Hey, i have decided a while back that i no longer want my air conditioning... might as well roll down the windows and save horsepower... but i am planning on taking all of the a/c components out of my engine compartment... does anyone have any ideas on capping off where the old hoses were?

If you're going to remove the AC why don't you go all the way and remove the compressor, lines/hoses, condenser core, reciever/drier and evaporator core housing. Then you can make or buy a block-off plate for the firewall and really clean up the engine compartment. To me it looks kinda mickey mouse with the AC obviously disconnected but with most of the components left attached.

I attempted to do this and f'ed up real bad..I ripped out stuff i wasn't supposed to.

If you are going to DELETE EVERYTHING. You WILLNOT be able to run HEAT because the housing with the a/c stuff is holder to the heater core.
Best bet would to find a Non-A/c Heating assembly they are more common than you think. Just don't do what i did. Now i have a whole in my firewall with a whole bunch of stuff actually ripped out and i can't replace it so i am trying to find a non-a/c unit.
But if its a summer vechicle. Rip everything out.
Buy some 1/8 sheet metal. Spray paint it or whatever color. Put it up against the firewall. Mark where the screws are. Drill holes. Get some silicone and seal it and put it on their. Looks real nice.

-Eric

Oh yeah I forgot about the heater because here in Hawaii we don't need no stinking heater.

Yeah, i definitely dont want to rip everything out or i will be freezing my butt off... i live in Virginia so i kind of need to stay warm in the winter time... I just want to take off my A/C stuff and make it look better in the engine compartment and give me some more room to work maybe... I will figure it all out i suppose. Also, if i ever wanted to sell my car or put a/c back in it, i will want to be able to bring back the a/c.

Why not just clean it up and leave it working? Unless you are making your Elky a track car for only racing the little gain from the loss of weight would almost be unmeasurable.
If you installed a WOT switch to kill the compressor,you would have the same performance benefit as disconnecting it.
If you remove it,the Elky is worth LESS.
I put a collection container on the A/C drain on my '70(so the track would stay dry) and drag raced with the A/C on all summer.I just hit the off switch as the lights started down and 12 seconds later,I just turned it back on.You can get a new smaller compressor and put covers on your lines if you need to.
Just a thought,
8) Shane

My compressor is already dead and i am fine with just rolling down my windows. I would rather take the compressor out along with some of the lines and put covers on where the lines used to be... then, when i find that i want to sell my car or bring back the a/c i will just take the lines back out, remove the covers, and get a new air compressor for it. Where can i find the covers for where the lines used to be and what lines do i need to remove without affecting the heating?

all my vehicles i buy i always remove the a/c stuff. my '83 i drive i had the belt off the a/c compressor for the four years i've owned it and two weeks ago i took out the lines and the actual compressor. i havent capped off the ends yet,what would happen if i didnt? i want to put in a non a/c box but i don't know if it's worth it since the car's on its last leg and i don't know how long i'm gonna have it.

The only reason for sealing off the remaining AC components is if you intend to use them again in the future. It looks as though you have decided to let your El Camino die so why bother?

I regret ripping everything out so now i need to find everything that is involved with the a/c/heat. So i can have heat and if i decide to sell it then i can put it back in.

-Eric

Personally I'd keep the A/C if it's a street vehicle. HP is fun, but with speed limits, you can only go so fast. I want A/C !!!!! Maybe I'm getting old, but I just can't take the heat anymore. Here in the Black Hills of SD we see alot of days over 100 degrees every summer. Usely starting in mid June running through late Sept.

You're right--there is no reason to remove the AC unless you're building a race car and need the weight savings or a show car and you need to clean up the engine compartment.

Dudes, you guys are freaking me out.....Please send all discarded A/C units to me in South Carolina......



Down Here transportation is worth way less w/o one no matter what it is(except Harley), and discarding the whole system to gain horse power is crazy when you can remove a belt and it is never a factor

did you know you can buy a new compressor under $150$ nowadays??????........

another thing you may have to contend with is what kind of essential bracket assembly will the compressor leave behind, the pulleys will always have an extra groove in them.......and the tempreture controls on your dash panel will have A/C controls that may embarrass you in front of the chicks if they try it and it dosen't work and your defrost will have a hard time doing it's job properly and what you are left with is a base model el camino that couldn't have been anything special from the factory without A/C and problably came with a V6 and it's problaby full of bondo because only a guy up north would do that and up north they use salt on the roads so we better check the frame too(or so I would think)

only a guy up north would do that and up north they use salt on the roads so we better check the frame too(or so I would think) Yup, and only us guys up North could figure out how to roll the windows down in the summer too, and how to put our cars in the garage over the winter! Yup we figured that out all on our own. :lol:

No offense, I lived in Indy for seven years and Chicago for over three so thats a decade of sifting through rotted out Caminos, Corvettes,Trans AM, Mopar and you name it.......and I've been the guy from up north with a car w/no AC and they did check my frame with more scutiny and suggest I was full of bondo


Down south if roll down your windows at a light your face could melt off


Did you know they now make "Chrome or billet AC units and you can have Braided lines and billet fittings and put cool guages at the lines or compressor and chicks dig AC?????

