Greg from memory,if you remove the spare wheel cowling up front,you will see two hose's on the right hand side,one should be thicker than the other.They are the suction and discharge hoses coming from the engine bay/comressor.You will have to splice into those lines with the T service fittings I mentioned before.The fittings are different sizes,one for the discharge,one for the suction.

The cheapest I have seen the crimping tools on Ebay for is around $200.

 

Thanks Maurice, Im seriously considering doing that mod. Tired of having to remove the rear right wheel and mudguard to charge the AC ..

Is the consensus that i should crimp these connections? My AC supplier gave me a couple hydraulic-grade hose clamps; claimed they'd be fine. would save me having to buy a crimper. (about $150 on Amazon).. Opinions?
Greg

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

 

OK, well, I acquired a Sanden U4627 AC compressor to install in my 328. I'm using the flat-plate mount adapter, the first one in post #32. I also bought the "ram horn" mount, but it doesn't line up with the compressor's mount ears properly, so I may return it.

I dry-fitted it today. The problem: it's too wide, because of the double-groove pulley. It's fouling on the cam cover, even with the mount plate slid fully to the right. Is there a single-pulley R134 Sanden available? That would drop right in.

There's only about 8.5 inches available between the cam cover and the gas tank.

The other option may be to get the "other" flat adapter plate in post #32. That one seems to have a better offset on the slots to move the compressor away from the engine--it still may foul the gas tank in that direction, however.. ??

Ideas anybody??

Thanks!
Greg

 

I have done the Sanden conversion using the kit that is supplied by Retro-air. The have two kits , I used just the compressor kit and it came with fittings that had the schrader valves built in. I am also using R134a and it works just fine using the original condenser by the way. I did replace the drier and the expansion valve. If you need help with even some small parts call Retro and speak to Rocky, he was most helpful.

http://www.retroair.com/ferrariairconditioning/ferraricompressorkits.html

http://www.retroair.com/ferrariairconditioning.html

 

On my old GT4,I used the adapter plate to the left in post #32 and it woked fine..The Sanden came with a dual pulley and although it was a tight fit,it did fit.

 

So, is there a single-pulley sanden available? If not, is there a shorter-body sanden available? I think maybe the 328's dimensions are marginally tighter than the 308s and GT4s. I did this conversion on my 77GTB years ago and that sanden fit, but was admittedly tight.

 

Greg I dont believe there is a single pulley Sanden,at least I couldnt find one when I was looking.My 328 is a Euro car thus already having the Sanden in it and it is a tight fit.It does have a single pulley but I think that it's a special order part made for Ferrari.

 

Definitely you need the adapter with slots. IIRC, mine would not fit one way, but when you flip over the adapter it does it. Also, a few washers were required to make it all line up correctly. It can be a pain, but it can be done (I know, I've had mine on/off more than once).

 

That's what I remembered as well

 

That is the kit I used just to eliminate the idler pulley assembly. Also I used the 7 series Sanden with twin pulley's and the fittings coming out of the top of the rear of the compressor.

 

Sean and Maurice,
The flat plate I'm using is indeed slotted. I've got it all the way outboard, still not far enough. Weird. I just noticed the "other" slotted plate in post #32 and it appeared to have slots positioned to enable a further outboard mount. That link is now dead, however. Anybody have a current link for that one?

Sean, do you remember if you positioned your bracket with the extra "ear" positioned inboard or out? If I flipped it around, the ear would foul on the OEM AC bracket. I suppose I could machine a bit off to make that orientation work.

Steve,
I also purchased that exact same curved bracket, but my Sanden U4627 wouldn't mount to it; the curve of the ram horn was just about 1/3" too tight.

Maybe I'll need to machine out the slots on my mount plate to enable a further-outboard position. There's about 1/2" available.

I may take the curved bracket over to my local dealer today and test fit other Sandens to see if maybe mine is a one-off...

Greg

 

Greg you just refreshed my memory,,yes the original mount had to be machined a bit in order for the bracket to fit..again from memory,I just ground a bit off the bracket with an angle grinder.

 

Interesting , I didn't have to do any modifications to the bracket . The most challenging part was getting the correct size belt.

 

Just so I was clear,the Sanden bracket didnt need modifying,the Ferrari cast alloy bracket needed some of the webbing ground away in order for the Sanden bracket to fit.Im pretty sure the process has been documented here on Fchat.

 

Yes...sell the car and get "Ferrari # 8"...

 

I did not have to make any modifications to the OEM or adaptor brackets.

 

I suspect my flat bracket is a little off. im going to try again to use the sliding ram-horn bracket i have. that one offers more lateral movement, should work in my case. by the way, im getting a CB head for the sanden, Itll allow me to use the stock York compressor fittings. (1', 14 thread for both). which of course will allow me to use the stock hose end fittings as well. YES!!!!!

Greg

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

 

Question:

I'm using the curved "ram horn" bracket on my 328/Sanden conversion.
The OEM Gates M11925 A/C belt is too long now, even with the compressor swung fully away.

Can anybody who has used this bracket/compressor combo tell me which belt they ended up with? Brand/length? I'm going to take a rope measurement today, but would like to hear from others as well.

TIA,
Greg

 

Update: im no longer using the curved bracket; couldn't get it to work. back to the flat plate with spacers to mount my sanden. also going to run new hoses, discovered a rub spot....

Greg

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2