Coastr Posted 27March, 2019 Report Share Posted 27March, 2019 6 hours ago, Tips said: My conundrum is do I go for the right car potentially with no AC and build in cost of retrofitting (have found a sweet 3.2 like this) or hold out for one with AC which still may need some upgrading. Keen on thoughts of those that have done either. The answer is always get the right car. You can add AC to a non-AC car (ok, it's a few bills, but it can be done without a lot of hassle) and you have different options. Electric from Classic Retrofit, or two or three other kits on the market. Costs a lot more to un-bad a car which is bad than to AC a non-AC car. A fresh AC kit will outperform a stock AC or even mildly upgraded stock AC. Any AC car you buy which doesn't have recent evidence of upgrades and fixes will likely not work well enough anyway, so you're still up for bills. If you find the unicorn which is a car you like with a decent AC system then go for that. And I'd be taking measurements with a thermometer, not just taking the owners word for it. My recently purchased car came with the AC in a box. I'm going to replace as much of it as I can and stay in a reasonable budget. It will probably not be the electric kit (though they are teasing with a kit that uses a stock evap/blower but the electric compressor) . It will probably be upgraded compressor, new condensor and new hoses. You're on the right track to just budget it in with the purchase price. As soon as you buy just go ahead and get the AC project going. It makes a very big difference in Oz. They are only small but they have a lot of glass and a stinking hot engine just behind the back seat, and the 3.2s have very little ventilation other than AC. Targas are obviously sorted and early cars had pop-out rear windows, quarter vent windows, etc. Later cars have the dash vents (tiny before 87) and maybe a sunroof (which sucks on hot days anyway) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tips Posted 27March, 2019 Report Share Posted 27March, 2019 1 hour ago, Coastr said: Any AC car you buy which doesn't have recent evidence of upgrades and fixes will likely not work well enough anyway, so you're still up for bills. Was my thoughts exactly. Thanks for the sage advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch-monkey Posted 28March, 2019 Report Share Posted 28March, 2019 On 27/03/2019 at 13:42, Coastr said: The answer is always get the right car. You can add AC to a non-AC car (ok, it's a few bills, but it can be done without a lot of hassle) and you have different options. Electric from Classic Retrofit, or two or three other kits on the market. Costs a lot more to un-bad a car which is bad than to AC a non-AC car. A fresh AC kit will outperform a stock AC or even mildly upgraded stock AC. Any AC car you buy which doesn't have recent evidence of upgrades and fixes will likely not work well enough anyway, so you're still up for bills. If you find the unicorn which is a car you like with a decent AC system then go for that. And I'd be taking measurements with a thermometer, not just taking the owners word for it. My recently purchased car came with the AC in a box. I'm going to replace as much of it as I can and stay in a reasonable budget. It will probably not be the electric kit (though they are teasing with a kit that uses a stock evap/blower but the electric compressor) . It will probably be upgraded compressor, new condensor and new hoses. You're on the right track to just budget it in with the purchase price. As soon as you buy just go ahead and get the AC project going. It makes a very big difference in Oz. They are only small but they have a lot of glass and a stinking hot engine just behind the back seat, and the 3.2s have very little ventilation other than AC. Targas are obviously sorted and early cars had pop-out rear windows, quarter vent windows, etc. Later cars have the dash vents (tiny before 87) and maybe a sunroof (which sucks on hot days anyway) fyi an electric compressor is not expensive, and are in fact widely available for cooling truck cabs. i have used one in a bmw E9, coupled with an e28 five series evap/blower etc. you could definitely make a kit up with what you have. my reason for putting an order down for the retrofit system rather than making my own, is purely for the cool factor (pun unintended) Tips 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafe_racer Posted 1November, 2019 Report Share Posted 1November, 2019 My classic retrofit unit just arrived. I also have the washer bottle replacement kit from them and the fuse upgrade panel. Will keep people posted on how it goes, skunkwerks will do the a/c install. bumble and Peter M 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tips Posted 1November, 2019 Report Share Posted 1November, 2019 10 hours ago, cafe_racer said: My classic retrofit unit just arrived. Will be my First summer with a black car no AC and already feeling it. Do you mind sharing landed AUD cost and timeframe from order? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafe_racer Posted 1November, 2019 Report Share Posted 1November, 2019 8 hours ago, Tips said: Will be my First summer with a black car no AC and already feeling it. Do you mind sharing landed AUD cost and timeframe from order? I don’t remember the exact purchase price in AUD. However I do remember the nasty $1k bill in tax I had to pay on its way into Australia. Which seemed a bit extreme to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tips Posted 2November, 2019 Report Share Posted 2November, 2019 23 hours ago, cafe_racer said: $1k bill in tax I had to pay on its way into Australia. Which seemed a bit extreme to me... Wow that’s hefty and expect it’s more than GST, I wonder why. Was it a large parcel of bits? I have a mate heading up to UK shortly for a quick business trip and he could bring it back as luggage if it’s not too oversized Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merv Posted 3November, 2019 Report Share Posted 3November, 2019 I love my AC in a car bit I am not sure if I love it that much. Will be upgrading my existing system with new hoses, temp sensor and compressor overhaul. It works now but could be much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafe_racer Posted 3November, 