i saw an a/c setup on an a-12 in a sunny at the wreckers and was thinking maybe i should whack it on the road car

you know so people cant get in and hang #### on it cause it doesnt have the luxury of their new car

sort of along the lines of doing central locking and boot release and that sort of crap

anyway, i was wondering if it would have to be modifed to meet regulations (heard something about new gas being used) is this expensive or not really and what do they do??

and was also thinking about the power loss due to it and was wondering if when the a/c is not actually on does it suck any power, i cant see why it should, but if so is there a way to simply swith it off or disengage it so that it does not use power???

cheers fellas

HaHa, my subject! (I'm a refrigeration and air conditioning engineer).

Basically you need to replace the existing CFC refrigerant (R12), with the new HFC refrigerant (R134a) to do this you need remove the existing compressor oil (mineral) and replace it with polyester (synthetic) oil.

Some older compressors tend to have a problem with the shaft seal leaking once changed.

As far as power loss, it will be nothing when the system is not running; the compressor utilizes an electro-magnetic clutch switched on by the A/C switch (which you must inter-lock with the fan switch) so that when the system is not running the pulley merely freewheels.

Any more questions just ask, although I must admit I normally try to avoid car A/C.

I think it is an excellent idea. The stock ventilation is trying on very hot days -- with the wing windows open, conversation is nearly impossible.

The pulley freewheels, so the power loss is very slight. The bigger performance problem is the added weight.

The black Chicago sedan in the Classifieds has A/C. It was a dealer-installed option in the US for Datsun 1200s, very rare.

In any case a refill will be necessary. You'll have to disassemble the lines to remove the Sunny B310 parts and install on the B110, so might as well put the new eco-friendly freon-replacement stuff in.

Its not just the power loss when its on its also the weight of it. By the time you get the extra radiator plus compressor plus piping not sure what it would be on a datsun but on a Civic all up it weighs around 40kg.

Personally I wouldnt worry about it, maybe your in a hotter climate than me though

Buy it. Very rare(at least in US). Even if you don't use it, you can slap it on ebay or trade it for something you do want. Some of us just want all the accessories, it's an addiction. My compressor is massive. Only thing you may want to check is how it's set up inside. Mine hugs the bottom of the dash all the way to the steering column. So if you have certain center consoles and/or package trays, you're going to have to choose.

i'm with no on this one buy it stick it in a box in the shed you don't know when you'll want it or someone else will want it for a fair bit of cash

Just check for spiders (can of raid in hand 1st) when you dig it out!!!