77 308--A/C compressor is not kicking on..

Greg, that Sanden unit it completely different than the one we have.

EDIT: On second look maybe it is the same, but your mechanic will charge you an arm and a leg to do that set up. Lots of fab and lots of time required.

 

To all
The Sanden compressor I used for this application is a Sanden 4626-4780 7H15HD which is a direct mount with JD Head Clutch 2 groove 132 mm. It was supplied by Acrtic Cooling part # 5726. All charged with 32 onces of R-134A...

 

Verell
Yes I used the stock top brace "Cradle". I had to grind 1/4 " deep by a 3 " arch to give the saden cluch some room to turn. See pic.
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You're mounting bracket appears slightly different than mine. The bottom arch (that runs against the cam cover) is squared off and mine is tapered some. To get mine to turn I had to grind back that arch....

I only have mine held on the top side but it works good. Of course, in the 105°F heat index here in Houston it's just not up to the task. It works fine when I leave the house, but if it's parked outside for much time, forget it. It's better to open the window, stick your arm out and let the air blow up your sleeve and into your shirt!

 

SeanF,
One of the bigger problems with the 3x8 A/C is that the pair of rectangular vents just above the console are very restrictive.

Here's an almost invisible airflow improvement:

You just remove 2 of the vertical louvers from each vent, one on each side of the center louver:

PROCEDURE:
-Remove the two vents using something smooth like a table knife to pry each end out of the plenum they're mounted in.

-Pry out the inner plastic piece on the back of the louver housing that holds the louvers in place.

-Remove the 2 louvers on each side of the center louver.

-Reinstall the retaining piece

-Snap the louvers back in place.

You'll be surprised at the improvement.

Of course for a quick maximum improvement, just pry the 2 vents out.

TIP:
The dash vents become restrictive when you turn them down to deflect air towards you. Instead, leave them all the way open, turn them in your general direction, then use the sun shade to deflect the cold air coming up along the windshield towards your face.

Another thing to look for & fix:

Inside the plenum below the 3 round dash vents, there are two flaps that are supposed to seal off air from the heater inlet hoses when the a/c is on. These tend to dry up & curl up so that they're permanently open. Replacing them with new material will help keep warm air out.

You're probably already doing this, but just in case:
- Turn off your heater blowers
- Push the temp levers all the way to the blue.
- Push the heater vent levers all the way forward to close off the heaters.

 

Sorry .. Here is the correct location of the 1/4 " x 3 inch arch that needs to be ground out from the top hanger bracket.

axel
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Thanks for that, I was really confused as to how you were hitting the bracket in the earlier picture!

Verrell, thanks for that info. I've done a few of those, but not remove the vents. One thing I know I need to do is replace the foam lining around the evaporator coils under the dash...but I have to take apart quite a bit of stuff to do that. There's little pieces of foam floating out all over when I turn the AC on. With leakage around the evap. coil, it just makes an already marginal system weaker.