I've been working periodically on the block off plates for the cowl vents which were provided with the Classic Auto Air kit. The supplied block off plates are galvanized steel discs with some foam strip around the perimeter. Before installing them, I coated them with some primer and then Krylon 1316 semi-flat black.
A little earlier this week, I removed the fresh air vent from the driver side. The vent is held in place by four nuts. The Classic Auto Air vent just had three small screw holes which did not line up with the fresh air vent holes. I drilled new ones and then used the original bolts from the fresh air vent to hold it in place.
The passenger side was a little different as it must be held in place with a few self tapping screws. Strangely, the provided covers have a hole at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock but nothing at the 6 o'clock location. I drilled another hole so it would be held with four screws. I then screwed it in place this evening.
I purchased a replacement water pump pulley this past week on eBay. The pulley is 5.82" in diameter versus my current pulley diameter of 6.25" While the listing stated it was 2.25" offset, it is actually closer to 2" but that actually seems to work better with the Classic Auto Air crank pulley. You can see this in my image of the original water pump pulley as it does not line up properly.
The new pulley is a C6AZ-8509-G which I believe is from a 240 ci engine. It worked perfectly for my application. The narrower diameter works with the Classic Auto Air crank pulley. Additionally, the smaller diameter will spin it a slight be faster which might be beneficial for cooling purposes.
I did not take any real pictures of the painted part. I include the pictures above with the part numbers as it is not cast into the part. However, I do have the following picture of the pulley installed.
With the water pump pulley installed, I was able to reinstall the belt and tighten up the alternator. I then installed the belt for the air conditioning. The Classic Auto Air instructions indicate you need a 51" belt but that was too long. I actually found that a 49.5" belt works best with the amount of adjustment possible with the A/C belt tensioner.
This evening, I rebuilt the stock A/C control panel to using the parts from the Classic Auto Air kit. This portion of the kit left a bit more to be desired that the other parts that I've installed to this point.
I started working through the instructions by installing the new fan motor control. This replaces the stock control and is expected to mount using the same bolts. However, when I used them, the switch was oriented such that the low, medium, and high positions were available but off was not. I had to drill a new mounting hole for the lower side of the bracket so it would align properly.
The kit uses the stock levers for the mode (passenger, defrost, floor) and temp (cool, heat). Using the stock levelers allows you to retain the stock knobs. However, the new fan motor switch comes with a knob which does not resemble the other knobs. I attempted to use the stock knob but the set screw is not long enough to hold onto the new thin lever so I ended up going to the store for a new set screw which worked.
There is a new bracket which is installed in place of the OEM vacuum module which changes the A/C mode. One end has a tab which slides into a hold in the stock control panel and bolts through a hole in the other side. This new bracket and the bolt were supplied by Classic Auto Air but the hole in the bracket was not the right size for the bracket. No big deal but it is strange to keep needing to modify items for something referred to as a Elite Fit.
Once I finished with the controls, I decided to follow the process to bench test the entire A/C unit. You essentially take the entire A/C box, control unit, and wire it all up outside the vehicle. You take steps to cycle through the settings on the control unit so it adjusts to the extremes of each of the lever moves. Once this is done, you can then test to ensure the floor, defrost, and passenger air controls as well as the heater water valve. Everything works great so I'm ready to start moving on to the next steps.
After work today, I picked up a Fel-Pro Timing Cover Gasket Set (TCS-45008), Permatex Water Pump & Thermostat Housing Gasket Maker, a tube of Loctite Thread Sealant, and 9' of 5/8" heater hose. After eating dinner, I started work on the air conditioning system.
I installed the crank pulley which came with the Classic Auto Air System. I then moved on to reinstalling the water pump. Afterwards, I installed the alternator and the alternator bracket. This allowed me to install the front compressor bracket and then the compressor itself.
I then encountered my first problem when I went to install the newly painted water pump pulley. I found that it no longer fit as it contacted the crank pulley. I reviewed the paperwork and it seems that the system will only work if you have a water pump pulley under 6".
This was a bit of a disappointment as I still want to buy a radiator shroud and a new electric fan that will work with it. I really didn't want to spend more money or different parts when I expected the water pump pulley to work. However, I did find a smaller water pump pulley 5.82" on eBay which is an OEM Ford pump with the same offset so I purchased it tonight. I'll need to switch to working on something else as it will take it a bit to arrive so I can finish up the under hood components.
The label and numbers on the compressor are not visible when installed. I took the following picture to reference those numbers if needed later.
Today, I started work on installing the Classic Auto Air system beginning with the compressor.
In advance of today, I painted the compressor mounting brackets and the spacers for their installation. I painted them with a remaining can of the Semi-Flat Black Krylon that matches the under hood paint I did years ago.
The first bracket I installed was the mount which attaches to the engine head. The bolts included in the kit were not long enough (1" rather than 1.25"). Additionally, they were 7/16" bolts when I needed 1/2" bolts. Before installing the first bolt, I already had to run to the store for more parts.
Once that was installed, I gathered the parts to install the front bracket for the compressor. This requires removal of the water pump pulley, alternator, alternator bracket, and several water pump bolts. I also drained the anti-freeze so it would not start leaking as I removed the various bolts holding everything in place.
Once I had those items removed, I decided to go ahead and remove the water pump. The retaining bolts have been leaking and the gasket is likely no good. This will give me an opportunity to pick up a new gasket and replace it. I can also touch up some of the engine paint which was discolored by leaking anti-freeze.
Since I have everything out, I cleaned up the water pump pulley, alternator bracket, and the water pump and touched them up with another coat of paint. I'll let them dry and pick up a water pump gasket before moving forward.