2019 Report Share Posted 3November, 2019 7 hours ago, Tips said: Wow that’s hefty and expect it’s more than GST, I wonder why. Was it a large parcel of bits? I have a mate heading up to UK shortly for a quick business trip and he could bring it back as luggage if it’s not too oversized Its a couple of large boxes, could be a tough one to carry back! And yeah suspect it is various taxes on components beyond GST which was a bit annoying. Tips 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafe_racer Posted 21December, 2019 Report Share Posted 21December, 2019 So I finally got around to having it installed. Long story short, very underwhelmed. A/C doesn't blow as cold as my previous factory a/c The way the dash HVAC controls works is less intuitive than factory (thats saying something) Air distribution is uneven, drivers side pumps a lot of air, passenger side does very little Windscreen vent blowers are basically useless now For about $10k landed and installed i'd save your money for other car upgrades. Harold996tt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZ930 Posted 21December, 2019 Report Share Posted 21December, 2019 19 minutes ago, cafe_racer said: So I finally got around to having it installed. Long story short, very underwhelmed. It sounded so promising too. Hope you sent some feedback to the company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafe_racer Posted 21December, 2019 Report Share Posted 21December, 2019 18 minutes ago, OZ930 said: It sounded so promising too. Hope you sent some feedback to the company. I'll speak with the local installer and see if they can't resolve or at least improve. They did mention some issues with the install and it not working as great as they had hoped. If you have a car with no a/c i'd say it is a 50/50. However if you have factory a/c i'd focus on getting that going and save your $$$. Harold996tt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZ930 Posted 21December, 2019 Report Share Posted 21December, 2019 4 minutes ago, cafe_racer said: If you have a car with no a/c i'd say it is a 50/50. However if you have factory a/c i'd focus on getting that going and save your $$$. My car came with the AC in boxes and I reinstalled it with an upgrade kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastr Posted 21December, 2019 Report Share Posted 21December, 2019 12 hours ago, cafe_racer said: I'll speak with the local installer and see if they can't resolve or at least improve. They did mention some issues with the install and it not working as great as they had hoped. If you have a car with no a/c i'd say it is a 50/50. However if you have factory a/c i'd focus on getting that going and save your $$$. Forget the local guy go straight to classic retrofit. Definitely sounds like something is wrong in the setup. I've spoken to a few people with the setup and they were happy. firstone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Posted 22December, 2019 Report Share Posted 22December, 2019 20 hours ago, cafe_racer said: So I finally got around to having it installed. Long story short, very underwhelmed. A/C doesn't blow as cold as my previous factory a/c The way the dash HVAC controls works is less intuitive than factory (thats saying something) Air distribution is uneven, drivers side pumps a lot of air, passenger side does very little Windscreen vent blowers are basically useless now For about $10k landed and installed i'd save your money for other car upgrades. Sorry to hear that this system did not work out, as it looked promising, especially for cars with no factory ac. I went the other path - being a completely over engineered Griffiths upgrade system, with additional condensers, all new hosing, and vents. Basically, the whole system replaced and aftermarket upgraded. It is very effective and very cold, even in the worst of Sydney summer conditions. There were some teething issues (ironically dealing with condensation issues because so cold) but it is very effective and functional. But not cheap. And I could not have done it without expert installation and problem solving from some real experts. cafe_racer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tips Posted 22December, 2019 Report Share Posted 22December, 2019 20 hours ago, DJ said: Sorry to hear that this system did not work out, as it looked promising, especially for cars with no factory ac. I went the other path - being a completely over engineered Griffiths upgrade system, with additional condensers, all new hosing, and vents. Basically, the whole system replaced and aftermarket upgraded. It is very effective and very cold, even in the worst of Sydney summer conditions. There were some teething issues (ironically dealing with condensation issues because so cold) but it is very effective and functional. But not cheap. And I could not have done it without expert installation and problem solving from some real experts. Can u tell us more incl where sourced , installed and price as I keep circling back to a retrofit on hot days, then talk myself out of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch-monkey Posted 22December, 2019 Report Share Posted 22December, 2019 On 22/12/2019 at 03:35, Coastr said: Forget the local guy go straight to classic retrofit. Definitely sounds like something is wrong in the setup. I've spoken to a few people with the setup and they were happy. second this- the version i had cobbled together was adequate in the bmw, hence why why i am keen on the retrofit vs a conventional system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pork Chops Posted 23December, 2019 Author Report Share Posted 23December, 2019 Thought I'd chime in here as I've voiced my positive opinions here before. First up I'm not here to defend myself or decry anyone else. I've got kits in 3 cars and 2 I'm happy with. Both of them have the CR high output alternator and large dash vents which assist with airflow. The other car started life with a 75A alternator and I has that upgraded to 90A and it has small vents. In fairness to the 3rd car I've not actually done a lot of klms in it recently so it could be subjective but I think it's slightly less effective than the other 2, but let's be clear it still works. I may have said this already but I've not