412's with AC

[ray greenwood]

I have had AC on one 411 and one 412. There are two different basic designs. Both worked well, one works better than the other. The nice one...but very hard to find intact, had the condensor in a custom molded ABS chin spoiler. The dryer was under the right front fender and the under dash console looked similar to a type 3 but slightly larger overall. Both used a York piston type conpressor bolted to the 4 empty bolt holes at the left end of the cooling manifold. The don't drag too much on 4 speed models. They drag a little more off the line on the automatic trans models. But, any system you put together, old or new, should use a new compressor anyway...and they are not bad at all. The second style, usually in 412's, was a condensor taking up space in the spare tire well. It was a flow through coil about 14" square, with a louver/scoop in front and a louver/scoop exit, behind, about 8" apart. They had to butcher a pair of rectangular holes in the bottom of the tire well. The spare sat up 2.5" higher, so under the side mat vinyl and the tire lid vinyl in the trunk, they had a layer of styrofoam 2.5" thick so the trunk floor was level. The coil did not get quite as much flow, so it was a little less cool in traffic. the rest of thesystem was the same.
The system I am putting on my 412 this winter will be completely built of other parts. In the recesses under the trunk on each side of the spare tire bulge, will be a condensor each side, from either a Golf, quantum or Audi 4000. Most of these are the ganged serpentine tube units with fins. If you look at one you will know what I mean. the yare about 1.5" thick,16" long and about 12" wide. They will be tilted forward about 20 degrees to catch air. This also leaves most of enough room for the fans above each one, pulling air through and exhausting out the back. The only cutting will be two small holes to allow about 3/4" of the top of the fan motor to protrude into the trunk. I will do the foam thing as well to make the floor flat. That way the wires can come from inside the trunk. The condensors will be connected in series. Thats a lot of coil area. A little more than the 411. The evaporator coil will be one of two configurations....havn't decided. I am building a tall thin guage console with rounded front out of sheet metal. It will lap about 2.5" into the passenger footwell. It will be about 4" wide at widest, but sloped from top to bottom, front to back toward the shifter. That will leave a space for a coil inside about 3" thick 18-21" long an a 1' wide. The rest of the inch or so of space will be used, cause the coil will be angled. Two squirrelcage fans ...vertical...one motor in the middle (probably from a BMW 5 serise console, or a volvo) blowing air from the left side wedge space, through the coil to the right side wedge space...and having 4 big round vents offset on the right front edge of the console. Controls and instruments will be at top...cause the console will be T-shaped. If I cannot find a coil to fit in there...I will make the console a little skinnier. Iwill use a flat coil about 2" thick, by about 16 by about 12...with a large flat squirrelcage. The cage will be under the coil. The coil will be under the carpet in the passenger footwell...footrest area. Air exiting the left edge into the back of the console which is just a vent box. The motor...I will have to cut one hole through the body out toward the front suspension...and put a metal dish in it...and seal it. So the fan will draw air in from the top edge...out of sight and nearly under the dash...and exit to the left. It will take about 3+" out of the footrest area...but all the passenger has to do is push back the seat if they are tall. There will be sheet metal over it. If I do the carpet correctly...it will be hard to tell unles you know. All metal lines.,..only a few short flexible generic lines to connect each end. Dryer behind the compressor in the back. I will use one of the small 7 piston rotary compressors from a small ford pick-up. They are pretty efficient. A vacume cut-out switch for hard acceleration for the compressor clutch...and a vacume bleed for the manifold to kick up the rpms. Just to get your ideas flowing...sorry for the length. Ray

[Bulley]

Two seperate question groups:

(1) how many have 412's with working AC? does it do well? A lot of drag? overheating problems?

(2) does anyone have a COMPLETE 412 AC they want to get rid of? I'd pay shipping, and some for the gear.