Today, with the help of this article, we would like to pass on our experience which may be able to help you in fabricating a front and rear air conditioning system for your vehicle. To be honest, fabricating an air conditioning system is a really difficult task. Many components have to be removed or replaced depending on the model of your vehicle. Take a 57 Studebaker Golden Hawk as an example, we will use our skills to transform it into a super cooling system.
We shall begin by installing a late model of the air conditioning system into the car. In order to move to the next step, do disassemble the entire car to make way for the tubing and so on. We should also check for the available clearance to prevent any obstructions to the other components.
Next, we can measure the diameter of the new electric fan along with its blades as we will be fitting it into the stock radiator shield. After getting the dimensions, we can then enlarge the shield and move the shroud a bit further to the back to fit in a new aluminum radiator and a condenser. Unfortunately, the modifications can only help in providing minimal support for the condenser. In order to reinforce its position, we can fabricate several dryer brackets from a few sheets of stainless steel to provide better support, check out these tecniques at the pebble beach concours d’elegance car show..
When the brackets are ready for assembly, we can bolt it to the condenser and then proceed to observe the results. With the help of the brackets, the dryer is properly supported and ready to be connected to the radiator. We then move our focus to the double stacked condenser. This special piece of equipment will be used to handle both the front and the rear air conditioning system. So we should practice extreme caution when installing it along the dryer assembly to avoid damaging the internal parts.
With the dryer and the condenser completed and ready for testing, we can then move on to fabricate custom mounting brackets for the electric fan. For the brackets, mark down the designs on several 20-gauge stainless steel sheets and cut them out with a carbide bit router. After cutting out the shape of the bracket, we then drill a hole on each edge and filed the edges to remove the bur. When the brackets were finally ready for assembly, we can bolt it to the electric fan bracket and then test the support.
After a series of test and adjustments, the brackets should look great and should be able to support the unit even under harsh conditions. If you observe the alternator, you should realize that the brackets should be lowered in order to provide enough clearance for other components. Since the only way we can achieve that is by fabricating new custom alternator brackets, a suitable design should be drafted and the design should support the alternator while providing ample clearance.
After using several mock-ups to test for factors such as accuracy and clearance, we then copy the template on to an 18-gauge steel sheet and cut it with the help of the router. However, the brackets are not complete yet as we still have to weld on several pieces of metal. After running a series of test, the brackets aside can be put aside and we can then go on to pick a suitable drive belt for the system like an adjustable link belt.
Before we finalize this project, we can fabricate even more brackets for the air conditioning compressor. This unit should be tested thoroughly before we restore it to the vehicle, or we might risk damaging the system. Besides that, an air conditioning box can also be purchased for the rear system which will give the vehicle a better overall cooling effect. When all the components are properly assembled, we can make one last check and then proceed to restore the vehicle to its former glory.