experienced a working factory AC system so can't comment on that comparison, only none vs the CR kit. Aside from these 2 variables I guess there are installation considerations which I can't comment on. Lastly there is expectation. I believe we should expect a system that is running well to be better than a well running factory system in a 964 but not as good as a modern car. I've literally just jumped out of the RallyCab and done a relatively short journey to go get Wakame Seaweed flakes on my wife's instructions and got half way there and put the roof up as the sun was too hot for my lily white skin. Air temps (say 22) are not that high but as we know once the sun beats down on our little cars with lots of untinted glass, it gets hot quickly. So with this thread in mind I wound up the windows and put the AC on. Pretty much took the edge off immediately and in the end was cool enough to be comfortable and that's within 5 klms of driving. My guess is it's more effective on longer runs with higher engine speeds but it's way better than nothing in suburbia. I guess the other thing to remember is that the dash architecture in these cars means only the driver side dash vents hits your body which doesn't help. For me additional considerations were not having an ugly compressor in my engine bay and the simplicity of not having any lines or condensers under the engine lid (not possible on the RallyCab as I have an intercooler tucked in there under a flat lid). I did try to salvage the factory system in the RallyCab but due to LHD conversion the evaporator didn't fit in it's hole and the condenser was shot and in the views of my installer it was time to give up at that point. So that's my story. I think Jon is on this thread so he might chime in but I'd have a chat with him as he's friendly and helpful and will be keen to see you get a good result. All the best. Peter M and MFX 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafe_racer Posted 24December, 2019 Report Share Posted 24December, 2019 Nice review pork chops, for reference mine is in a 86 Carrera with the larger air vents and higher output alternator but not the classic retrofit alternator. The engine bay certainly does look better without the compressor back there! Will speak with the installers as there is an awful lot of cold air escaping the blower in the frunk. So perhaps it is something to be rectified, if thats the case i'll post an update as to if it has made the unit more effective or not. I also have the car booked in for some 3m crystalline window tint which I hear helps a lot too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny Retrofit Posted 29December, 2019 Report Share Posted 29December, 2019 On 24/12/2019 at 23:20, cafe_racer said: Nice review pork chops, for reference mine is in a 86 Carrera with the larger air vents and higher output alternator but not the classic retrofit alternator. The engine bay certainly does look better without the compressor back there! Will speak with the installers as there is an awful lot of cold air escaping the blower in the frunk. So perhaps it is something to be rectified, if thats the case i'll post an update as to if it has made the unit more effective or not. I also have the car booked in for some 3m crystalline window tint which I hear helps a lot too. I don’t check in here very often so have just stumbled upon your post. It sounds as though your ductwork is not setup correctly. The balance to the vents should be more or less even. If an ‘awful lot of cold air escaping the blower’ then the system is working but the air is failing to get to the cabin. There are ductwork drawings in the back of our manual on our website. Please feel free to email me. Info@classicretrofit.com firstone and cafe_racer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstone Posted 29December, 2019 Report Share Posted 29December, 2019 @cafe_racer Good man Jonny cafe_racer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny Retrofit Posted 29December, 2019 Report Share Posted 29December, 2019 @Pork Chops Your one car that is underperforming used to have the smaller alternator. Earlier kits were sent out with a current limit set to around 50A so your might try upping it a bit using the USB cable and laptop. Our more recent units default to 60A limit. Instructions in back of the Setup and Test manual. If folks order our big alternator we now preset the limit to 75A which I find to be a good trade off between performance and energy usage. firstone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel Posted 3June, 2020 Report Share Posted 3June, 2020 On 22/02/2018 at 11:58, Pork Chops said: Jeez.... Sorry for the delay in responding but there has been a delay with the car. Skunk are all done with it and it's been at Nineauto getting the alternator upgraded. This is actually a good place to start the feedback as the alternator and the entire electrical system needs to be up to scratch for this AC system to work. In my case I've got a '78 SC with a 75A alternator which didn't have the grunt to run the AC system continuously. This was in fact something I did know about, but in the process of deciding to put the kit into my SC rather than the Hotrod (I've got another kit ordered for that) I'd forgotten as my mind was dwelling on the 3.6 in the Hotrod which has 110A. So, my alt is getting re-wound, or the static magnets replaced, to make it 110A. This is a good solution as it will still fit in my older smaller fan unlike the 110A unit out of a 3.6. The delay in getting my car back is the autoelec has let Stu down on time frame. Unsure of cost as this stage. If you've got less than 90A you will need to do this step. More amps the better and if you're upgrading then go 110A or wait for the Classic Retrofit 160A jigger that I think is out soon. There are a number of items (battery terms and earths etc) that all need to be in good working order or new. Its not big stuff but it needs sorting. Might be a good point to ask Jonny from CR to confirm what these things are. @Jonny Retrofit can you assist here? Next step is for me to get the car back which might be tomorrow, so I'll post up once I've got some seat time. Which shop or Sparky did the alternator upgrade ? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.