Actually this started as a job to do the stone chips on the spoiler, but when I took it off, I had great access to the front of the car. After discussions with various FChatters and one or two experts I decided to upgrade the a/c by putting a more efficient condenser on, and better radiator fans. Unfortunately (as always happens with me), I've gone down the rabbit hole and turned it into a saga. I haven't been diligent in my photo taking, but I'll post what I've got to date and try and keep up as the project continues.
Here's finished spoiler. Quite a bit of glass work was needed, as it has had a few scrapes front and back Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-N920I using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Looking around the radiator, it's a pity it wasn't mounted so puller fans could be fitted Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-N920I using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Measuring up the condenser Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-N920I using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Old serpentine condenser out. Horrible job. Would have been far easier to remove it with the radiator as one piece Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-N920I using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Took the fans out and did this. FAAARRK! Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-N920I using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Looking at the space in front of the radiator had me wondering about tilting it forward a la 328 Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-N920I using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Tilting the radiator forward would mean removing the top brackets, the bottom saddles, and the fan brackets. This gave me pause. When I bought the QV, I knew it would never be a concours car, and it needed a bit of work. So, over the years, as various things needed doing, I had no hesitation in making subtle changes to improve things a bit. All this resto-modding followed two tenets: everything had to remain looking standard (mods invisible), and everything was reversible (no cut wires, etc. Anyway, after a few beers and a serious amount of wafflearseing, I decided to cross the Rubicon.
No you see it, now you don't. Radiator out, brackets cut off. While I was in there, I repainted the air horn trumpets Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-N920I using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I decided that the standard radiator (which weighs a ton, by the way) wasn't quite the right shape to slot in where I wanted to put it, so will need a custom radiator in alloy. I made a cardboard model to see how it might fit Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-N920I using FerrariChat.com mobile app
More or less happy with design, I had a new radiator drawn up Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-N920I using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Sorry, I can't orient the pic properly - perhaps the mods could please rotate it 90 degrees CCW? Anyway, you get the idea. I noted that they had planned to mount the fans on straps running across to core. I measured it at about 15% blocked air flow, which played havoc with my OCD, so I deleted the mounts - I will have smaller brackets made to my design. Next, I spent hours trawling the interweb to find a parallel flow condenser that fits the core dimensions snugly. Found one. Sorry, no pics, but they all look the same.
So now I'm waiting for the radiator and condenser to be delivered, have the welding guy lined up (one of my patients, who's a genius fabricator), and I'm thinking, "Just how far can I push this?" I looked at replacing the a/c compressor with an electric one, which would neatly tuck in next to the battery, but after reading Tony Andrews' excellent thread, and doing a few thermodynamics calculations, (and whiling away about 100 hours), decided it wouldn't be up to the task. So I turned my attention to the evaporator....
I considered this exact same thing when I replaced my radiator but decided it was going to be too much of a modification and deviate from my “nothing that can’t be easily undone” creed. Still, I knew that if I had the balls it could be done so I’m glued to your channel now to see how it all turns out.
My plan with mine is to eventually get a used spare tire well (Rutlands, perhaps), cut it in the front, reglass and paint it to look factory. I have a temp spare and it can be tilted up and back giving room in the front to do this, thereby providing room for to "proper" shrouded puller fans. This should greatly improve my inherent QV run hot issues in the deep south summer traffic and provide more help with the (or a better) a/c condenser. If it doesn't work I can just go back to factory specs.
To be honest, I think a parallel flow condenser and modern fans, even in pusher configuration, will solve the problem. This has crept into the realm of indulging a fantasy
Anyway, the evaporator... A few years ago, I pulled out the dashboard and the evaporator to fix a few niggling problems. One of the big problems with the a/c on these cars is lack of air flow. There's a big oval foam seal around the three dash vents that had turned to powder, so a/c air could just escape underneath - that was replaced. Where the main outlet from the evaporator goes up to the dash vent is some sort of membrane seal, which had perished, allowing hot air into the cabin - I made up a soft foam gasket to seal that. I removed the radio/vent panel and remade one (out of a cornflakes packet, but that's another story) to raise the vents higher than my left knee (and allow fitment of a pop-up 7" screen radio). I removed the evaporator, pulled it apart, and cleaned it. It was too big a job for me at the time to put bigger blower fans on, but I did fashion a 2" outlet off the side of the housing to run a duct somewhere at a later date. The biggest air flow improvement I did was to mount a relay on the high speed circuit, giving full voltage to the motor - big increase. I later charged the system with a propane based refrigerant, which gave much colder vent temps. All these changes made a huge improvement, but the system still struggles on a hot day - and it gets bloody hot here. Hence the current project. Now the hard part - finding some pictures...
Here's what I was talking about re: the hole under the dash - has it really been 5 years???? https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/hot-air-under-dash-found.471798/
I have noticed some cars temp gauge changes when you turn on the headlights. That's a sure sign that the gauge circuit design has an issue/. My EFI temp is always much steadier than the factory gauge. Something to consider.
I found a pic from when I remade the radio surround. You can see the vents are higher. You can also see the seal I made for the three dash vents, hanging over the steering wheel Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my SM-N920I using FerrariChat.com mobile app