I do plan on showing my car, i dont care about a/c so why not remove it... how about you guys stop dancing around the question and telling me what YOU would do and answer it... 14 replies and not one answered the question.

Thanks for making assumptions about my car, you are stupid.

Thanks for making assumptions about my car, you are stupid. Who are you replying to ???

contact rb@buchillonperformance.com ....he is a staunch Mopar gearhead, but his ideas and input are invaluable....he sells all kind of kits to modify mopar crap and he is a fabricator I believe, but basically he would have some "ideas" if you can withstand some GM cracks and get him past the idea that you actually own one...

I can't promise he will be a help, it all depends on the way you approach him...

My compressor is already dead and i am fine with just rolling down my windows. I would rather take the compressor out along with some of the lines and put covers on where the lines used to be... then, when i find that i want to sell my car or bring back the a/c i will just take the lines back out, remove the covers, and get a new air compressor for it. Where can i find the covers for where the lines used to be and what lines do i need to remove without affecting the heating?
In answer to your question,after removing the compressor and the lines, you could remove the condenser thats in front of the radiator and store it.That will leave only the receiver/dryer( small dia hose) that leads to the evaporator and the low pressure return side from the evaporator to plug.Any A/C repair shop should be able to help you or a REAL auto parts store(like NAPA or Car Quest) will have plugs for these lines.

You also stated that you want to show this car,if it came with A/C from the factory,disabling it,or removing part of it will cause you to loose points
unless you remove ALL traces of the system,Ie:dash vent,dash controls,heater box,extra pulley shives,etc.

I'm sorry that we did not answer the questions you asked,but instead tried to steer your actions.I am sure that everyone was just trying to be helpful,but perhaps we were overly protective,in a big brother sort of way.When you joined this forum,you joined a family that looks out for each other and tries to guide the younger members from making some of the same mistakes we made or witnessed.
HOWEVER your statement that you made
Quote"Thanks for making assumptions about my car, you are stupid."
Is totally uncalled for and you should be ashamed of your self and you owe this forum an apology!!!
8) Shane

Thanks for answering my question. I'm sorry, but im not going to accept this problably came with a V6 and it's problaby full of bondo because only a guy up north would do that and up north they use salt on the roads so we better check the frame too(or so I would think) stereotype as a reply to my post about air conditioning....

Man, you are obsessed(I like it) :cool:

Don't take it personal, I am sorry if I offended your truck

I admit I was trying to change your mind and save the car

However, my point was that a removed A/C is like a red flag

I have been bringing garaged and not so garaged "classics" from Indiana and running late model crap and Trucks back to them for the last three years by the truckload every month up until last fall, and I still go to at least three auctions a week so I have been through it

I also have had to finish up some half-removals myself in some cars I really liked and never could win any trophies with them or couldn't get good money for them, and I'll tell you why...

A seasoned car guy starts to read cars like you can read people
Whether he is right or wrong these are a few assumptions that can be made about a vehicle that someone removed the factory air unless it is a stripped down, tubbed out, strip only car:

A:the car is from a cold, snowy, salty climate and has rust damage
B:the car had a bad owner that neglected it or mutilated it
C:someone couldn't afford to fix it so they chucked it
D:it is a base model version someone wasted their time fixing up
E:the car has been totaled or wrecked really bad
F:it's not original(I hate that)
G:the ac don't work(duh)
H:it would cost too much to make it right again

I am not posting this stuff to piss you off...these are hurdles you will encounter when it comes to other people"s opinions, and they will scrutinize every detail of your pride and joy to prove themselves right..

I bumped into you on several different posts, and it sounds like you would do a good clean job and it will be OK... :)

Hell, I'd be willing to buy your discarded A/C-so go for it

supergerbel,
I too am removing the complete AC system from my '83 El Camino (not sure what year your truck is). The reason I'm removing mine-I'm tired of trying to work around that ~!#%* box and I really did not use the AC that much when driving the car.
If possible try to locate a non-AC system, that's what I did. Just hit the local "recycling" yards[i.e. junkyards] and try to find a complete set-up. Unlike an AC set-up, the AC deletes are rarely chopped up.

HTH