I have literature that shows pictures and instructions somewhere of AC
installed in every TR model back to the early Herald!! All were dealer
""Factory Authorized" installations...but surely the rarest were early Spit
and GT6. I have seen 4 units to date in GT6's and I would recommend you
decide where under the dash you want to put the unit...then take those
general dimeneiosn to your local hotrod swap meet where the AC vendors make
units that "bolt in to TR6's and even have units small enough to fit a '40
ford glove box...about the right size for a GT6. The little rotary
compressors with condensor and vents will set you back $600 to $1000
depending on number of speeds and cooling volume , etc. But certainly you
will still have to make some bracketry for the mounting of the compressor to
the engine. Use good grade plate steel and grade eight bolts only and keep
the length of these arms down to a minimum to minimize vibration and
fatigue/fracture. On the TR4 we did this with, we mounted the compressor on
the driver side of the block and had to do a thin belt conversion. On the GT6
as with the TR6 the compressor fits better on the passenger side of the
block. Once you have seen the components laid out for you and have
measurements...head for the "Pick your Part" junkyard and look at the wealth
of miniature units avail in Japanese cars...cheap. If you cut a hose and get
a Freon leak (Stand Clear!!) it's a good bet the unit has pressure, good
seals and will simply need to be evacuated and recharged once installed.
Worked for us. And it's cheap. Use ducts from the junk car to supplement or,
on the TR6, turn those useless under dash vents into real crotch coolers
(Sorry ladies). 30 degree air across Texas in August. It CAN be done. Also
use a hardtop if you have one...even a fiberglass one insulated better than
the ragtop. And we used mirror film on sheet myler as a sun block...window
tint would help...in the softtop windows. Had snaps on the film so it could
be removed in case Johnny law thought it too dark. Nevere got stopped but
just didn't want to "glue" anything to the top window. Also use small 35 amp
circuit breakers for the unit not fuses. In a case of overload you don't want
to stop in the heat and replace fuses. These look like the glass fuses we all
know but are metal...Radio Shack...and reset themselves in about 2 minutes
with no harm to your wiring or circuits or susyems. Food for thought. The
biggest thing to consider is the cost of the coolant. Newer units do not use
the same Freon 12 coolant. The new stuff is muco cheap by comparison. A 4
pint evacuation and recharge at a gas station on a typical 70', 80's GM unit
is about $250 to $300!!. Think about this when looking at the ready made kit.
It' s pay me now or pay me later...as usual. And for those of you that have
asked I am digging up the parts we installed on the TR4 and will list and
photograph them soon. Stay in touch.
Bill Burroughs, So West VTR National Rep, 70 TR6, 68 TR250, 59 TR3A,
73 MKIV, 69 GT6+ and two 65 TR4A Vintage Race cars. Happy Motoring!
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