after delivering my 328 to the ferrari dr. for her 3yr. major, he and i got to talking about the relative merits of eliminating the a/c compressor after the cam belts are changed. personally i see no reason to remount it since it doesn't provide a cool discharge temp. and i've only had the roof panel on twice since ownership. i hate driving her with the lid on! also i don't plan on moving to tejas anytime soon. to me, it's a pita in maintaining any mechanicals in the vicinity (alternator,etc.) and just another belt to fuss over. i don't have a problem leaving the condensor and evaporator in place. i guess my idea is not unique since many of his customers feel the same way. anyone else have similar feelings?
I'm assuming you don't want to fix your A/C (should put out nice cold air if it's working properly). I removed the A/C stuff on my 328 GTS a number of years ago. It does reduce weight, gives a bit more room, one less belt to spin, as you mention and one less bearing to wear out. I removed the entire condensor/fan assembly, the A/C hoses etc. Just left the evaporator and expansion valve in place. I even "deleted" the passenger side fuel tank. Lots of room to inspect/work now. Unfortunately it would be better if all this weight had come off the driver's side of the car but... The only time you'll probably really regret is if you have one of those damp days and you're having trouble getting the inside of the windshield clear of condensation. The heater alone doesn't always do the trick.
at this point in my life, that is highly unlikely. just for arguments sake, how much resale value is a/c worth?
Did the same thing when I replaced the belts/water pump last year. So much easier to work on. Everything's in a box if I decide to re-mount. I've owned my car for 16 years and I've used the A/C maybe twice. No regrets. Like you, I only drive it on nice days with the top off.
Have the mechanic put all the parts in a box and remember where you put it. When I purchased my car it came with a box of well labeled parts for the A/C that I was able to reinstall. I'm pleased. If you don't use it and it will save you a few dollars, no need to reinstall it. If you remove it, it will never become noisy.
I don't think you'll see a noticeable performance or fuel economy improvement, and -- worse -- you'll have several console switches that no longer function properly, which IMHO is kind of crappy. I'd leave it in place.
